I moved from California to Portugal as a single mom of 2. Here people actually care about kids.

Sat, 04/27/2024 - 06:28

Mom with two kids playing at the beach — The American mom moved with her two daughters from California to Portugal
Courtesy of the author

Aisha Canfield is a single mom of two daughters aged 6 years and 22 months
She moved from California, to Lisbon, Portugal in August 2023.
She says it's hard to parent in the US when there's so much individualism.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Aisha Canfield. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I had been playing with the idea of moving to Portugal when I was still married, and my first child was very young. The end of my marriage and the birth of my second child really tore down the structures I was a part of, and the loss of my life as I knew it made room for me to dream again.