Biggest mistakes my American family made moving to Spain

We sold our house in Connecticut and moved to Las Rozas de Madrid with our two sons. My husband and I had roughly two semesters of college Spanish and no experience living abroad; after researching beginning in March 2025 we felt confident and, five months later, relocated our 6- and 9-year-old sons.

I deprioritized building a social life while selling the house, finding housing, and arranging school enrollment. I assumed we'd naturally meet people once we arrived, but those first months were lonely — we landed in August when many locals were still away. Once school started we began to connect through parent networks and WhatsApp groups; if I could do it again I would reach out to regional and professional groups and connect with families before leaving the US.

We enrolled both boys in an international private school that follows the IB curriculum with Spanish support, intending to move them into a local Spanish school later.

Spain, Las Rozas de Madrid

spain, las rozas, madrid, connecticut, international school, ib curriculum, private school, whatsapp groups, parent networks, school enrollment