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!

  • Press_Play_@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Hey. I’m glad you’re really considerate of your children’s wellbeing. I’m sorry you’re going through this. Change is always challenging.

    2 things: I understand how these circumstances make your children uncomfortable in school but this might be the perfect Circumstance for them to learn the language which will be of immense importance if you decide to stay. The difficult part is walking this journey with them of integrating into the culture.

    Secondly, apart from this particular issue, are you willing to stay in this country long term? If the answer is yes then it might be worth trying to get your kids to invest in learning the language. If you can, getting help from a child psychologist could help if things get really bad.

    I know that this issue might be the biggest reason why you may decide to leave and that’s also ok. You could also give yourself a set amount of time like a year or 2 that if nothing positive can be observed, you could decide to move back.

    Again, learning the language is important for integration and socializing. If you think your kids are unwilling to do that then you need to decide what’s good for them in terms of their adult future prospects wherever you settle.

    I’ll be praying for you