I'm an American parent in the uk AMA

[maxinesmith]

I moved to the uk from California with my British husband five years ago AMA

What kind of different perspective are you expecting to be able to bring here?

What positive and negative differences in education have you noticed?
What food do you miss?

What ages are your children?

I lived in the USA (east coast) for a couple of years and I found it a culture shock when I came home.

The first thing I noticed was the amount of mothers smoking while pushing a pram/holding a child’s hand/ assisting in the park etc.

I’ve also noticed the biggest difference between the USA/U.K. is the U.K. race to the bottom. In the Us I knew of people who would rather pay for baseball/foootball/swimming/piano than go on holiday whereas in the U.K. parents complain of £5 a week swimming lesson but have sky tv.

What American foods do you miss? What British foods do you love, and would miss if you went back home?

What kind of different perspective are you expecting to be able to bring here?

I think I have been instilled by my parents is that hard work really pays off and that tenacity is the best trait someone can have.

What positive and negative differences in education have you noticed?

A positive trait is that teachers seem more positive and optimistic than American teachers.

A negative is that school’s seem really exam based and not really based on learning the subject. Much more than us schools.

As an LA native I will miss In n Out the most but also some really good Californian wine.

For reference my children are five and fifteen.

I think the most notable difference is the way that in Southern California people tend to dress very formally for most planned occasions whereas in the uk people tend to dress more smart casual.

Surprised about Californians dressing more formally. As someone who grew up in Los Angeles (West Hollywood) I think British people are way better dressed, but could be I am comparing people from House of Blues

As a French person, I am shocked you think California wine is “good”
Start trying some French wines. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

I think I have been instilled by my parents is that hard work really pays off and that tenacity is the best trait someone can have

And you don't think that brits have this belief?

*And you don't think Brits have this belief?
*
I think that Americans are far more optimistic in this mindset.

As a French person, I am shocked you think California wine is “good”
Start trying some French wines. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Sadly I think a lot of the best Californian wines rarely leave the state. They tend to be from really small family owned vineyards who don't really sell much wine in Europe.

Does the fact that we don't have nearly as many guns here make you feel more or less safe?

Do you struggle to understand our sense of humour?
A friend of mine moved to the states a few years back and she said the worst thing is that Americans have no sense of humour and she has no one to have a laugh with. She said she’ll crack a little joke and it’s like tumbleweed! - I guess it’s just different.

Me too, but I've been here 20 years. We just filed USA taxes and I wonder how much longer we're going to keep that up.

I do love a Northern California Chardonnay and an Oregon Pinot Noir. You're right - you can't get the good ones over here - they don't export them. But the French wines, also marvellous. Arguing about which is better is comparing two wonderful things. (I don't love everything, I'm not a fan of Italian wine and lived there for a year).

Don't stay too long OP if you want to go back. It gets to the point where you don't fit in anywhere. I'm a bit too British for the USA, and too American for the Brits. I am happy here, but if I could go back 20 years I wouldn't have moved. Now the kids settled and I can't really go back.

I will have to plan a trip to California wine country then!

Hi OP! Just a solidarity fist bump and yes, I miss In N Out and proper Mexican food and our sunsets. I'm from Los Angeles as well. British husband. 25 years over here with 4 years back in the States between 2001-2005. My mother is Irish though, so I felt very much at home here when I hit these shores in the 90s.

How does your teen like it over here, having spent the bulk of his/her childhood in the States?

With the humour my father was a sitcom writer so me and my sister pretty much grew up on shows like monty python and blackadder which I remember watching the vhs copies my dad used to get.

I grew up in Beverly Hills and lived in Calabasas so I've never really had to fear for my safety like that.

We were worried about our son to begin with but honestly he loves the uk way more than the us now.

.

Which do you prefer?

Speaking honestly and selfishly I do miss Los Angeles for me however in comparison to The uk where I live now is definitely a more child/family friendly environment.

I will say that Beverly Hills (where I grew up) is a really bad environment for a kid. I remember in middle school there was a reporter who once paid a girl to dish on school drama. That was when we moved away.

I spent 30 years in CA, in the north near quite a few vineyards. not that we drink at all-
All my kids went to the same Elementary school the boys went right through middle and high school there (One went through University). A very rural county with schools that seemed like a step back in time compared to friends who's kids were at school in the central valley where they had metal detectors and security.
I too miss In N Out (nearest was in Tracy) and proper Mexican food.
The teachers were very attentive, positive and did what they could to expand on the kids experiences.
All our neigbours were pretty down to earth, busy with kids, animals and work. No interest in keeping up with the jonses like her in the UK.
No one went on foreign holidays, just went up to Tahoe, some had family cabins, or to SanFrancisco for the day or overnight, and to Marine World and the Jelly Belly factory during school vacations.
The big Vacation one year was Disney California, we drove there and bumped into three diffrent families from the school. That was weird.

What do you and you US mates think of Meghan Markle.

Is your name really Maxine? Have you met many in the UK?

What do you and you US mates think of Meghan Markle?

I think she's great I just