Children Dilemma
 

Planning to move back to Australia in the next few months with children aged 12 and 9. This is now the 3rd move and though they both seem fine about it but we are very worried about all the upheavel on them again, especially now as they are that much older.

Does anyone have any experience of moving out with children of a similar age ? Did they settle ok ?

Thanks.

CG

Re: Children Dilemma
 

Yep, kids were great, no problems they love it here.

Re: Children Dilemma
 

The devils spawn were similar ages when we immigrated.... It was Kevin at 17 who REALLY struggled...

I have met people who didn't stay because their little angels "didn't like Australia"..... But my kids never dictated major life decisions to me at that age....

Is this the third migration? Or simply move?

Re: Children Dilemma
 

My eldest is on his third primary school and is the happiest I have ever seen him.

Re: Children Dilemma
 

I went to 5 different schools by the time I got to what was then the 11+ due to parents moving , I always told my parents it was fine.

It wasn't.

Re: Children Dilemma
 

Similar situation here but we are all different. I hated all the change and always being the newby, and my sister loved it (and there's only a year between us).

Re: Children Dilemma
 

Similar with my sister and I - I loved school, coped well with 4 different primaries and 2 high schools, my sister hated school and remembers it only as being a horrid experience, she had 3 primaries and 2 high schools. I left with plenty of Os and As, she failed almost everything. Feel really sorry for her even now but knowing the characters of the two of us I still find it odd that I was the one who coped while she didn't.

My brother went to 2 primaries and one very expensive private high school (none of our comprehensives for him!). He left with the headmaster's boot up his backside at 16 and has been in and out of prison ever since.

You can never tell how kids will react to schools.....

Re: Children Dilemma
 

I moved about all over the place as a child, but stopped when I was 9. I hated school as I was fat, clever, bespectacled and thus bullied.

DD stayed in one place until we brought her to Aus when she was 12, and she has never been happier. She settled really quickly and made lots of new friends.

It depends on your children's characters.

Re: Children Dilemma
 

If you want to know probable outcomes of frequently re-locating a child I have no doubt there are any number of studies done by eminently respectable researchers that in all probability reach similar conclusive predictions where similar circumstantial data is used.

Given the ease of finding information these studies should not be difficult to locate.

What weight you care to give whatever information may be available and what action you may , or not, take would be up to you.

It may be preferable to be at least somewhat informed rather than the 'suck it and see' , 'they'll be right' serendipitous mindset that seems to be the typical hit and miss approach to this situation.

Just thinkin' out loud :)

Re: Children Dilemma
 

I know how my kids coped at their ages but I have no idea what your children are like so it's impossible to tell. They both may be fine, one may hate it whilst the other loves it or they both may be miserable. Comes down to how the parents deal and what the individual child is like in my opinion.

Re: Children Dilemma
 

+1
Happy families make happy homes makes happy kids and all that ....:)

Re: Children Dilemma
 

Exactly. One size (theory) doesn't fit all. Siblings who have lived in the same place all their lives and go to the same school can have wildly different experiences as well.

I don't fully agree with 'happy families/happy homes/happy kids'. There's no doubt that loving and responsible parenting makes a huge difference, but not every child who 'goes wrong' comes from a dysfunctional family - far from it.

Re: Children Dilemma
 

Abso-bloody-lutely.

Re: Children Dilemma
 

Kids are extremely adaptable. We did it with our (then) 10 year olds in the opposite direction and they are loving it and have made great friends and are extremely well adjusted. Most kids take these things in their stride.

Re: Children Dilemma
 

12 is harder though. That's the age my son was when we moved.