If you could raise your children anywhere in the world, where would it be?

[Raisiiing]

A hypothetical - if you didn’t have to worry about money (too much) and you could get a visa anywhere. Where would you raise a family?

Norway. 100%. If someone offered me or DH a job that would support us there, and all practicalities were easily sorted, I would have us on a plane by bedtime. I don't live in the UK, and also kinda like the idea of the UK, but some of the threads on here put me off it a bit...!

We are happily raising ours in Denmark. But if we didn't, probably another Nordic country.

The Nederlands

Denmark is my close second! I think the Nordic countries are where I should have been born. I have a whole imaginary life where I live in Scandinavia. If I can't sleep, I lie and imagine my Scandinavian life story - it's a beautiful life :)

A Nordic country for quality of life.

Wales.

Tuscany.

Italy

If I had unlimited funds, Monterey Bay, California in the United States.

If money was no object in this hypothetical life, New York City. In my real life, Denmark or Japan.

Sweden or Denmark

Norway. Which is where I am raising them now.
I was born and grew up in the UK. I've lived in the Channel Islands, Sweden and Norway, but the childhood my children are having here is why we are here. We love it.
That's not to say it isn't difficult at times, the language is difficult, though my children are fluent, it's quite isolated where we are (but we chose this part for our own reasons) when family or friends visit, it's not a quick hop over. Our immediate support network is me and my husband. And it can be quite lonely sometimes, it's hard to make friends in a tight knit community.

However, people are friendly and warm, the barnehage and school are excellent and both kids are happy, healthy with lots of friends. There are no takeaways in our area except a Pizza restaurant. Birthday parties are at each others houses with cake, sledging and hot dogs on the fire outside.

My son is 12 and him and his class friends have no interest in social media, only YouTube videos of football goals.
My daughter can ride her bike, skateboard or ski outside the house on the street and be perfectly safe.
Plus I can snowboard for almost 7 months of the year!

Very happy raising them in Australia. I couldn’t cope with the long dark winters of Northern European countries - the U.K. is bad enough.
If I couldn’t be here though, I used to think maybe Canada but their politics has put me right off. Maybe Greece as they seem to love kids and I find the people very friendly.

NZ, where I grew up. They’ve missed out not being there.

I will never understand the "Scandinavia is the best place to raise a family" thing. It's bloody freezing and dark half the time. Yes it has great healthcare, childcare etc and endless saunas but that isn't enough to make a great life. I need sunshine! And my Scandi relatives who I adore, who come from apparently the happiest nation on earth, just come across as plain miserable 90% of the time. I mean, the husbands are all dead by about 65 while the wives live to about 180 just to piss them off. Or that could just be my family 😂

Love the idea of living a long life powered by spite.

😂They are certainly an interesting bunch of women!

I did exactly this! Found a job in Copenhagen years ago, now 36 weeks pregnant with my soon-to-be half-Dane!

Honestly don’t find the winters any worse than in the U.K. (I was in the midlands) and it’s a cosy time of year with much better quality housing, so you don’t feel the cold as much.

In a third life, I think I’d go for Australia. Somewhere like Tasmania.

Rural France, Scotland or Ireland.
A free or low cost education for kids, access to fresh local food and a beautiful countryside, sound gun policy, good enough health care, rugged coast lines, not too hot, and an ubundance of rich cultural history.

I feel very blessed to be raising them in Australia. I don't think we would have a better life anywhere else

Ireland. Beautiful nature, you can be outdoors every day of the year if you wish as weather generally mild. Primary school starts later, formal schooling not til first class (age 7) and they're only in half days. No worrying about SATs, if child being pushed enough etc., more about being child centred and play! Very long summers. Childcare becoming more affordable. Kids generally get a long childhood here. Europe on your doorstep for travel. Friendly people. We love raising our kids here (both from elsewhere).

I'm happy where we are in England really, we're surrounded by forest and wildlife and the skies are beautifully clear at night. Finland would be a close second as we loved it there.

I’d say east coast America but put off by their current politics (orange man) and increase in mass shootings. Canada has a healthy amount of MAGA too so that’s off the cards. I really don’t know but I find the winters here (north England) very bleak.

Spain, which is what we did 5 years ago. Yes the weather is great (not right now, we are having another huge storm) but generally it's gorgeous. My son who is now 16, has grown up having freedom to live an amazing life. No knife crime, no violence. Very different from the Essex town we left 5 years ago.

Our DC have done all their schooling in Switzerland. We love it here. It’s clean, safe, beautiful, with 4 distinct seasons with great weather and activities to match.

The education system is of a really high quality, no more than 20 kids in a class, super facilities, very multicultural.

My kids are now fluent in French, plus learning German and Italian at a rapid pace (and English at school!)

It is expensive but salaries are aligned to cost of living. Travel opportunities are plenty. We’ll be eligible for passports soon and whilst Switzerland is not part of the EU, Swiss passport holders have more or less the same free movement as an EU passport holder, which will give our kids the options that Brexit stole.

Overall life is what you make of it anywhere but we feel very lucky to have made this place our home.