Johndoe Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Fraction of families and kids in the UK are anywhere near what you say you have experienced, I found the kids in the major cities of France far more troubled and dangerous. Oh Goodoh! A France V UK post...............makes a change from Oz v UK I guess? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Pollard Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Hi tfarrell, Hope you are ok, me and my hubby and 3 yr old son live in Melbourne, we've been here since may this year and we plan to go home nxt year, we came on a 457 visa and even tho we both like it here, my heart belongs back home, I think we both knew it wouldn't be forever but no amount of sunshine or money in the bank can stop me wanting to go back to my family, my hubby has a 10 yr old daughter back home and it was so hard for him to leave her, I grew up without knowing my dad till I was 18, so I know how hard it is and no amount of phone calls or doing Skype or FaceTime can be compared to actually seeing someone face to face, we are both so glad we came, we have learnt a lot and will take our memories back home with us but no-one knows how hard it is being away from family until your actually doing it. It has made me appreciate everything back home. We found out my hubby's Nanna has cancer and its terminal so that has made us realise, we don't know how long anyone is here for and we want to make the most it while they are still here. Whatever happens just be proud of yourselfs for trying it out and we are gonna continue on our journey here until we book the flights to go home, we have my mum coming in January and my hubby's mum, sister and daughter coming in march so time will fly by. Sending bug hugs. Xx kerry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest63690 Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 (edited) I would just like to reassure anyone going home that young people really are ok in Britain. Please do not be convinced otherwise by sensationalised hogwash spouted by rubbish papers like the Daily Mail. I have brought up three wonderful children in the UK (and we often go shopping, swimming, picnics, cinema, long walks, together). And I have numerous friends, relatives and acquaintances who have brought up children in the UK; children who I consider to be a credit to their mums and dad. These friends, family and acquaintances are spread out amongst Milton Keynes, North London, Peterborough,Taunton, North Wales, Liverpool, Hampshire and Sussex, so I do not think great kids are confined to one part of the Uk or to any particular income bracket. All the children I know went to good state schools, and have done very well educationally. Two of my firends children have dyslexia and their parents are very happy with the level of support they get. I genuinely do not know of one child who suddenly transformed into a brat aged ten. I can not speak for Australian children. I am sure most of them are also wonderful.[/quote Hi Wronged Sorry you took it so much to heart and it is not said to categorise every child in the UK as a monster but as a comment about the differences in general, I was talking from personal experience having lived in Cheltenham, Gloucester, and all over London until 2004 and my memories are of gangs of kids making peoples lives a misery on the Council estates I used to manage and of my neighbours cars being vandalised parked outside their homes, also the frequent spectacle of children in cafes and restaurants running around causing noise and disturbance. I also remember the protests from parents about shops selling highly sexualised clothes and underwear for children and the complaints from parents about how quickly children 'grew up' in the UK and when did you travel on public transport in the UK and a schoolchild automatically get up and give you their seat, this is 'de riguer' here Brisbane. These were the differences I was referring to and far from reading the ' Daily W(m)ail' I was a paid up member of 'The Guardian' fan club when I was there. One thing you mention which is particularly interesting is the support for children with learning difficulties in the UK, this is one of my criticisms of the Australian system is its lack of comprehensive support for people with disabilities and lack of concern for those with humanitarian needs, altho Australians will always deny this. Anyway life is too short to nitpick about issues which are a matter of public record Regards Oz to france Hi Oztofrance, no need to apologise, It sounds like you have had some dire experiences with British kids, however as I pointed out, this is not my experience. Nor is it the experience of the vast majority of British people. I mention the Daily Mail because it is infamous in this country for sensationalising. For example my MIL used to read the Daily Mail, and was forever telling me the country was going to the dogs and young people were roaming the streets in packs terrorising their neighbourhood. When I asked her if she had ever felt threatened by a young person, she said no, but the paper said a lot of people are. Therefore when I read your comment, it reminded me of the perspective held by many who read the right wing press. Therefore I was only posting to achieve some sense of balance for those returning to the Uk who may read such papers, or be related to those that do. However I do acknowledge there may be areas with more anti social problems, such as some council estates in areas of high deprivation (and I was brought up on a lovely council estate). Due to the demise of council housing, families with issues often make up the bulk of families on such estates. This is very sad, as the original idea behind council housing was for a cross section of society to be housed side by side. I am sure your perspective on young people has been affected by your role as an estate manager. However in the same way a nurse should not assume most people in the UK are sick, or a police officer should not tell everyone in Australia to beware of coming home to the UK as most people are criminals, I do not agree that you should generalise your experiences in the way you did, by stating that most young people turn into brats at age 10. Are there no areas of deprivation in Australia where anti social behaviour amongst young people is more prevalent? I am sure new migrants avoid these areas if possible as I am sure families returning to the UK do the same. With regard to the outcry regarding oversexualised clothing etc, I think the important point is there was an outcry. Primark were forced to remove padded bikini bras for example. The vast majority of parents in the UK are good parents who take their responsibilities seriously, and I am sure this is true for Australia also. p.s. When I went up to the Olympics, part of the journey was on a crowded tube. My son gave up his seat to an elderly American lady, and I have seen other young people do the same. Edited October 12, 2012 by Guest63690 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tfarrell Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 Complete change of plan. We are now moving into a house in two weeks (got someone to take over our lease on this townhouse) we are taking over someone elses lease which is up in mid Jan. So we are gonna see it out till then... do all the touristy stuff... and make the most of our time here as I know once we go home to Ireland I wont come back here for a holiday so may aswell see the sights and have a novelty xmas on the beach! Im feeling so much better now. Alot of people I meet tells me Im mental to want to go home. Altho in the same breath tell me how they also still struggle with homesickness. But Im looking forward to going back to Ireland, I love it. And yes its going through some tough times now but its not some feckin third world country we are talking about. And it will get better. Most of the Irish I have met really put the Ireland down. I dont know why this is... part of me thinks its to make their time here justified in some way. Maybe Im wrong. Its funny as we watched the Australian news last night it was just like watching Irish news... all doom and gloom. And while Oz isnt for me I wont be going home and giving out bout the place. I can see why some people love it here but all the sun and beaches in the world will not replace my family and friends around me and my kids. I dont know what I thought Oz would offer us to be honest but its certainly not for me. Anyway Im happy now. Back home in January. See my Mam & nephew who I dearly miss. Schools & playschools all sorted and even got some contacts for jobs for my husband when he gets home which is great. Thanks for all your advice tho. I really went though some strong emotions over the past few months. Hubbie thought I was going mental at one stage haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 glad to hear you've got a plan it's funny how finally making those decisions takes such a huge load off your shoulders... enjoy your last few months and the journey home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.