Do you spend part of the year outside the United States with your kids? (after pandemic)
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
I am a dual citizen with a South American country, and I grew up there. I am interested in starting to spend more time in this other country, so that my children will get to know their extended family and being more fully bilingual. (This would be after the pandemic, when it is safer to travel). They are currently 4 and 7 years old.
If you do this - spend a chunk of the year in another country - can you tell me how you manage this and what time of the year do you go? Summer (US)? Do you enroll your children in some program or activities in the other country so they can assimilate and have things to do? How long do you go for? I can work fully remotely during that time but my partner cannot, so he would only come for part of the time. Thank you. |
Anonymous
| My mom used to send me out of the country every summer for 2-3 months to stay with family over-seas. Thanks to that, I speak 3 languages (two of them fluently). Nothing beats total, full immersion for learning a language (especially for kids). I was never enrolled in a formal "program" but spending time with cousins, friends, neighbors was enough. |
Anonymous
| My dad is Argentine. He and my mom go every January for about six weeks. DH and I did this for the first time this year with our toddler and plan to continue (DH can work remotely). When our kids are in school we will probably try to go during the US summers but the weather won't be as nice. We mostly just hang out with family but would perhaps enroll the kids in preschool there for a month when they're old enough. |
Anonymous
|
We go for the almost the entire summer - we come back one week before school starts to re-acclimate to the sleep schedule, get crap done in preparation for school, etc. Then we go for three weeks around Christmas as well.
We have done this since they were babies so by the time they were old enough for camp there was very little language problem. |
Anonymous
| Summer. How else would you do it without them missing a ton of school in the US? As for programs/activities in the other country, that's not how people used to do it -- it would be more of a just go stay with the grandparents for 2 months -- type of thing. BUT honestly consider who they will hang out with/play with. If there are cousins and family friends and neighbors AND those kids will be ok with your kids tagging along (and no a 15 year old is NOT going to hang out with your 7 year old every day because your 7 year old is from America and/or needs to learn Spanish), then programs are not needed. If it really will be more of a -- hang out with the boring old grandparents/aunts/uncles and hope the 16 year old cousin gives your kid the time of day for 5 min per day, then yeah I think you enroll them in something there whether part time pre school or an activity or whatever. Most kids already don't love being away from their home, their friends etc. all summer -- esp if living conditions there aren't as comfortable as the US -- if you add to that -- you also have no one to play with/talk to, they will grow to hate it. Sure you can force them to do this for years because you're the mom and what choice do they have, but ultimately it'll back fire if/when they never want return to that country again as teens/adults. |
Anonymous
| Former teacher. Summer is far and away the best time to go. I had multiple kids leave to go “ home” for a month. They were always behind when they got back. If you absolutely must, leave the week before winter break, and arrive back in time for school in January. Nothing productive happens the last week of December until at least middle school. |
Anonymous
I should also add that I always sent work. Even when the family completed it, the kid had missed too much instruction. I had one kid go from the top of their reading group to the bottom in four weeks. Same reading group, but other other kids had surpassed him, and he knew it. |
Anonymous
| We spend summers in Spain. Last summer (2019) was the first time our daughter did a park district summer camp there and she LOVED it. We do Home Exchange so we stay in a family's house that has all of the necessities for a family (we even get to use their car!) and they come live at our house. It's been a great experience so far. |
Anonymous
|
Yes!
My husband is from Mexico, and we typically go there twice a year (three weeks in December and over spring break). My parents are from Belgium, and we visit each summer for about 6-8 weeks. For absences during the school year, the kids have work packets they have to do, and they keep travel journals. Right now, it's still relatively easy because our kids are young. I suspect this will get harder to juggle as they get older. |
Anonymous
| Interesting to see so many people go at off-summer times. |
Anonymous
Eh, it's like a six-hour flight Why not? |
Anonymous
|
My wife is a professor and has planned a semester in Australia fall 2021 but we are starting to doubt we’ll be allowed in...
We’re kind of heartbroken. |
Anonymous
| My sister's fam spent entire school years in Mexico when the kids were young. But they had the kids do all their high school years in the US. They enrolled the kids in private schools for the MX years. They have a second residence there. Their father is from MX. The kids are truly bilingual, which was one of the main goals. And I think they enjoyed it even though it was disruptive, the benefits outweighing. |
Anonymous
That's awful. I'm sorry. Australia is one of my most favorite places. |
Anonymous
|
Im from S. America, my plan is to go down every summer for about a month or so, with my dd to spend time with family. My plan is also to enroll her in some sort of class for the time being. I'm a teacher, so off during the summer. DH would probably come for a little or not come at all.
We were supposed to go this summer for the first time (with DD) but covid changed that. I'm hoping we will be able to start the tradition next year. DD is 3. |