Exhkexpat

So a bit of an open ended question but looking to get people's general feedback. For those of you who are living in or have lived in Abu Dhabi in the past with children - do you think your kids have benefited from the experience or do you wish you had raised them in the UK?

Meow

I reckon most people can benefit from living out of the UK. Broadening horizons and all that. Commenting as someone who spent part of her childhood overseas.

archie159

If the children are pre-teen, then yes, they'll benefit. I think the benefits in the teenage years diminish, but then again - it'll depend upon what sort of life they'll be having back in the UK instead. I loved my late-teen years in London, as there was so much to do - compared to much less for that age group here (in comparison). But if I'd have grown up in a small village in the middle of nowhere then I might have the opposite opinion.
I also notice that there is an extraordinary % of spoilt, arrogant expat teenagers in the UAE, and that (for us) is another reason not to bring them up here at that age.
For what it is worth, I was an expat child in Hong Kong for nearly 5 years in my early teens, and loved it, and am sure it did me good.

whirlingmerc

Any good churches in Abu Dabi? Bible studies perhaps?

http://www.slideshare.net/MichaelScaman/psalms-book-5

Exhkexpat

That's not what I meant, I have no problem with religion but from what I gather it's such a transient place do kids ever make 'best friends' and truly feel settled. Thank you to the other people for a genuine response.

Millhouse

The alternative way of looking at it is that a transient place teaches them to be robust, adaptable and flexible. They still make best friends. A stable homelife is what makes kids feel settled.

Sabi Star

Have you visited with the children - so they an give you their opinion? Perhaps they will benefit from a better uni. education etc. you can pay for - if you earn more in AD.

Meow

This. Very much this.

It also depends on the age of the child, how long you remain an expat (many stay for 10+ years) and the attitudes of the parents. If the parents spend half their time complaining that the UAE is not like "home" then the children won't be as settled.

Millsyisland

I'd agree with this, my kids have grown up here (in Abu Dhabi) but my son is now approaching his teens and my daughter not too far behind, so we're planning our exit strategy for the next year or so. We've certainly made a fair amount of hay while the sun has shone, but we'd now like our kids to finish their education in the UK (thankfully the schools are good where we'll be moving to), plus experience some of their youth in the UK. Plus the wife and I have had enough too..

Bahtatboy

Two of my three kids were born abroad, and all went to primary schools abroad for various amounts of time. We had the opportunity to stay longer term which would have taken at least the elder two, probably all three, into international secondary school. But my wife (who comes from the country we had the opportunity to stay long term in) and I decided that we wanted them educated in UK (in state schools). I'm glad I did, I think it's given them a more balanced view of life, although there are certainly advantages of being educated abroad.

Having said that, I'm glad my kids spent only holidays in the UAE.

Millsyisland

Indeed, there are certain 'life skills' that they won't get here that I'd like them to learn for themselves. The older they are though, the more difficult it would be, and I think it would make them more prone to a spot of mocking from their peers (piss taking).

Exhkexpat

Thanks guys, the kids are pretty young so from what you've said we should be good.

captainflack

I lived in Dubai, but specifically left because I had two small kids, 3 years and just under 1, and had absolutely no desire for them to grow up in the UAE. We now live in Portugal.

I have no regrets. I used to take my kids to the playground in Dubai, and half the kids were absolute monsters, there with filipino nannies who were just talking to each other and didn't really give a toss what the kids were doing to themselves or others. I can understand people having a nanny if they're working during the week, but when you take your kid to the park at 10.30am on a Saturday and find the same nannies there, you have to think where the hell are the parents? Probably playing golf or having a lie in. We lived in Estoril at first, which is a wealthy area with a lot of foreigners, but when I sent to the park I saw normal people with their kids on the weekend, not a bunch of 18 year old nannies.

I think living abroad is a valuable experience, but honestly, do you want your kids to grow up thinking it's normal to censor books for 5 year olds because two characters kiss each other, or they live in 'Church' street?

For adults, it's fine, you go to the middle east, you accept its a *****ed up dictatorship and you take your chances and hope to get out with some money in one piece. But I did not want to inflict that on my kids, or have them growing up to think of 'home' as a place they would never have any right to live, would always be a second class citizen and would see the world through a very warped lense in which Dubai is the centre of the world, the despots who run the middle east are all decent, benevolent overlords and islam is simply spiffing.

Millhouse

Making roaches from cereal boxes at 2am?

mission

I don't have any kids but if I did, there is no way I would want their 'foundation' years to be here. As soon as the kid/s turn old enough to attend full time schooling, I would not want them educated over here - from what I hear school/college/uni education out here is pretty dire.