Left London to Move to French Coast With Family; Benefits, Downside

It’s all possible on the Côte d’Azur, where the Alps are less than a two-hour drive from the Mediterranean.

I love the easy access to these stunning landscapes, and as a parent, I deeply appreciate the year-round opportunities my children have to explore and enjoy the great outdoors.

Often run by excellent instructors (many of them former ski pros themselves), ski schools are an affordable and enjoyable way for people of all ages to learn. In France, some let children as young as 3 years old take lessons.

I even gave skiing a try as a complete beginner — though, needless to say, the kids have already surpassed me.

I’ve found healthcare in France to be a major game changer.

The system is subsidized by the government and topped up by affordable health insurance. In particular, I’ve found the country’s attention to pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care to be world-class.

Specifically, in France, postpartum women receive at least 10 free sessions of pelvic floor and abdominal rehab with a specialized physiotherapist — an experience that really made a difference as I recovered from two Cesarean births.

In the UK (and also the US, for that matter), these sessions would have cost me money out of pocket.

I have two bilingual bébés, which is a rewarding experience — and sometimes a humbling one, when my 4-year-old corrects my French pronunciation.

At first, I worried about confusing my kids. I was concerned they’d feel like they didn’t quite belong in either the place they were born or the place their parents call home.

As it turns out, this shouldn’t have been a concern. I’ve been amazed watching them pick up two languages, and I love our bedtime tradition of reading their favorite books in both French and English.

While we love raising our petites Francophones, parenting small children far from family is challenging in a way I didn’t expect.

There is no safety net, emergency support, or free babysitting. There are no playdates with fun cousins — and FaceTime calls aren’t exactly the same as in-person playdates.

Without close relatives nearby, my husband and I have felt “on” as parents all the time. Over the past five years, we’ve only spent 48 hours alone without the kids.

Although we’re lucky in so many ways, we’re still waiting for that famous village to show up and give us a hand. (Especially on Wednesdays when, for some reason, most schools in France are closed.)

I first visited France when I was 5 years old, in a car packed to the sunroof with camping paraphernalia — and ever since then, I’ve been hooked.

I’ve loved France all my life, and I will always be glad that we asked ourselves the question: “What are the things that make us happy, and where can we do more of them?” The answer was here, and what an adventure it has been so far.