A Word for Parents Considering Moving Abroad for Better Opportunities

Bismillah, I want to share something important. I was born in Saudi Arabia, a place that’s actually economically stable, you know? My grandfather on my mom’s side was Italian, and he moved us to Italy way back because of the war and Mussolini. My background is mixed-Lebanese, Ethiopian, Italian. Even though I was born in Saudi, I didn’t have citizenship to stay there. Can someone explain why it works that way? Anyway, my mom flew us to Italy, thinking Europe was a great gift. Some uncles and cousins went to the US. My dad stayed in Italy for two years but then went back to Saudi because he preferred it and already had a job there, even without citizenship. One uncle moved to Lebanon where he was born, being the eldest. Most of my dad’s family were born in Lebanon; he had to leave at 9 because of the civil war. Remember, none of them are Saudis, so no citizenship. Now, my parents didn’t know how to raise kids properly and never really bonded with us. They weren’t educated. My dad had skills and made good money in Saudi until his sponsor owed him a lot and refused to pay, so he lost everything-that was long ago. He never actually wanted children. It’s a messy situation, but I need to share it for you to understand. Since money was tight, my dad didn’t teach us Arabic, and my mom only knew Amharic. School? Almost non-existent. Then my grandmother forced my dad to marry a Lebanese woman, which led to my parents separating, as my mom couldn’t accept him having two wives. They moved us to Italy, where we could get citizenship, but Italy is harsh on foreigners and mixed people-trust me, it’s really tough. We settled in Liguria, in places like La Spezia. They sent me to middle school, but I learned very little Italian. High school there doesn’t really educate you; parents have to step up, but mine couldn’t. My dad was absent, my mom couldn’t help, and no one else filled that role. So what were the results? Poor Italian, no Arabic, no connection to Islam, and a really bleak life in a place where faith and family values seem dead. So here’s the lesson, in sha’ Allah: if you want your kids to be financially stable, keep their faith, and have a strong family bond, you must do that work yourself. If you’re like my parents-no education, just basic skills, unable to read-then maybe it’s better to keep them close to Islam, near mosques that are well-supported, so they can learn Arabic, grow in deen, and draw closer to Allah. Because moving your kids abroad for money or citizenship is a huge investment. You need to work extremely hard to get the outcome you want. If you want them to gain valuable, high-paying skills, you must provide the means. Otherwise, they could end up with nothing or even lose out. I lost so much. I lost everything. Now I’m just trying to learn the Quran and Arabic. SubhanAllah, if I had stayed in Saudi, I would have learned Arabic easily. This move turned out to be a terrible investment.