Are your children better off in Canada, even though you are financially worse off?
May 5th 2010, 4:30 pm
#76
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 14,227
Re: Are your children better off in Canada, even though you are financially worse off
Is being exposed to people from all over the world the same as being exposed to news and events from all over the world? News media here is quite parochial as jings said - even international news (when it's actually covered) tends to be given a local angle. Maybe it's different out east.
May 5th 2010, 4:31 pm
#77
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 829
Re: Are your children better off in Canada, even though you are financially worse off
In England they spoke only English, they now speak between two and three languages.
They have nearly 3 months summer holidays.
In England one of my sons was a good soccer player but not one of the best. In Canada his skills are seen as legendary.
In England my other son was a good singer, here, he could be the next Canadian Idol.
In England, being proud to be British and waving the flag, usually meant you were some kind of rascist. They can now be proud of their British Heritage. We have the British, Canadian and Quebec flags in our home and are not afraid to wave them.
I spoke to one of my children recently, and he told me that in th UK he was always a bit afraid. Afraid that he might look at someone the wrong way and maybe get killed for it. Now they do not fear. They play in the streets. They go for sleepovers at their friends houses and have a much more active and happy lifestyle.
They have nearly 3 months summer holidays.
In England one of my sons was a good soccer player but not one of the best. In Canada his skills are seen as legendary.
In England my other son was a good singer, here, he could be the next Canadian Idol.
In England, being proud to be British and waving the flag, usually meant you were some kind of rascist. They can now be proud of their British Heritage. We have the British, Canadian and Quebec flags in our home and are not afraid to wave them.
I spoke to one of my children recently, and he told me that in th UK he was always a bit afraid. Afraid that he might look at someone the wrong way and maybe get killed for it. Now they do not fear. They play in the streets. They go for sleepovers at their friends houses and have a much more active and happy lifestyle.
May 5th 2010, 4:36 pm
#78
Assimilated Pauper
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,018
Re: Are your children better off in Canada, even though you are financially worse off
Is being exposed to people from all over the world the same as being exposed to news and events from all over the world? News media here is quite parochial as jings said - even international news (when it's actually covered) tends to be given a local angle. Maybe it's different out east.
May 5th 2010, 4:41 pm
#79
ModerĪ±tor Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2003
Location: Upstate South Carolina
Posts: 30,768
Re: Are your children better off in Canada, even though you are financially worse off
There seems to be a difference of opinion regarding materialistic attitudes of kids in UK/Canada. Here in London it is very materialistic, and that affects my kids in that they can't always have the latest or "best" of everything. My eldest gets bullied at school for having the wrong trainers, old games console, etc.
So, I'm looking at quality of life now, as children. While their futures will undoubtedly be affected by where they are brought up, they will be able to make their own decisions at age 18 whether to return to the UK or to stay in Canada (or move somewhere else).
I firmly believe there is no getting away from the fact that the biggest influences on a kids development are always going to be the parents state of mind and level of involvement, and the opportunities that are available for the kids to pursue. My bit of Canada works for me, but there are bits of the UK that probably wouldn't be the end of the world either.
May 5th 2010, 4:44 pm
#80
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2008
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 188
Re: Are your children better off in Canada, even though you are financially worse off
Maybe I've got it completely wrong but I don't look at my move to Canada in such a way. We were going to move at some stage and it could have been somewhere else in the UK but we simply fancied moving to another continent. We have our little house in NS and intend to try to make it home for a few years once we have PR. Yes, life is going to be different but that's why we do these kind of things, isn't it? I'm not really one for knocking where I live, which is in a perfectly reasonably part of North West London but look ahead to the new experience. Whether my little boy will be better off...well, I really don't know. If we're all happy down the line then that counts for so much does it not?
May 5th 2010, 4:50 pm
#81
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2009
Location: Hubley, Nova Scotia (from Scotland via Yorkshire and London)
Posts: 1,190
Re: Are your children better off in Canada, even though you are financially worse off
In England they spoke only English, they now speak between two and three languages.
They have nearly 3 months summer holidays.
In England one of my sons was a good soccer player but not one of the best. In Canada his skills are seen as legendary.
In England my other son was a good singer, here, he could be the next Canadian Idol.
In England, being proud to be British and waving the flag, usually meant you were some kind of rascist. They can now be proud of their British Heritage. We have the British, Canadian and Quebec flags in our home and are not afraid to wave them.
I spoke to one of my children recently, and he told me that in th UK he was always a bit afraid. Afraid that he might look at someone the wrong way and maybe get killed for it. Now they do not fear. They play in the streets. They go for sleepovers at their friends houses and have a much more active and happy lifestyle.
They have nearly 3 months summer holidays.
In England one of my sons was a good soccer player but not one of the best. In Canada his skills are seen as legendary.
In England my other son was a good singer, here, he could be the next Canadian Idol.
In England, being proud to be British and waving the flag, usually meant you were some kind of rascist. They can now be proud of their British Heritage. We have the British, Canadian and Quebec flags in our home and are not afraid to wave them.
I spoke to one of my children recently, and he told me that in th UK he was always a bit afraid. Afraid that he might look at someone the wrong way and maybe get killed for it. Now they do not fear. They play in the streets. They go for sleepovers at their friends houses and have a much more active and happy lifestyle.
May 5th 2010, 4:53 pm
#82
Joined: Feb 2006
Location: Red Deer, Alberta
Posts: 10,612
Re: Are your children better off in Canada, even though you are financially worse off
I have only glanced through most of the replies as I am on a time limit. Only through out own foolish lack of attention are we financially worse off - when we sell our vacation property everything will be ticketyboo again. Had we been more attentive and understanding of the banking/house selling and lawyer system here we would have realised the colossal mistake the bank had made with was far worse then we thought it was
We would never have been in this situation if the bank had done things right in the first place - our down payment would have been less and the garage wouldn't have been built yet - ANYHOW that's a whole other story.
As for my kid being better off? Yes and no, would she still be on anti depressants/sleeping pills/ADHD tabs had we reamined in the UK - we will never know, it's one of the reasons I am so unsettled at the moment.
She has options here that seemed to be lacking in the UK, there is a positivity of you can do anything, that seemed to be lacking in the UK - her UK friends are saying they'll be lucky to get a job in a shop and seem to have very little ambition. Whereas my kid wants to be a marine biologist or have a job in the Air control tower - she has been fascinated by the operations of the control tower up at the Cold Lake Air Base, she's learning Japanese and is on about spending a semester there in grade 11 or 12
she's mentioned teaching too. The marine biologist thing has been most constant since about age 8 though).
She recently had to write about her own epiphamy, here is an extract:
I hated Canada, I hated the accents, the people, the kindness, the openess, the cleanliness, just about everything. I didn't participate in class and I read at lunch. I wanted nothing to do with anyone. What bugged me most was that everyone was so kind no matter what! I would go to class and everyone that looked at me recieved a dirty look, but everyday they would keep trying and smile at me. If they got knocked over by someone, they didn't get mad, they didn't stand up and threaten to punch the other person out, they just brushed it off. I didn't get that....
Of course I cried when I read the whole thing, to find out how confused and unhappy she was, she goes on to say that she still has her random dreams of home, but she is happier here.
We would never have been in this situation if the bank had done things right in the first place - our down payment would have been less and the garage wouldn't have been built yet - ANYHOW that's a whole other story.As for my kid being better off? Yes and no, would she still be on anti depressants/sleeping pills/ADHD tabs had we reamined in the UK - we will never know, it's one of the reasons I am so unsettled at the moment.
She has options here that seemed to be lacking in the UK, there is a positivity of you can do anything, that seemed to be lacking in the UK - her UK friends are saying they'll be lucky to get a job in a shop and seem to have very little ambition. Whereas my kid wants to be a marine biologist or have a job in the Air control tower - she has been fascinated by the operations of the control tower up at the Cold Lake Air Base, she's learning Japanese and is on about spending a semester there in grade 11 or 12
she's mentioned teaching too. The marine biologist thing has been most constant since about age 8 though).She recently had to write about her own epiphamy, here is an extract:
I hated Canada, I hated the accents, the people, the kindness, the openess, the cleanliness, just about everything. I didn't participate in class and I read at lunch. I wanted nothing to do with anyone. What bugged me most was that everyone was so kind no matter what! I would go to class and everyone that looked at me recieved a dirty look, but everyday they would keep trying and smile at me. If they got knocked over by someone, they didn't get mad, they didn't stand up and threaten to punch the other person out, they just brushed it off. I didn't get that....
Of course I cried when I read the whole thing, to find out how confused and unhappy she was, she goes on to say that she still has her random dreams of home, but she is happier here.
May 5th 2010, 5:03 pm
#83
.
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 20,185
Re: Are your children better off in Canada, even though you are financially worse off
I have only glanced through most of the replies as I am on a time limit. Only through out own foolish lack of attention are we financially worse off - when we sell our vacation property everything will be ticketyboo again. Had we been more attentive and understanding of the banking/house selling and lawyer system here we would have realised the colossal mistake the bank had made with was far worse then we thought it was We would never have been in this situation if the bank had done things right in the first place - our down payment would have been less and the garage wouldn't have been built yet - ANYHOW that's a whole other story.
As for my kid being better off? Yes and no, would she still be on anti depressants/sleeping pills/ADHD tabs had we reamined in the UK - we will never know, it's one of the reasons I am so unsettled at the moment.
She has options here that seemed to be lacking in the UK, there is a positivity of you can do anything, that seemed to be lacking in the UK - her UK friends are saying they'll be lucky to get a job in a shop and seem to have very little ambition. Whereas my kid wants to be a marine biologist or have a job in the Air control tower - she has been fascinated by the operations of the control tower up at the Cold Lake Air Base, she's learning Japanese and is on about spending a semester there in grade 11 or 12 she's mentioned teaching too. The marine biologist thing has been most constant since about age 8 though).
She recently had to write about her own epiphamy, here is an extract:
I hated Canada, I hated the accents, the people, the kindness, the openess, the cleanliness, just about everything. I didn't participate in class and I read at lunch. I wanted nothing to do with anyone. What bugged me most was that everyone was so kind no matter what! I would go to class and everyone that looked at me recieved a dirty look, but everyday they would keep trying and smile at me. If they got knocked over by someone, they didn't get mad, they didn't stand up and threaten to punch the other person out, they just brushed it off. I didn't get that....
Of course I cried when I read the whole thing, to find out how confused and unhappy she was, she goes on to say that she still has her random dreams of home, but she is happier here.
We would never have been in this situation if the bank had done things right in the first place - our down payment would have been less and the garage wouldn't have been built yet - ANYHOW that's a whole other story.As for my kid being better off? Yes and no, would she still be on anti depressants/sleeping pills/ADHD tabs had we reamined in the UK - we will never know, it's one of the reasons I am so unsettled at the moment.
She has options here that seemed to be lacking in the UK, there is a positivity of you can do anything, that seemed to be lacking in the UK - her UK friends are saying they'll be lucky to get a job in a shop and seem to have very little ambition. Whereas my kid wants to be a marine biologist or have a job in the Air control tower - she has been fascinated by the operations of the control tower up at the Cold Lake Air Base, she's learning Japanese and is on about spending a semester there in grade 11 or 12
she's mentioned teaching too. The marine biologist thing has been most constant since about age 8 though).She recently had to write about her own epiphamy, here is an extract:
I hated Canada, I hated the accents, the people, the kindness, the openess, the cleanliness, just about everything. I didn't participate in class and I read at lunch. I wanted nothing to do with anyone. What bugged me most was that everyone was so kind no matter what! I would go to class and everyone that looked at me recieved a dirty look, but everyday they would keep trying and smile at me. If they got knocked over by someone, they didn't get mad, they didn't stand up and threaten to punch the other person out, they just brushed it off. I didn't get that....
Of course I cried when I read the whole thing, to find out how confused and unhappy she was, she goes on to say that she still has her random dreams of home, but she is happier here.
May 5th 2010, 5:07 pm
#85
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: South of Calgary
Posts: 13,374
Re: Are your children better off in Canada, even though you are financially worse off
I don't know of anyone that felt that flying the Union Jack was racist.
May 5th 2010, 5:15 pm
#86
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 20,185
Re: Are your children better off in Canada, even though you are financially worse off
May 5th 2010, 5:21 pm
#87
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2009
Location: Hubley, Nova Scotia (from Scotland via Yorkshire and London)
Posts: 1,190
Re: Are your children better off in Canada, even though you are financially worse off
May 5th 2010, 5:27 pm
#89
slanderer of the innocent
Joined: Dec 2008
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 6,695
Re: Are your children better off in Canada, even though you are financially worse off
OH is first generation Canadian, his parents are british expats. For a long time he felt he missed out in being close to his large extended family in the UK. We go back every now and then for family weddings etc. I can't see that there's any difference in 'outcome' really; his cousins are doing well and mostly have good jobs, homes, etc. So, from that respect, it seems much of a muchness. Interestingly, though, most of the Irish cousins have ended up either in the US or the UK.
However, there was noticeable racial tension last time we were in Scotland of a type we just don't experience here. People not making eye contact or ignoring you. We were told we couldn't take photos of OH's little cousin at his public school because it would offend people around us to take out a camera crazy crap like that. And there's something grim, kind of downtrodden about the UK. I like it and I like the history, but there is tension there between people. It makes me uneasy. Could be the crowdedness. It IS crowded, I always forget how crowded it is when I haven't been back for a while.
As to the BBC being better...I find the BBC is so busy trying not to offend or be 'objective' that the news is very watered down. I've given up on the BBC. But I'm not British, so maybe I just don't get how superior it is.
However, there was noticeable racial tension last time we were in Scotland of a type we just don't experience here. People not making eye contact or ignoring you. We were told we couldn't take photos of OH's little cousin at his public school because it would offend people around us to take out a camera
crazy crap like that. And there's something grim, kind of downtrodden about the UK. I like it and I like the history, but there is tension there between people. It makes me uneasy. Could be the crowdedness. It IS crowded, I always forget how crowded it is when I haven't been back for a while. As to the BBC being better...I find the BBC is so busy trying not to offend or be 'objective' that the news is very watered down. I've given up on the BBC. But I'm not British, so maybe I just don't get how superior it is.