The Kids Are Alright

No really we’re all alright. Despite my last long rant on Instagram post talking about the hard parts of this move everyone is well. It is easy these days to gloss it all over and make it look pretty. I could post only the beautiful of exploring Cambridge, but that would be ignoring the journey. You can’t pick up a family of 6 and move them to a foreign land without some bumps in the road. For us, most of those bumps have been related to the extreme transparency we now begrudgingly share with our kids regarding finances and what it looks like to start over from scratch. They are innately American, most of their lives we made things happen and rarely said no because we could work more, get over time pay or use credit cards. Right now it very much is what it is. If there is no money, there is no money. That means less eating out and less adventuring than what was promised. They are understandably disappointed. Factor that in with this being our first Christmas away from friends and family and it was the perfect recipe for a bit of a blue Christmas. The thing about leaving is life keeps moving on without you in the place you left. The thing about social media is you can watch it happen. It feels hard for them to see their friends out sledding and on holiday together when they are not there. I feel for them and the tender part of my mothering heart tears a bit with all of their tears. I feel this in my own way as well as the intensity of being displaced and questioning all the things. Should we have waited a little longer? Should we have saved a bit more? Will my kids resent me forever and move back to the States as soon as legally possible? I really don’t know. I know culture shock is a thing and feeling it as a family is intense.

You know what’s good? Despite the cold, it is still good to ride our bikes to school. It is good to take my daughter to the emergency room because she needs it and not have huge bill for it in the mail 2 weeks later. It is good to have enough time to take off almost every one of my kids school breaks with them. It is good to have COVID and not be stressed about my sick leave or pay check right this minute. The quiet and simplicity feels good. The hope for trips and travel and better paying jobs this year is good. Watching our kids struggle is hard, but I believe good for them in small doses. Schooling here is good and is geared around providing them with amazing experiences that would not happen in the public school system where we are from. I hope in the end the good outweighs the bad as we settle in more and more. I hope they look back and the things we gave up are worth the things we gained.

Currently my kids are having a karate match in the front garden, likely scandalizing the quiet village street with their noise and shenanigans. It is cold, they are laughing and they are all together good.