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Leaving HK for the kids...

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  1. #121

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    Quote Originally Posted by HK_Katherine:
    I just wish people would not assume that just because you don't have kids of your own, you don't know anything about them! As you note, plenty of ways to get to know kids other than giving birth to them.
    But probably best not to tell parents how to raise their kids, that is when you get flack.
    TheBrit likes this.

  2. #122

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    Quote Originally Posted by justjoe86:
    Moving away from the squabbling and to the actual debate... I think one of the ironies is that a lot of people move to HK for money, but leave because they don't want their kids living in such a money-orientated environment. We want our kids to realise there's more out there than a fat pay-cheque and a Gucci bag, and sometimes in HK that's a struggle.
    To be fair, not everyone and everything is money orientated in HK of course. Its not always easy to find for an expat, but there is another side to HK beyond the "money-is-everything" mentality...

  3. #123

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    Quote Originally Posted by GentleGeorge:

    Did I mention that communist work units on the mainland provide no-cost childcare to free mothers up to contribute to society?
    Mothers don't contribute to society if they look after their own children?
    Last edited by Pauljoecoe; 27-11-2020 at 04:37 PM.
    Coolboy, Jillypots and Elegiaque like this.

  4. #124

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    I had the opposite experience- in the US, the kids were driven everywhere by Mom and Dad but when I lived in Tokyo she could get everywhere on her own using public transit- felt it was a much more normal life than the US. No public transport whatsoever where we lived...

    Of course, if you don't LET your kids out, they will never have the positive (and negative) experiences of being independent and sorting out how to get places on their own.

    Jillypots, mucaari and Coolboy like this.

  5. #125

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    As many other posters have noted, everything is relative to your own experiences. My daughter has a massive level of independence in HK that she has never had anywhere else we have lived. When we lived in the Middle East there was little or no public transport, so she had to be driven everywhere. As I worked, this meant that she often missed out on things, especially during the holidays, as I simply couldn’t get to the play date / meet up / summer camp venue and pick her up because I’d be at work. Here she happily takes the bus and the MTR, meets up with friends all over the city, and makes her own arrangements. Obviously she keeps us informed, but she has really loved being able to get herself to and from places without depending on me.

    MABinPengChau and Coolboy like this.

  6. #126

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    Quote Originally Posted by MABinPengChau:
    I had the opposite experience- in the US, the kids were driven everywhere by Mom and Dad but when I lived in Tokyo she could get everywhere on her own using public transit- felt it was a much more normal life than the US. No public transport whatsoever where we lived...

    Of course, if you don't LET your kids out, they will never have the positive (and negative) experiences of being independent and sorting out how to get places on their own.
    Cross posted. Totally agree with you.

  7. #127

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    That did make me laugh

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  8. #128

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pauljoecoe:
    Mothers don't contribute to society if they look after their own children?
    I think if anything, adding human population to this planet is actively destructive to society, especially if it is at first-world levels of consumption and wastage
    Cheeky Kiwi likes this.

  9. #129

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    Quote Originally Posted by GentleGeorge:
    I think if anything, adding human population to this planet is actively destructive to society, especially if it is at first-world levels of consumption and wastage
    I wouldn't necessarily disagree with that point, although it's a lot more complicated than that. However, on your original statement, it's interesting what you might term contributing and not contributing to society and how looking after a child affects that.
    Jillypots likes this.

  10. #130

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    Jul 2011
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    Just curious did anyone hear about that us is requesting Americans to leave now? I saw something like this in YouTube,but didn't see formal news... There used to be 80k+ Americans in HK, not sure how many of them left so far? Will the us consulate stay here?