Advice on Moving

I would look forward to it as an adventure.

We have close friends who moved to Holland in 2000. They had 3 girls, the youngest my daughter's age and bff at the time 5. The other 2 were late elementary to middle school.

They went over there to stay the required 3 years, LOL. They LOVE it. The girls have gained SO much. They have world travel experience and talk non-stop about this being the best decision they ever made. The girls go to an American school. They frequently go to Greece, France, etc and have such wonderful experiences.

They do miss family and friends but their mom has made an amazing effort to stay in touch with all friends and family and share the experence.

I think the attitude you have when you take on an experience like this can make or break how your family will deal with the change. We are still in touch regularly with this family and enjoy hearing about their adventures.

Enjoy!
Susan

Hi B., I am also living in Norway, Oslo. We are currently here in Dallas to visit. Where are you moving to in Norway ?
Norway is a great country, but very different from the US.
Our son did just fine, especially since we enrolled him in barnehagen ( Kindergarten ). He loves it.
I hope you have lots of warm clothes for the kids etc. Let me know if you need any help. I can give you my phone no etc.

My parents moved us (my siblings and I) to a foreign country when I was 4 and the others were younger. One thing that helped a lot was having a community of other Americans to be friends with and be "foster" aunts and uncles and cousins. It also helped us keep up our English. Also, if this is a more permanent move, I would encourage you to put them in public/national schools rather than American or all english schools. If this is only for a few years (like 1-3) it would be different, but it's best that they acclimate to the language and the culture along with peers their ages, since these will be their friends now. It was also helpful to celebrate american holidays as best as we could and to talk over the phone to family, although now there's video-chat possible which would have been awesome. Look for resources on Third-culture kids (there's a book with that phrase in the title), to get an idea of what they'll be going through. If you live there a long time (i was in Argentina until age 13),-then they will always be in-the middle children, where they're not quite american and not quite norwegian. But that's not a bad thing, it's just different. hope that helps!

How exciting for you! Approach this as the adventure that it is. That will make it fun. Talk about all the new sites you'll see, friends you'll meet, and opportunities that you will have in your new location. This should be a positive experience for you & your family.
Be sure to get addresses of your daughter's playmates so that they can have pen-pals. That will keep them connected to their friends here in the states while encouraging communication skills and adding to the experience of living abroad.
This time of year is a great time to learn about how different cultures celebrate the holidays. Norway has some beautiful traditions. (There's even an American Girl doll- I think her name is Kristen- who's story includes some of the holiday traditions) You could even look in to trying a few recipes (they have yummy baked goods)
Once you move, look for local ex-patriot groups to help with the transition. Don't neglect to immerse yourself in the real local flavor as well. Watch for community events, take advantage of museums, plan day trips and excursions to other countries. This will be a wonderful learning experience for your girls. They will have a much broader view of our world. They will also have access to some of the oldest buildings and artifacts. They will be exposed to a different way of life,cuisine, language(s)etc.
Take a deep breath and enjoy the experience!

We moved from Pennsylvania to Texas 2 yrs ago. Our kids were about the same age. My son had trouble with the move, but he was really comforted by watching the movie, My Neighbor Tortoro. It's about a family with two girls who move from the city to the countryside and they befriend a Tortoro (cartoon character) who lives in the forest next to their rickety new home. I'm not doing it any justice. It won lots of foreign film awards and it is dubbed too. Good luck with the move. I would also get a web cam so that they can still see and talk to old friends and family via skype and other free services.

Hi B.,

Congrats on your adventure!! We have done 3 international moves now, althought my son was only 4 moths with the last one.
There is a great book out there called "A Moveable Marriage".
Also, for you and the children my best advice would be to get involved with any expat groups ASAP, this will make the change easier and you'll get to know some good friends along the way.
Also, try and have a good daily routine you and the children will welcome the predicability.

Good Luck,
F.

Congrats! We have moved a lot too. I always felt like I was ruining my kids life and they would be so traumatized. But each time they surprised me. Kids are so resilient.

B.--This is a great age for you to be moving overseas with your children. My brother just did it a year ago when he was stationed in Naples, Italy. He has 4 children who at that time were 1, 3, 6 and 7. They frequently say that they miss their various family members. We stay in touch through emails and sending each other a lot of photos. It makes the kids happy to receive letters and notes from family too. They are going to be there at least 3 years and then plan to move back to the states. They are going to have some issues with being homesick, but if you can encourage your family here to stay in frequent touch, I think it takes the edge off. They also spend a lot of time touring Italy and taking small trips. It has been very exciting for the kids. Good luck!

Brady, I read an article written by a mom who looked back on her family's many moves and patted her/himselves on the back bc they raised such a confident dt inspite of all the move. One thing was to always establish routines in your daily lives. And no matter how hectic or off schedule the moving or the process of moving get, you and your husband need to make it a priority for the girls that you maintain the routines that are special to your families, reading a book b4 going to bed, or daddy carrying the first person to finish thier dinners up to bed or a piggy back ride. What ever it was that was unique to your family. The idea is that you do not allow the move or the location dictate who you are as a family and those things that kids find so near and dear. Routine, even though how ever tidious they may be, are the things that kids can and should be able to rely upon. If you stick to that then they know that there will always be stability in thier lives.
The second thing I remember was the tone and mode created and deriving from the parents. If you give out and demonstrate a sense of dispair, anguish, helplessness, ect, your dts will feed off of any emotions that you and your hb displays. So you need to sell yourself on the fact that this is a move that will benefit your family in the long run. And whether you agree or disagree with this move, it will benefit your family if you allow for the positives to come into your family. Allow the differences in our cultures to be obsorbed into your family. You are one of a few family that has the ability to expand your views, teach your kids at their early ages that this is a gift rarely given.
Last thing would be to go out and enjoy every bit of your new location. Don't wait til the next day to explore your new sites. Think of it as a long drawn out vacation and you should take in all the parks, monuments, lakes, ect. We should all do this for even the place that we call "home". I have a friend that has moved 3 times and she has decided to call the city that she grew up in home and that's what she has taught her boys. I don't agree with that, because I see it as teaching them to loong for another place instead of living in the place that their immediate family are in.

Good luck and I hope the best for you and your family. A.