hi all! decided to tell our daughter who is 12 nearly 13 about our plans yesterday before we told other members of the family. we havent actually started the process yet but are looking to in a few days time. Her reaction was how i expected...TEARS AND TANTRUMS!!! she didnt want to leave her friends who shes known since nursery, didnt want to be a "billy no mates" at school in oz, adamant she wouldnt make new friends & didnt want to either! I know this is how you would expect a teenager to act but has anybody had the same problem with their children and if you,ve made the move to oz recently how are your children finding it now i would love to know just to reassure her a bit... I HOPE!!
Hi
We have a 13 year old & an 8 year old and when we started the visa process they were about 11 & 6. Both of them were upset a bit to begin with, the older boy especially as he has was more sensitive about leaving his friends behind. However as the process has gone on (we got our visas May 07) they have both come round to accepting the idea and in fact they are now very excited. My older son (now 13) is now totally hooked on the idea of Oz, although we have been to Perth twice so he knows how nice it is. I'd advise you to talk about it a lot to her and if you can do a reccie visit then it will show her what a great place it is. Its also important to discuss your fears too as how she is feeling is pretty much the norm I think. I'm sure she'll come round to the idea in time
Mandy x
We had the same problem, our eldest daughter is now 16yrs old but when we first wanted to move to aus (3yrs ago) had the same reaction. So unfortunatley I could not look into moving so we put the idea on hold. We still needed to move so put on house on the market which sold then we moved into rented.
Then whilst in rented and not being able to find a house the conversation came up again, by this time our daughter was 15 and said well i would move next year because i will be leaving school. So we started the ball rolling and here we are on our way.
My advise would be in try to persuade her now, as we waited and about 6months ago she started getting on well with a boy she knew. He and she know's the situation though and has kept him in the picture so both know what to expect.
I do know others who have been in this situation and they do settle easier and faster than us adults and their teenagers love it in aus and would not move back to england ever.
Good luck and I shall keep you posted on my daughters insight to australia and how she settles.
many thanks to everyones replys. yeah keep me posted on how your kids adapt to their new lives. and i,ll keep trying to pesuade mine she will love it !!!
My daughter cried when she overheard us talking about coming to Aus - we reassured her that she would be able to finish primary school in the UK before we left. We've been here a year and she hasn't looked back, doesn't miss her mates like she thought she would and of course has made new friends here. She loves living here and says 'our national anthem' is better than god save the queen so well into being an aussie. Alex (whose 13 next month) hasn't looked back since arriving and is really very happy here.
Ali
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"POZZIE" - HAPPY AND LOVIN IT!
I'm sick of following my dreams, I'm just going to ask them where they're going and hook up with them later
hi ellie for some reason cant read my PM ?? we,re thinking of moving around brisbane area at mo. my oh is a roofer so we will go where ever there is work for him. im just happy to go anywhere warm and sunny!!!....bliss!!!
I was 16 when my parents told us we were going to move, i was quite excited and wanted to come, but (and my parents would agree) i have been the worst to settle out of the family. Im now 22 still live in aus but go back to england alot, and get homesick alot too. My sister on the other hand who was 15 and is now 21 loves living here and has settled in quite well to her new life. The later you leave it the harder it is to settle, if you can get ur kids here before they leave school its so much easier for them as they can make friends! but what you have to remember is if you have brought your children up to be independantly thinking then you cant expect their dreams to be yours,
I was 16 when my parents told us we were going to move, i was quite excited and wanted to come, but (and my parents would agree) i have been the worst to settle out of the family. Im now 22 still live in aus but go back to england alot, and get homesick alot too. My sister on the other hand who was 15 and is now 21 loves living here and has settled in quite well to her new life. The later you leave it the harder it is to settle, if you can get ur kids here before they leave school its so much easier for them as they can make friends! but what you have to remember is if you have brought your children up to be independantly thinking then you cant expect their dreams to be yours,
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Hi, Your post is interest as my son is 16 (17 in October) he is so looking forward and wants to go more than anything else. We are going to get him into school when we get to Australia in the hope that as you say he gets to meet friends, I agree though it is a difficult age!
I hope you settle
Our daughter (12yrs old) overhears us talking about Oz, then has moments where she bursts into tears and asks if it really is happening, what about friends etc. Other times she is quite ok with the idea. We have encouraged her to check out Adelaide, which is where we hope to end up, but also a lot of the schools have websites etc.so she checks these out too.
Of course her 8 yr old Brother is well up for it - he says he wants to grow up to be a beach bum!! we had such high hopes for him !!
The only thing we are really worried about is that due to various delays, we may not be going until early next year, whereas we had hoped to have left before September when our daughter has to start secondary school (which she is looking forward to immensely)
These are all hurdles we have to overcome, we are a very close family and discuss most things with our kids, as we believe it is their futures that are important..we wouldn't continue if we didn't believe it was the right thing to do. We have given ourselves 3 years, again for citizenship reasons - we are not perfect and can only do what we think is right for us.
Good luck all.
sluggy
teenage tears and tantrums!!!
I HOPE!!
we had such high hopes for him !! 
