Wanting what’s best for your child is a parenting no brainer. We all try our hardest to provide for them. To give them more than what we had, whether it be material things, experiences, safety…
Lately, I’ve been wondering what exactly is the best interest for our kids. As PJ gets closer to starting kindergarten, we find ourselves debating moving back to the States to give her (what we think) is a better education. But this move would bring on drastic changes.
For the most part, we love living in Uruguay. We live on a quiet farm. We get to spend more time with our kids as we’re both stay at home parents (thank you grandparents for giving us the opportunity!). Our kids only go to school four hours a day. We have access to incredible healthcare at little cost.
But then there’s the not-so-great parts. There’s little to do with kids. The cost of living is ridiculously high. Carlos and I haven’t been able to find jobs that provide upward mobility. The education system we can afford leaves something to be desired. Our kids go to school four hours a day. Crime rates are going up. Making friends is near impossible as we’ll always be seen as outsiders.
Part of me feels like we spent a huge chunk of our youth wasting away here as we have nothing to show for it on our resumes. But then I look at my daughters and realize that not only have I been able to experience their infancy, but I’ve been able to share every moment with their dad. I’m so appreciative of this time we’ve had together but it’s also time I start looking at the future.
Soon enough I’ll be 30 with no “real” work experience for the past six years. We have no retirement fund. We have no safety net. We have nothing to fall back on. We’ve built nothing of our own. I’ve been playing house for so long that the idea of real life adult-ing petrifies me.
Friends lovingly remind me that NO parent knows what they’re doing or can anticipate the unintended consequences of their decisions on their kids lives. We don’t know what our next step is. We’ve been talking out our options but nothing feels like the “right” decision.
I guess this is growing up…
Momma in Uruguay 