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nwhikerOne thing that gives me pause, and that is something that might start seriously impacting the US if it becomes more general.
Over the past few years, I've seen more and more of my kids' friends leaving the US to go to Europe. Maybe it's an Irish grandmother, or an Italian grandfather, but they're getting EU citizenship and booking on over, either for college, half-way through college, or after.
AC was looking at medical schools in Ireland, but will probably try to get in in the US but then is planning on getting the hell out of the US and its medical system. One of her bffs from gymnastics is leaving this September, as is one of Linnea's besties (her besties are Perry's age). The kids in Perry's graduating class who had any connection to Europe opted to go back. ACs'ex bf is planning on heading to Norway. Two of Perry's rowing friends who have dual UK/US citizenship are gone/leaving this summer. Linnea's former carpool buddy is headed back to Scotland, after a year of remote college in the US. Most of the dual citizen kids, to be clear, were either born in the US or lived here except for summer vacation their whole lives. And then there is Perry's former classmate who decided she wanted to be in the Army and joined... the Israeli army. She'd been to Israel once, though her father was born there. Her parents were shocked, having left Israel on political grounds 25 years ago.
This is not a general trend, and I'm not saying it's a crisis... but something is changing, when I start seeing enough of my kids' friends moving/planning on moving. These kids are -in general- privileged, of course, but they're also all bright, either well-educated or in the process of being well-educated, and they don't see a future in the US that they want to participate in.
Full disclosure: I didn't move back to Europe because my spouse doesn't want to, and once we had kids... well, it was harder. They had bonds to the community, even if I didn't, and I always wanted them to know that, fundamentally, Washington state could always be home. I never had that sense of connection, and indeed dread the 'where are you from?' ice-breaker question, since it opens a can of slimy worms. Anyhow, I get that they want to go. I'm concerned that they are.
Over the past few years, I've seen more and more of my kids' friends leaving the US to go to Europe. Maybe it's an Irish grandmother, or an Italian grandfather, but they're getting EU citizenship and booking on over, either for college, half-way through college, or after.
AC was looking at medical schools in Ireland, but will probably try to get in in the US but then is planning on getting the hell out of the US and its medical system. One of her bffs from gymnastics is leaving this September, as is one of Linnea's besties (her besties are Perry's age). The kids in Perry's graduating class who had any connection to Europe opted to go back. ACs'ex bf is planning on heading to Norway. Two of Perry's rowing friends who have dual UK/US citizenship are gone/leaving this summer. Linnea's former carpool buddy is headed back to Scotland, after a year of remote college in the US. Most of the dual citizen kids, to be clear, were either born in the US or lived here except for summer vacation their whole lives. And then there is Perry's former classmate who decided she wanted to be in the Army and joined... the Israeli army. She'd been to Israel once, though her father was born there. Her parents were shocked, having left Israel on political grounds 25 years ago.
This is not a general trend, and I'm not saying it's a crisis... but something is changing, when I start seeing enough of my kids' friends moving/planning on moving. These kids are -in general- privileged, of course, but they're also all bright, either well-educated or in the process of being well-educated, and they don't see a future in the US that they want to participate in.
Full disclosure: I didn't move back to Europe because my spouse doesn't want to, and once we had kids... well, it was harder. They had bonds to the community, even if I didn't, and I always wanted them to know that, fundamentally, Washington state could always be home. I never had that sense of connection, and indeed dread the 'where are you from?' ice-breaker question, since it opens a can of slimy worms. Anyhow, I get that they want to go. I'm concerned that they are.
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