Page 9 | Thoughts on moving from England to Florida

Decisions2023 · 2023-02-03T18:29:50+00:00

Other half wants us to move from England to his home town in Florida. He has family and friends there etc and he can keep the same job. We have a 9 months of baby and the move is making me nervous. The thought of making my child American is making me nervous as it would become his home and all he knows. I'm not sure if I'm thinking rational. We are not well off and the thought of making this big decision on my childs behalf makes me anxious/nervous. Do you think I would be putting my child at an advantage or disadvantage? Thanks in advance.

OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow · 04/02/2023 09:23

If you aren’t well off, how will you live? Like many others I’d be wary of many things, health care, jobs, visa, if you split up.
anyway, why does he get the deciding vote?

Hobbesmanc · 04/02/2023 09:24

I spent a year with work in the US with the intention of making it a permanent move. I was based in a really lovely college town in the mid west. Because of the students , it had a great liberal feel with good restaurants and bars etc. I was in a house share in this huge house with every mod con. Air conditioning etc etc.

My health insurance was covered thankfully. It becomes really hard to secure decent affordable cover if you have any existing conditions

I had a wonderful time and met some great people.

But to get anywhere different meant huge journeys. The scenery was pretty but unvarying. No public transport to speak of.

I got homesick. Came back. No regrets

WisteriaLodge · 04/02/2023 09:24

Busybody2022 · 03/02/2023 19:14

We are south coast. My kids know one long bell is fire bell and 5 short bells is lockdown and what to do. Its standard in the UK now.

I'm South Coast and my children's schools definitely don't do this, it's not standard at all.

Hobbesmanc · 04/02/2023 09:24

mynamesnotMa · 04/02/2023 09:20

Ew no. Its like an American Scarborough

Scarborough is fab!

keepaweatheredeye · 04/02/2023 09:25

Florida is well known as a gun toting, anti abortion right wing hellhole, all be it with some nice beaches.

It's a huge fat no from me.

WisteriaLodge · 04/02/2023 09:25

Sorry I meant shooter drills, not fire drills! Of course fire drills are standard everywhere aren't they?

Abraxan · 04/02/2023 09:28

DisneyDisneyDisney · 03/02/2023 23:47

Lockdown drills are routine in England

Not in all uk schools. I've taught since 1996, in England - in secondary for several years, in a prison for 3 years and several years in a primary school. I've never yet done a lockdown drill.

Dd went to state and independent schools in England, leaving in 2020. She did one lockdown drill in her time in school.

And how long ago is it in the uk when a real life shooter incident occurred? When was the last one in the US?

MyMilkshakeScaresAllTheBoys · 04/02/2023 09:30

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 03/02/2023 19:07

And loads of pensioners. Just, no

Oh the horror. Old people. And out in public assaulting your gaze, no doubt.

I get her point. We call Florida "gods waiting room." It isn't just lots of old people- it's what comes with them. Like they vote en mass for low taxes and depending on property tax structure (lots of states reduce it substantially after a certain age) it means schools aren't well funded.

unsureatthispoint · 04/02/2023 09:32

MrsHughesPinny · 03/02/2023 19:12

I recently moved back to the UK after 8 years in the US. Florida is horrendous place to be politically. DeSantis is a lunatic and it’s very anti-women, anti-LGBTQ+ and racist.

Have you actually listened to him?

DeSantis is a breath of fresh air amongst all the clowns plaguing the political sphere in the USA today. He has also managed to keep the state's finances under control, as he's not wasting resources on indoctrination, self indulgence and unicorn chasing

LikeTearsInRain · 04/02/2023 09:35

I think Florida would be great. Gorgeous weather and great theme parks and stuff to do nearby! Go to Disney every year! 😍

But don’t they have hurricanes and thing?

Also all the guns in America?

I can see why you don’t want DC to grow up and think of themselves as American and know nothing different.

Hard choice

stoodmyground · 04/02/2023 09:41

mathanxiety · 03/02/2023 20:22

It's not normal to have a gun in your bag when you go to Walmart.

What strange ideas people have about America.

I’ve seen it a couple of times actually. And there was a man with his small children in front of me in the queue going in to Magic Kingdom arguing with security that he couldn’t bring his gun in to the park. It was his god damn right to defend his family. He didn’t want to leave it in his car. I mean, wtf…

Rewis · 04/02/2023 09:45

It is ok to not want to move to another country for "rest of your life". Wether it's miami, Sydney or Dublin. I feel like people often times over simplify this and there are people who think it's the best thing ever and who hated it. Take a minute to really think about it. Look into the practicalities. Think deeper like the emotional effects. I am struggling with moving and someone was very helpful and pointed out that I would still be able to visit back home once every few years. It was not comforting for me and made me realise some of of own requirements.

Also your partner needs to be the person to do a lot of the work. He needs to be the one to look into the paperwork. Kid schools. The odds of you being employed. Insurances etc. It can't be your job only. And he also has to have practical solutions on how to keep your family connected to Britain. And specs of what happens in few years if circumstances change etc.

Hedgehogsandsquirrels · 04/02/2023 09:48

**Have you actually listened to him?

DeSantis is a breath of fresh air amongst all the clowns plaguing the political sphere in the USA today. He has also managed to keep the state's finances under control, as he's not wasting resources on indoctrination, self indulgence and unicorn chasing**

^ This. You'll think of him as a "nutjob" if you've been educated by social media and the independent.

maranella · 04/02/2023 09:51

She lives in NY @Hedgehogsandsquirrels, which is a bastion of TWAW, criminals shouldn't go to prison, illegal immigrants should be welcomed by the million, etc. Personally, I'd rather live with Ron DeSantis than some of the nutjob Democrat governors, but each to their own!

DrinkFeckArseBrick · 04/02/2023 10:00

For me it would depend on:

How easy it would be for you to get a Visa and work. Not sure if you're married and if this makes a difference

Who you're leaving behind. Do you have family with close relationships that you see often for example

Finances. What's the cost of living and housing in the areas you want to live compared to your likely earnings? The distribution of wealth in America is a huge problem with a lot of the population in massive poverty (although the uk is heading more and more in that direction). Could you afford healthcare? If not I definitely wouldn't go, you dont want to risk being in an accident that bankrupts you or you have to choose which limb to save because you can't afford both. You want to be able to take your child to the doctor when she needs it

How close your husband actually is to friends and family. How often would you see them etc

I'd want to go there for an extended break eg two months if you can afford it, to see how you actually get on with the lifestyle and culture (eg when I've visited the states I find the drive through culture really hard to get on with, in the areas I've been to everyone drives everywhere and goes for hikes separately. I walk and cycle when I run errands to get some exercise into my day and so didnt get on with that aspect very well but wouldnt have nesseccarily thought about it beforehand)

How often can you afford (in both time and money) to come back home. what if you absolutely hate it there, would he agree to move back

How important are politics to you? I couldn't actively choose to live somewhere with laws on guns, abortions, all the hard right stuff as I fundamentally disagree with it. Other people wont disagree or wont be as bothered if they do.

What are the local employment laws eg is it fire at will, how important is job security to you. How many holidays do you get with work, in some places its only 2 weeks in the states compared to 5 here. This might impact on trips back home. So if you're thinking of working and your child is in childcare what will you do when they are ill. Be wary of relatives who have offered to babysit while you work, you see it all the time here where people move for this then the relatives can't cope or change their mind and they are completely stuck. Always have a back up plan

Parker231 · 04/02/2023 10:03

unsureatthispoint · 04/02/2023 09:32

Have you actually listened to him?

DeSantis is a breath of fresh air amongst all the clowns plaguing the political sphere in the USA today. He has also managed to keep the state's finances under control, as he's not wasting resources on indoctrination, self indulgence and unicorn chasing

Show quote history

DeSantis is another Trump - to be avoided at all costs.

Blablablablaba · 04/02/2023 10:10

Well the weather would be a lovely change (well outside hurricane season) and it can be quite humid. It's a big decision I'm not sure I could do it. Do u have family that u wld miss here?

Ul be shocked at the prices in the supermarket. It's got very expensive now. Bag of m&ms was $12.99 same bag here would be £2-3!

Can u not go on an extended holiday go for 3 weeks or a bit more if possible? I'd have to go a lot and spend a lot of time there before I could make that decision. Be very careful about rushing in to it. When uv got a child it's not as simple as "I don't like it let's go home" if his says no.

emptythelitterbox · 04/02/2023 10:19

Florida is the sweaty armpit of the country.

No way would I live there.

Whammyyammy · 04/02/2023 10:21

Depends where in FL, as its a huge state and driving from top to bottom is the same as driving fron Scotland to Cornwall.

Generally Florida is beautiful, but loathe Orlando, Daytona, cocoa beach area, as just crass.

HannahsLife · 04/02/2023 10:29

Ignore the right wing fanatics above - DeSantis is in fact a misogynistic cunt like the rest of the Republican party.

I'm in the US with a child, I wouldn't choose to move here and I'm not even in Florida.

MrsHughesPinny · 04/02/2023 10:33

@unsureatthispoint Yes, I have listened to him. I was very politically active while I was in the US. I think we can safely assume that you and I hold very different political values. The rise of the extreme right is the reason I decided to leave the US.

Sereni5 · 04/02/2023 10:36

I have lived in the states. You couldn’t pay me to move to Florida. Don’t do it.

Sereni5 · 04/02/2023 10:36

HannahsLife · 04/02/2023 10:29

Ignore the right wing fanatics above - DeSantis is in fact a misogynistic cunt like the rest of the Republican party.

I'm in the US with a child, I wouldn't choose to move here and I'm not even in Florida.

This x 100000000000000000

LakieLady · 04/02/2023 10:38

No way on earth would I move to a country where it's easier to buy a gun than terminate a pregnancy.

BabyOnBoard90 · 04/02/2023 10:41

I would do it. Even if its just for a couple years to see how you settle