dade

OK my son will only be 3 when we move in June but would be interested to know if any other parents have moved or will be moving with an only child. For those who have already moved do you feel you faced special challenges or were more under pressure to quickly get a social network of sorts to make up for the lack of siblings?

Sani

Mrs Jackaroo

We moved across with an only child. She was a bit older at 6.....but that doesnt make a difference. She actually settled quicker than one of her friends who has 2 brothers. Being only children they're probably more used to making friends outside of the family. We had absolutely no problems with her whatsoever. We've been here a year now and there is no way that she ever wants to move back!

HTH

Hutch

Moved over with a four year old. Wouldn't say he's had any more problems getting into the groove than a child with siblings would. I'd enjoy the downtime at the start to be honest with you, because by the time they're in pre-school/kindy etc - you'll be run off your feet going to kids parties, days at the beach, footie practice, nippers and all the other extra-curricular stuff that Aussies love...

Angela Marie - Cairns

Parents seem to work really hard out here to make a social life for their youngsters. The big plus for us is that I actually feel safe letting my 9 year old out on Her bike now - I would not let Her out of our garden in the UK on Her own. As other posters say, good links at kindy and school, it truely wont be long before kids have freinds round for tea etc.

My daughter was invited to Her first birthday party last week end, she is one of the only POMS in Her school, but the kids love Her because she is different, the teacher informs me that the UK kids are far more advanced due to earlier learning opportunities in the UK .

Dont worry !!!!

Princess Leia

I'm the parent of an only child as well - a 4 year old. Actually it can be an advantage because it forces you to tap into existing social networks for the sake of that child rather than relying on siblings to keep them entertained. As a consequence you develop more connections and that may help toward feeling more settled here.

breezeboylan

We have an only child. She was 11 when we came. No problems at all with settling in. We made sure we got her settled in school straight away so she could start making friends and there was never a problem. She loves it here and says she never wants to go back again. It's half term now, its 9.40 in the morning and she's gone out to play with her friends so she must be doing O.K
Tracie

thpinkpussycat

We also came with an only child (8 when we made the move) and she has settle very well. I think being the parent of an only child and you make more of an effort for their sake, which can also be good for your social life too.

breezeboylan

Must be a Carramar thing
Tracie

dade

Thanks everyone, that's very reassuring!

Scotschick

Hi

We are also moving with our only child (5 year old boy). He has always been quite sociable as I have worked full time since he was 6 months old so he went to childminder and then nursery and now at school and has been around lots of different kids. I do have some concerns about moving and the fact he has no-one else to play with and the effects on my sanity having him at home with me 24/7 for the first 5 or 6 weeks until we settle in an area LOL. However, having said that I took him to an indoor play centre yesterday and within 10 minutes he was away playing with another little boy who he had never met before. I'll just have to make sure I take him places to maintain contact with kids before he goes to school. I am glad though that he is a very outgoing confident child and not really shy at all - he'll probably be glad to run around and play with other kids to get away from me!!!!!

nickyjohnt

We have only got one child aswell, she is 10 now & 9 when we arrived. She made friends really quickly at school & has settled very well. She does mixed martial arts twice a week and her confidence has really grown. She also mixes well with adults .
She is quite happy with her own company as long as she has got her TV, playstation & PC for company.



Nicky

nadders

I agree with Jackaroo, only children tend to be confident and good communicators. They also want to "get out and play" with the kids in the park and the street because there are no other kids in their house. When we went to the Sunshine Coast for our hols our only son met Oz kids in the play grounds and on the beach and made friends very quickly. He's only 5. I think a teenager may find it harder.
My brother and I lived in a remote village in Dorset. We played together alot but found it hard to mix with the townies at school. I think where you live has a lot to do with how your kids socialise.