Moving with kids for vet school

[agf09003]

Hello everyone!
I have been a lurker on this forum for a long time. I am an older applicant and I have 3 children between the ages 12-15. I have been planning to go to vet school for years but put it off when the kids were younger so I could work. I got my first interview invite and it has become more real to me that I will be uprooting my entire family for school. I only have one school near me (Tufts) and I doubt I will get in to that one, so a move is likely.
Are there any other non-traditional students who have moved with teens/pre-teens? My husband and children are all excited about the possibility of living somewhere new, but I can't help but feel like it is selfish of me to do this. I also don't want to wait until they are grown because I will be geriatric lol. We would likely move back home after school is done as I am a partner at a clinic already as the practice manager.
Mom guilt is real.....

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[WhtsThFrequency]

Take this with a grain of salt as I'm not a parent, but kids are on average more resilient than we think. Honestly, I think that moving to a new place might actually be beneficial for them. It exposes them to new people, new activities, new surroundings. It will definitely be a bit hard at first, especially if they have current entrenched friend groups and everything...but given that you said they are excited, it sounds like they are going into the idea of a possible move with a positive attitude (which goes a long way).

Of course as human beings we all innately crave stability, but if we are in the same place our whole lives we don't really grow as much as we could (I say this as an elder Millennial who has lived 90% of her life in the same state and has realized how little she knows of the rest of the country/world other than going places for conferences and vacations)..

 

[SkiOtter]

Idk if she moved far or if she was pretty close already to where she went to school but @Skimble

 

[Doctor-S]

In addition to the other posters' good comments, here is another suggestion:

You can ask questions about moving-with-kids in "The parenting thread" in The Lounge forum on SDN.

You may find other parents who moved their kids to a new geographic location when the parent was accepted to professional school.

Fortunately, your hubby and kids are all excited about living somewhere new - so that should help you feel better, too.

 

[Teepster87]

My kids are MUCH younger, but we moved from CA to MI for vet school when they were 3 & 1.5. After I graduated, we moved to nearly the polar opposite of locations, and have been here a bit over 3 years now. I'm looking to move again once I can secure a promotion somewhere.

My kids have always been down for the adventure of new places. They've loved to come visit me when I've been out working in remote locations too.

I think it has definitely been easier to make moves when they didn't have established routines of school, activities, and friends. But if everyone is onboard, and eager to support you I'd say to dive in. Be smart where you plan to apply, and find places you'll all be happy to spend 4 years.

Good luck!!

 

[battie]

Just here to say don't let the mom guilt get to you. You'll feel guilty about a ton of mom stuff regardless, so at least know you're going out to do something that will likely improve your life and the life of your family in the long run.