That is the gut-wrenching question.
For a long time we have been concerned about the quality of public education for our children here. Pair that with a giant mortgage and ridiculous taxes, and it makes sense to sell our house before we go. Which is fine by me. My happiness is not laid in that foundation; it's the relationships and nature that surround us here that enrich my life. As three years pass our attachment to this particular house will fade.
I just don't know how to explain that to the kids.
They've all been excited to go back to Doha. They miss their friends there, they miss the school (ASD). It was a great experience. But as soon as they realized that there is a cost - there is a permanence in three years that was easy to overlook for four months - the reaction changed. A is too young (4, now) to understand so I can kind of gloss that over. J (now 9) is more aware; he gets that three years will be a long, long time and things will change. He's sad about that but he's still basically on board. Which maybe I shouldn't trust so much, given that he second-guesses pretty much everything else that comes out of my mouth. But that's a different entry.
C (still 6) is another story. When he first heard us talk about renting the house he immediately understood that we won't be coming back to his old bedroom twice a year. Dead stop. Total deal breaker. He's less visceral now but just yesterday he told me "You know, one year is the right amount of time to go. It's enough to really have friends but now too long to be away." But that's not an option.
How do I relate to three young children that we're selling their home because the schools just aren't good enough? So far I've come up with this: We're not sure where we'll live when we come back to Pittsburgh but we will find a nice home in a nice neighborhood with good schools and no matter what, they can still see their dear friends.
Not bad, but I know I'll fall apart when they freak out.
