I moved my kids out of America

[Misfit]

http://theweek.com/articles/703660/moved-kids-america-best-parenting-decision-ive-ever-made

"I really wish you'd reconsider your decision," my neighbor Steve said. He strode over, hands on hips, and added, "I hear it's dangerous down there. I'm really worried about your kids."

The decision he was referring to was the radical idea that my husband and I had settled on. We were moving, along with our two young sons — at age 7 and 9 — from small town U.S.A. to a modest mountain village in Ecuador. Steve wasn't the only one with concerns. My brother, who normally lauded my parenting choices, was ominously silent on this one, afraid that talking about it would make it real, give it life and validation.

Some of our friends turned on us, calling us terrible parents, or saying we were unpatriotic. Why would we want to leave the land of the free and the home of the brave? And where was Ecuador, anyway? Somewhere near Mexico? Africa? We were taking our children to a country that most Americans can't even point to on a map. What were we thinking?


Well, we were thinking a lot of things, and taking a number of factors into consideration. In America, it seemed every third child was taking pharmaceuticals to treat behavioral issues, anxiety, or depression. High school students were unloading automatic weapons into their classmates. Opioid use was reaching all new highs. Bank executives were defrauding their customers and Wall Street was walking an increasingly thin tight rope. It felt like The American Dream as we knew it was all but gone, having transformed into a shadowy unknown. We fretted about what the future would hold for our family. We thought maybe, just maybe, a simpler lifestyle somewhere else was the answer. And so, in 2011, our family walked up to the edge of the unknown, took a deep breath, and jumped.

 

[vraiblonde]

I wish she'd have said where they lived before. There are a number of places that you can live right in the good old US of A that she can give her kids that experience. Also, a lot of what she describes as undesirable are parenting choices - greed, work ethic, impatience, etc. Plus you can find true adventure and right here at home. It's not all theme parks and Disney characters.

Don't get me wrong - I'm in the "good for her!" column. I'm a fan of travel, obviously, and experiencing different cultures (even if they all speak English). My only impression is that she enthuses as if all those wonderful things her kids are experiencing can only be found in a remote country, and that's not true. Someone could write much that same story by taking their kids out of Baltimore and moving them to Powell, WY. The US isn't as appreciated as I think it should be and there's a lot out there that you're not going to see on TV shows or from the prism of a Manhattan news anchor. The stereotype of life in America is only a tiny part of what it really is.

 

[Gilligan]

What a freaking moron.

High school students were unloading automatic weapons into their classmates.

^ Has never happened...ever.

 

[mAlice]

I wish she'd have said where they lived before. There are a number of places that you can live right in the good old US of A that she can give her kids that experience. Also, a lot of what she describes as undesirable are parenting choices - greed, work ethic, impatience, etc. Plus you can find true adventure and right here at home. It's not all theme parks and Disney characters.

Don't get me wrong - I'm in the "good for her!" column. I'm a fan of travel, obviously, and experiencing different cultures (even if they all speak English). My only impression is that she enthuses as if all those wonderful things her kids are experiencing can only be found in a remote country, and that's not true. Someone could write much that same story by taking their kids out of Baltimore and moving them to Powell, WY. The US isn't as appreciated as I think it should be and there's a lot out there that you're not going to see on TV shows or from the prism of a Manhattan news anchor. The stereotype of life in America is only a tiny part of what it really is.

The difference between north and south is like night and day. Someone who lives in DC could move to western MD, and be in a totally different world. This reminds of dependent spouses who accompany their active duty husbands to overseas duty stations, spend the entire time complaining about having nothing to do, but at the same time, are afraid to leave the base. America is so incredibly diverse, I just don't understand how people can't see it.

 

[black dog]

In the years that I have traveled around the globe on my sailboat I will say, that all of the family's that had children that were also traveling in boats the children all were very well behaved, well spoken, and interacted with adults without any problems.
It used to be a problem to educate your children when traveling or away from utilities, now with internet, school along with keeping up with today's topics are very easy.

 

[PeoplesElbow]

They can move to hell for all I care, why the hell do they feel the need to blog about it to tell people about it?

 

[littlelady]

They can move to hell for all I care, why the hell do they feel the need to blog about it to tell people about it?

Agree. They, certainly, are not patriots. In fact, my hub and I were talking about this earlier. Apparently, approximately 150,000 ex-patriots have moved to Ecuador. I guess Ecuador has the phone options...press one for Spanish, and two for English. The Americans that move there do live like kings. Good riddance to all of them.

 

[Monello]

The difference between north and south is like night and day. Someone who lives in DC could move to western MD, and be in a totally different world. This reminds of dependent spouses who accompany their active duty husbands to overseas duty stations, spend the entire time complaining about having nothing to do, but at the same time, are afraid to leave the base. America is so incredibly diverse, I just don't understand how people can't see it.

We had people overseas that lived in a triangle. Work, housing and the exchange/commissary. The commissary was closed on Mondays and if they needed milk then no cold cereal tomorrow.

I asked 1 girl why she didn't just shop locally and was told that she got stared at. Best part was taking 30 days leave and flying back to the states. You're already in Europe with excellent trains to take you anywhere. But they craved US fast food, so back home they went.

 

[lucky_bee]

We had people overseas that lived in a triangle. Work, housing and the exchange/commissary. The commissary was closed on Mondays and if they needed milk then no cold cereal tomorrow.

I asked 1 girl why she didn't just shop locally and was told that she got stared at. Best part was taking 30 days leave and flying back to the states. You're already in Europe with excellent trains to take you anywhere. But they craved US fast food, so back home they went.

we were stationed overseas for awhile and my mom was considered nuts by the other wives bc we lived in off-base housing (never lived on base ever...) and shopped and traveled locally the entire tour. And this was in ENGLAND where people spoke the same language They even sent us kids to the local schools. We spent a 3 week family vacation one summer driving all over Europe and my dad's squadron about had a cow.