In a nutshell: I got a new job in a very beautiful European country and I have dragged my 2 kids under 5 with me. It’s been 6months and they’re still struggling with adapting to kindergarten and making friends. Not knowing the language is also a big barrier. My oldest just said to me that she feels very lonely in the kindergarten as she doesn’t know how to communicate with other kids. She terribly misses her friends from our hometown. The new teachers have no compassion, so they’re no help. I try with playdates, but it’s just so difficult to make sustainable relationships.
There are days that I feel very sorry for having to put them through this. I’m currently crying as it’s so hard to process all this. I’m a single mom, btw.
Any parent who has been /is in the same situation? Any adult who has moved to a new country when little? Please share your experiences. Im desperately looking fwd to hearing from you!
Thank you!
Hiiii grown up expat brat here! Lived in Asia, Australia, and back to Asia (where I ultimately graduated high school). Moving at the time sucked, for sure. My younger siblings (and myself until I was 13) were mostly cool with it. Teenage years were hard. Moving into grade 9 as a newbie at a small international school was really tough. I experienced a lot of bullying/cliques. As an adult - I’m SO GLAD I moved around a lot as a kid and had the experiences I did. I’m based in Los Angeles now, and work in entertainment. The skill set I gained as an expat kid has made set hopping so easy. I travel a lot for work and can always hit the ground running. Currently in Asia visiting family, and it’s interesting to see my partner (born and raised in the same town) struggle with things that my brother and I (he’s traveling with us) find super easy. Also I have friends around the world now. So yeah, team: it’s an amazing thing in the long run