To ask what you would put more importance on?

[Popcicle123]

Can I get some opinions please?

Moved to a new area a year ago, don't know anyone. Myself, DH, 2 DC ( primary age) Great schools good & outdoor lifestyle. House prices v expensive - so not as nice/big a house

We moved from a decent area with very average or under performing schools but we had loads & I mean loads of friends & family around us.

I know we can make new friends but it feels like it will never be the same.

What do you think is more important in you or your children's life, Good education or being surrounded by family & friends

Just curious

Thanks

Eh? Well obviously family and friends.

family & friends.

Both are important, but if you have moved for the schools, you can make new friends. That's what we did.

How far did you move? If it's difficult to see family now, I can see that would be difficult. We were fortunate in that my parents moved across the country to be near us.

I’m a big fan of relocating.

I’d move for education- I’ve moved for a lot less!- and just make an effort to travel to see family.

We just make new friends..... we keep the old ones of course! My husband, daughter and I are close knit though And self sufficient. One of my siblings is 100 miles away west, they have also relocated, the other is 100 miles south, and they live near our childhood home.

My parent is on the other side of the world.... also a fan of relocating!

I don’t rely on family for physical help, so it doesn’t matter to me if they are a few hours away.

Family and friends. Although I’ve moved a lot and have friends from all over. We have frequent visitors and travel to see people a lot. I don’t find distance a massive issue so I haven’t found not living near them a problem (within the UK/Europe, longer distance can be trickier). I often have a virtual glass of wine with close friends (as long as we’re in the same time zone!)

Family and friends... a million percent

Should have added, we didn't move just for the better schools my DH was offered a promotion. It's about a 6 hour drive from family & friends, we still see them all most holidays. It just makes me sad sometimes that they are no longer in my family's everyday lives when they were such an important part of it before the move

I don't see it as an 'either / or' situation.

You still have family, and, presumably you are remaining friends with the true friends. You will make new / replace the "circumstantial friends".
when they are 6 hours away the relationships change from seeing them regularly across the month for an hour at a time, to seeing them 3 times a year but staying at the house / spending days together in a block. It is how I grew up and had my relationship with Grandparents and was just what I assumed everyone's relationship with Grandparents was. It is just different from what you've been used to, but no lesser a relationship.

A good school is important and makes the world of difference to the dc. A school will have plenty of opportunities for making more of those circumstantial friends, as will Cubs / Football / Drama / whatever activities the dc do outside of school.

We relocated for schools when the children were tiny. God it was annoying to have to make new friends. It happened though. I've got great friends here and have built a brilliant support network. Wouldn't change it for the world.

Just get stuck in to making friends. For a year put in maximum effort to invite people to anything and everything, join everything, talk to everyone and never turn down an invitation. Maximum socialising, no matter whether you feel like it or not.

Backforgood and Towelnumber42

Thank you very much for your lovely replies. . I do still have my friends and family, I needed reminded of that today

And I do need to put myself out there to try make new friends.

My sister,brother, and father all live in a different country and it can be tough (for example my sister just had a new baby) but we have a family chat where we all share what's going on in our day to day, there is FaceTime and other such video calling apps, and we try to visit as much as we can. The world is a much smaller place than it used to be, and I am in more contact with my siblings now, than I was when they were living down the road from me! Your family will always be your family, I recently flew to another country and met up with some cousins who I hadn't seen in 20 years-I met their husbands and kids for the first time ever, it took us all about 5 minutes to fall back into "family" mode. I have friends that I feel the same way about, so you just have to realize that those relationships aren't over, they will always be there, just make new friends in your new area to share the day to day life-hopefully you will find like minded people who you have the same connection with as you did your old friends. settling in to a new life can be hard,and you will always look back and say "have I done the right thing" but if you work hard at it, you will get there!