eekee

i don't think the talent, whatever is important here... the important thing is the intersection of the ROC and politics.

I agree, it is always a hazard for cats outdoors. An acquaintance here was walking her small dog when an owl tried to grab it for lunch. She actually fought with the owl for her dog! My cat was out on the deck beside the house when an eagle tried to take her. She must have been too heavy because 'all' she suffered were some huge gashes on her back and neck that got badly infected. Where you live there is no shortage of raptors that would love to dine on well-fed domestic cat! That might be hard to explain to the wife!

It just seems quiet because Highlander is off visiting Borat's sister.

If all of the US West of the Mississippi spoke Spanish as a first language by an overwhelming majority and had historically done so and not because of immigration, outside of us getting Mexican territory back in the day and so on, I would think that our country's language policies (which, by the way, are officially non-existent) would have developed very differently. People in the East have historically NOT spoken Ukrainian and I think it's terrible to put a large portion of an entire country at a distinct disadvantage. The Ukrainian and Russian cultures are inextricably historically-linked as well; it was called Kievan Rus', after all. It is harder to make a case for Russification and chauvinism in the east of Ukraine than it would be for, say, Belarus, where very few people speak Belarusian anymore. It's clearly very much for political reasons rather than practical ones, to supress any vestige of Russianness, and unfortunately, it's the citizens who suffer.
Also, the US has court interpreters, etc. for many languages (including Russian and Ukrainian). Think of how many spouses on this board got manuals from the DMV in their native language.

Perhaps the angle here is to work on your mom's claustrophobia. Would it be possible for her to work with a psychologist, get a scrip for anti-anxiety meds? An airplane ride is defenseless against some klonopin.
But yes, it is true that once you leave your home, having all of the people you love together one place is impossible, and you're always going to have to make sacrifices.

Oh, I'm sure SOME men need a guide. And hookers.

Why are people with no experience with FSU children butting in on this thread telling us FSU children are not raised differently? Even as someone who is second-generation American raised by a single mom with very traditional FSU parents, I can say that my mom reacted very differently to certain things than parents who have been American for generations and generations. It's a big topic and one that is very important--and something that can be a real issue in a co-parenting relationship. Kids are kids everywhere, but what childhood means and what the duty of children and parents are varies greatly from culture to culture.

Nobody here cares about Brazil, nor would advice dealing with differences in Brazilian child-rearing practices be useful except as perhaps amusing anecdotes--which I don't think people here MIND, as long as the intent of the poster is perceived as friendly and non-combative. So no, I don't get what you're saying because we are talking about FSU child-rearing practices and how they differ from American ones, and how those here in a USA/FSU co-parenting situation deal with said differences. At least, when interlopers on a mission aren't intent on derailing the thread.

Aaaaand how much time have you spent with people from the FSU? How many years have you spent living in a RUB country? There are distinct differences when it comes to family, relationships, friendship, even business practices that are true throughout the region that differ drastically from the United States in a far more dramatic way than US versus UK. I don't know how many times people in this thread with actual experience in co-parenting with a FSU spouse can point this out from their own experience before you get it.
The OP wants ADVICE, not "You don't need advice because my experience with a UK/US co-parenting situation tells me so, and by the way you are all chauvinists." Like I said, I'm SECOND GENERATION and it was still a huge factor in my upbringing/source of conflict for my parents.

Why are people with no experience with FSU children butting in on this thread telling us FSU children are not raised differently? Even as someone who is second-generation American raised by a single mom with very traditional FSU parents, I can say that my mom reacted very differently to certain things than parents who have been American for generations and generations. It's a big topic and one that is very important--and something that can be a real issue in a co-parenting relationship. Kids are kids everywhere, but what childhood means and what the duty of children and parents are varies greatly from culture to culture.

Yet still managing to derail the thread from its intent!
And frankly, I am far more interested to here what Gary and Baron and others have to say about the subject than accusations of "cultural voodoo"--and I'm sure the OP is as well. Perhaps you can start a thread for child adjustment in the Moving to America forum and continue your own discussion there. If you are interested in FSU child-rearing beliefs and practices, then have at it here.

Oh, come on. You guys can't be serious. Where is the "self-defense"? I'm not even going to bother arguing with you guys because it is too ridiculous to even comprehend/waste energy.

...aaaaand how long have you been together? I'm certain that if your past exes were frigid, you wouldn't have married them in the first place. I would also surmise that some games get lost in translation or the "sex haze."
I do think that there is a much larger subset of the FSU female population that is "practical." I think American women take it as a sign of defeat/giving up if we settle for anything less than some absolute ideal of romantic love, whereas many FSU women prioritize a good father, stable income, eyes that don't wander, etc. over some idealistic notion of what "true love" is. And that is why American men do so well with them, because they can provide the promise of raising kids outside of Russia/Moldova/wherever.

Is this not baiting? I'll fall for it. How many times does this beautiful American woman have to leave this forum because of this BS? Here is my new internet acronym. LMBDB.

google translate? yikes!

Oh, come on. You guys can't be serious. Where is the "self-defense"? I'm not even going to bother arguing with you guys because it is too ridiculous to even comprehend/waste energy.

Being able to look at our history unbiased and to understand our past mistakes is a patriotic thing to do. Are you going to defend, say, the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II? I want America to become better, which is a far more patriotic way to be than to blindly assume that America has always been in the right and always will be. I do not support many of the United States' past policy decisions, but that doesn't mean I do not like the US itself, its potential, nor does it mean I do not have respect for the veterans who were given the assignment of carrying out said policy.
Patriotism does not have to mean saying that "America is right 100% of the time." If less people felt that way, the country would be a lot stronger for it.

The official name of the holiday translates to fatherland. It comes from the same root as отец and отчество.
I also don't see why we wouldn't honor the sacrifices made by Soviets in WWII, despite the Cold War that followed. And let's not forget that arming Afghanis against the Soviets majorly screwed over the US in the end.

Being able to look at our history unbiased and to understand our past mistakes is a patriotic thing to do. Are you going to defend, say, the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II? I want America to become better, which is a far more patriotic way to be than to blindly assume that America has always been in the right and always will be. I do not support many of the United States' past policy decisions, but that doesn't mean I do not like the US itself, its potential, nor does it mean I do not have respect for the veterans who were given the assignment of carrying out said policy.
Patriotism does not have to mean saying that "America is right 100% of the time." If less people felt that way, the country would be a lot stronger for it.

Being able to look at our history unbiased and to understand our past mistakes is a patriotic thing to do. Are you going to defend, say, the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II? I want America to become better, which is a far more patriotic way to be than to blindly assume that America has always been in the right and always will be. I do not support many of the United States' past policy decisions, but that doesn't mean I do not like the US itself, its potential, nor does it mean I do not have respect for the veterans who were given the assignment of carrying out said policy.
Patriotism does not have to mean saying that "America is right 100% of the time." If less people felt that way, the country would be a lot stronger for it.

How is it apples and oranges? Point is, neither side comes off well when the Cold War is examined from a non-biased perspective. I'm not saying the Soviet Union's hands were clean; I am simply saying that the United States certainly is not without its own sin.
And I am kind of confused about how you ended up with a Russian in the first place if you can't even stomach the thought of a holiday like Defenders of the Fatherland Day.

Shipping trucks to the Ukraine from the US is one of the least cost-effective ideas I've ever heard. I found this site: http://www.shipmyauto.net/ukraine/ I'm not sure what the import taxes are in Ukraine; I found one site saying it was 23% and I found sites about people cutting cars in half (to make them count as "spare parts") to save on taxes. But I can only IMAGINE how much it'd cost to SHIP a pickup truck to Ukraine, since I know that when my family has shipped our cars from the Northeast to Florida it was crazy expensive--i.e., THOUSANDS of dollars.
Honestly, for people who want to move back to the FSU to save money... I think you need to question whether you really want that life. Like Gary said, you can get a nice apartment, a driver, fancy medical care at fancy "European" facilities... but it's NEVER going to be exactly like it is in America, because it's just not America. If you want trucks and convenience and the trappings of America, don't bother trying to recreate it in Ukraine, IMO.
I'm perfectly happy in Russia because I'm young and my language skills make it more advantageous for me, economically, to be here rather than in the US with the current job market. I have a lot more fun than my friends back in the States. But if I were older, I'd think long and hard about moving to a place like this. Having a strong social network is far more crucial in the FSU than in the US, where, in my opinion, people are more isolated and kind of tend to stick to their own families. I have found the fact that I have a very strong network of close Russian friends essential to my survival and happiness here. Even with a wife who grew up in the town, as an older American man who, I am assuming, doesn't speak the local language, I can foresee it being difficult to be happy there. And you're going to be a married dude, not a business guy able to live a playboy lifestyle in Ukraine that I am sure is quite fun.

Being able to look at our history unbiased and to understand our past mistakes is a patriotic thing to do. Are you going to defend, say, the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II? I want America to become better, which is a far more patriotic way to be than to blindly assume that America has always been in the right and always will be. I do not support many of the United States' past policy decisions, but that doesn't mean I do not like the US itself, its potential, nor does it mean I do not have respect for the veterans who were given the assignment of carrying out said policy.
Patriotism does not have to mean saying that "America is right 100% of the time." If less people felt that way, the country would be a lot stronger for it.

Be angry at your US government for their terrible containment policy. How many people were "disappeared" at the hands of US-backed dictators in Latin America? Neither side comes out looking very good.

Way to be sexist. Frankly, I'm not sure why you came back except to be a #######. Perhaps you should go to the UK forum if the people in RUB bug you so much.