Shout out 500!

What does really matter for anyone? For some people it’s money, some health, family, a decent job. You name it.

I’ve become a mom recently and to be honest the only thing that matters to me is my son. And with that comes the concern about the money to support him, his health, our health so that we can take care of him, our jobs, so, as you can see everything is connected.

I’m Portuguese and been in the UK for the past 5 years. I contribute to the English economy as much as I can and I am terrified to what may happen to us after the Brexit. Should we move? Should we look for another job? I didn’t come to the UK free will like most people think. It was either coming here with a job or stay in Portugal unemployed. I’m 32 years old. What was I suppose to do? I took a chance and it’s been paying off. But for how long?
The only thing that matters is to be able to provide for our son, make sure he is happy, well educated and healthy. Yes, our lifestyle here is 100% better than if we were in Portugal, but at what cost? We don’t have any family in this country. We feel totally isolated and helpless.
Our family doesn’t see our son growing up, saying the first words, walking his first steps. Is it all worth it? Family, it all comes down to that. Of course, nowadays it’s easier with Skype, WhatsApp, etc, but is it the same? Can you hold them? Can you kiss them?
Yes, the money helps and compensates for most of things, but it doesn’t buy happiness. My son doesn’t know what money is. He doesn’t care if he has expensive toys or a nice house. He cares about being with his family, play with our dog and spend time with his daddy and mommy.
What should I tell him when he starts asking why he is away from his grandparents, aunts, uncles? Well, honey, we needed a job so we moved away from everything we knew and liked so we could provide you a better life. What do you think he is going to say? Family matters!
Some people may think it’s easy or it was an easy decision, but until you go through it you won’t imagine. Everything is different. People are different, culture is different, even education is different.
We have decided that we would speak both languages with him because after all he was born in this Country. He will always have roots here. And even though he comes from a Portuguese family, we want him to learn as much as he can, and be the best he can be. And if that means that we have to leave everything behind to give him a brighter future, I say yes. It’s all worth it. For him. Because he is all that matters.
My son matters. His future matters. I’m just a pawn now.
Thank you
Barbara T.
(Full name known to the Editor)
PLEASE NOTE: Any views or opinions in our ‘Shout out 500 words’ are words of our readers sent to us to publish.
Please follow and like us:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*