Young Family/Children in Dubai?

[MonkeysMama]

We are considering temporarily relocating to Dubai from the USA for my husband's work. With his work we will have housing taken care of and our main concern is how well women and children are treated in the UAE. We are Caucasian and my daughters will be 2 years & 6 months when we arrive.

Are there great parks, activities and museums for the children? Are you able to get out and explore easily? Are there lots of families with young children?

Also, I have read a lot of forums/blogs about non-Muslim women being constantly stared at and/or followed. Is this an issue in your experience?

I appreciate any feedback and thank you in advance.

[MichelleAlison]

Originally Posted by MonkeysMama

We are considering temporarily relocating to Dubai from the USA for my husband's work. With his work we will have housing taken care of and our main concern is how well women and children are treated in the UAE. We are Caucasian and my daughters will be 2 years & 6 months when we arrive.

Are there great parks, activities and museums for the children? Are you able to get out and explore easily? Are there lots of families with young children?

Also, I have read a lot of forums/blogs about non-Muslim women being constantly stared at and/or followed. Is this an issue in your experience?

I appreciate any feedback and thank you in advance.

Hi and welcome to the forum.

You have posted in the right place and I am sure our Dubai experts will be along soon to answer your questions.

Regards

Michelle

[Geordie Armani]

millions of family's, you will be fine.

[sgilli3]

Originally Posted by MonkeysMama

We are considering temporarily relocating to Dubai from the USA for my husband's work. With his work we will have housing taken care of and our main concern is how well women and children are treated in the UAE. We are Caucasian and my daughters will be 2 years & 6 months when we arrive.

Are there great parks, activities and museums for the children? Are you able to get out and explore easily? Are there lots of families with young children?

Also, I have read a lot of forums/blogs about non-Muslim women being constantly stared at and/or followed. Is this an issue in your experience?

I appreciate any feedback and thank you in advance.

There are plenty of families here.
About 80 % of the population are expats, with many being British, South African, American, Australian, New Zealanders, Lebanese,(etc, etc)

There are a quite a few parks around, though at this time of the year, you would only go early morning/evening.
There are also museums (in most of the emirates), and there is also a great place called "Childrens City", which is an interactive museum.

This is a very safe place for families, and there has never been a time that my children or I have ever felt uncomfortable.

As for staring...sure it happens, but its more of a cultural thing (it mainly happens with the labourers from the sub continent).
The staring doesnt bother me at all.. just use your common sense..dont do things you wouldnt do at home (ie would you walk down dark alleys at home at midnight ?- NO- then you wouldnt do the same here)

The UAE is very family friendly, and there are lots of things to do.
We love the culture here, and we have found it great for women and children.

[2Dxb]

Hi All,
My husband and I are considering moving to Dubai. We are currently living in South Africa (Durban) although we originally lived in Zimbabwe. We have 3 children (8yrs, 5yrs and 2yrs old).
I am 31 years old and a qualified teacher. I love gardening, playing the guitar, teaching Sunday School Class. I don't drink, so the "night-life" of Dubai is not a positive for me. We don't have TV on during the week,I love nature, and its beauty.
My husband is a pilot and considering flying for EK. He loves flying, and wants to be able to spend more time at home and watch the kids grow up.
I am considering homeschooling my two older children- my youngest son cannot go to creche/nursery, so I cannot go to work. I am looking into the idea of running a school from home, and being a homeschool "tutor" for other children too. That would be my job-at-home.
I would like to know the nitty-gritty about normal life in Dubai. WHY might I LIKE or NOT LIKE living in Dubai. What are your favourites / pet hates?
I'd like to hear from all the moms out there, about life in Dubai with kids?

[Whitedove]

Hi Monkeysmama,
We will be moving to Dubai soon 2 and I have a 2yr old and a 5 month old baby as well, we will be moving from Los Angeles, CA how about you?
You know my husband's company flew us last month to Dubai to check it out and I would say I didnt like it at first but once we came back to the US I started comparing and Dubai has quite few stuff that is comon in the US as well, so you would hardly feel the difference I believe once you are in there malls? Except for customer service ofcourse
Ok hope talking to you again....

Originally Posted by MonkeysMama

We are considering temporarily relocating to Dubai from the USA for my husband's work. With his work we will have housing taken care of and our main concern is how well women and children are treated in the UAE. We are Caucasian and my daughters will be 2 years & 6 months when we arrive.

Are there great parks, activities and museums for the children? Are you able to get out and explore easily? Are there lots of families with young children?

Also, I have read a lot of forums/blogs about non-Muslim women being constantly stared at and/or followed. Is this an issue in your experience?

I appreciate any feedback and thank you in advance.

[vincetruong]

Originally Posted by Whitedove

Hi Monkeysmama,
We will be moving to Dubai soon 2 and I have a 2yr old and a 5 month old baby as well, we will be moving from Los Angeles, CA how about you?
You know my husband's company flew us last month to Dubai to check it out and I would say I didnt like it at first but once we came back to the US I started comparing and Dubai has quite few stuff that is comon in the US as well, so you would hardly feel the difference I believe once you are in there malls? Except for customer service ofcourse
Ok hope talking to you again....

My wife and I are from Orange County and moved here 2.5 mos ago. We don't have kids but I'd say it took me about ten days to get used to life here. the only frustrating thing was getting used to the slip roads and the traffic signs. If you don't know where things are, the traffic signs don't help you. If you take a wrong turn, it'll be a 15-30 minute detour. Of course, if you have navigation in the car or a garmin, then that won't be so much of an issue but we drove a rental for the first month.

overall, life here will feel a lot like living in LA, or more like NY, I'd say. So if you've spent a lot of time in the city part of LA, then you'll definitely be fine. And if you live out away from the skyscrapers and the Old Dubai, it feels like the suburbs in the US.