[erchitectian]

hey all. i apologize if this isn't the right place to post this or if i did something wrong. i'm just sorta desperate.

i'm a teenager, and my dad and his fiancée are moving to florida. unfortunately for me, i never wanted this and this is the worst time for this to happen. i turn 16 in one month.

some background: i have a severe bug phobia and heat/humidity issues. and i am an introvert with lots of disorders, like depression. kinda sucky.
i've lived here in massachusetts for my whole life and i love it here. at this point in time i've got more friends than i ever had. which is around 5. i've also started to be homeschooled recently.
so, i turn 18 in two years. then i'm going to be gladly on my own. in the past few months i've started to gain a sort of independence. a will to learn to cook and do laundry and dishes, and look up jobs.

my dad's fiancée wants to move to florida because apparently her parents are sick. the move is happening in a few days. they keep pressuring me to pack my things. although, i haven't yet, because i keep panicking. i'm going to spend my 16th birthday somewhere with no friends and not a soul i know.

everyone keeps telling me it's going to be an adventure but i'm being forced to leave everything i've ever known because essentially my dad and his fiancée want sunshine and stuff and they're too impatient to wait two years so i can grow up without the hassle of everything this move will do/cause.

it's inevitable. i've tried so, so hard for the past two months putting up valid reasons for them and they didn't listen to me. my dad keeps telling me to grow up or get over it. and hey, maybe that's valid advice, but i wouldn't know.

so since the move is going to happen no matter what, i've come here today to ask some of you in florida for advice. what should i do to make the next two years comfortable. what should i do to be prepared. i don't want to move back to massachusetts at 18 and suddenly find that the place has changed and it's uncomfortable. i don't want to be driven to my own end in florida. i have that fear of insects and i can't just stroll around all year wearing only shorts and t-shirts because of the heat. i've tried looking up positive things about florida but every single pro has a con to it that basically defeats the pro. i don't want to be friendless, and it's extremely hard for me to talk to people in the first place, or even just get out of the house. i don't want my sense of seasons to be thrown off. i love winter.

i'd really appreciate it if any of you had any advice to give. thank you in advance. i would've given more details in this post but it was very lengthy as it was. so.. yeah.

TLDR; teen with fear of bugs and heat being forced to move to florida for two years, need advice to "survive"

[cfbs2691]

Because most people that live in Florida have moved from other places, it's easier to make friends.
As soon as you get here join some clubs with others that share your same interests.
I know it's hard at your age, but again, it's easier to make friends down here since everyone's pretty much in the same boat.
Unless you go into the swamps and/or don't keep your house clean.. you aren't going to see bugs that often.
Best of luck!

[jambo101]

I was a little younger than you (11) when my parents immigrated from England to Florida, i had to say goodby to all my friends and related aunts and uncles and grandparents everything i was familiar with ended when we moved,
I immediately realized the heat and humidity were a major problem for me, i also missed the 4 seasons, i really never liked the Florida experience and at one point after turning 18 moved back to England for a few years but it wasnt the same and i ended up returning to Florida,10 years went by before i got sponsored by an Uncle in Canada and i made the immigration, have now been happily living in Montreal for the past 40 years.Go where your heart leads you.

[a person]

Sorry to be blunt, but you're a teenager with heat/humidity issues and you're moving to Spring Hill? You're going to absolutely hate it. Maybe if you were moving to an interesting part of the state with more to do for young people I could give you a better opinion, but Spring Hill is a boring, sleepy, conservative suburb full of sinkholes and a lot of low-rent people. My advice is to spend as much time as you can in St. Pete or Tampa while you're living down here, and leave as soon as you can. I know it's not what you want to hear, but don't let anyone sugarcoat it.

[logybogy]

My advice is to use the next two years to work on "you" and the things you can change and not the things you can't like moving. Focus on school. Take AP Classes, Dual Enrollment, work-study, get life experiences and prepare yourself for college.

Florida has low in-state tuition and a bright future scholarship program that you'll qualify for once you live full time for a year.

High School means very little in the grand scheme of things. College and your eventual career means a lot.

You'll get used to the heat and humidity after a few months. Or just do what everyone else does in the summer, don't go outside from 11AM-7PM for extended periods and stay in your air conditioned oasis of comfort. It's probably the same thing you did in Mass. during the winter when it was brutally cold. On the flip side, you'll get beautiful weather from October to March in FL.

[MOforthewin]

The high schools here in Florida suck. I hated every minute of it in Collier County and so did most everyone I went to school with.

I would not recommend Spring Hill and the Hernando and Pasco county area. Lots of issues with sink holes and high home owners insurance rates. That is why we are here in Charlotte County.

It's kinda boring down here too. Beaches are a long drive and I don't have a boat for the harbor. Also the traffic on 41 sucks too and have to drive up to Murdock Circle for most stuff and the jobs in the SWFL region in general are mostly service based and low pay.

The weather around spring hill will be cooler than south FL with more seasonal change compared to southwest FL. Get a bit more breaks during the winter with cool spells which seem rare way down here in SWFL the last few years.

[kokonutty]

Hey kid - It's not all about you. You said the move is because your father's fiancee's parents are sick - that's what it is about.

The fears of bugs and heat are irrational and it is better to deal with irrational fears as soon as you realize you have them. You can cook and clean and do laundry just as easily in Florida as in Massachusetts.

Here's the good part - you now get to "reinvent" yourself. You don't need to be an introvert just because you always have been; nobody knows that's what to expect from you so don't expect it yourself. That doesn't mean you need to be the life of the party but it can mean that you can talk to people in your classes when you get back to school in August. Find out what kind of clubs they have at your new school. Let yourself be part of those things that interest you that you always held back from, you'll be a sixteen year old not that six year old or eight year old who didn't get involved. Sure, it may be tough for you to take that first step but there must be something that interested you all along but you just kept telling your ten year old self you couldn't do it - now just tell yourself you can. Somebody in those groups feels the same way - find that kid! As a start figure out what you have in common with those five friends in Massachusetts and look for ten with those same interests in Florida.

And shorts and tee shirts don't hurt...unless you forget the sunscreen.

[NY_refugee87]

Originally Posted by kokonutty

Hey kid - It's not all about you. You said the move is because your father's fiancee's parents are sick - that's what it is about.

The fears of bugs and heat are irrational and it is better to deal with irrational fears as soon as you realize you have them. You can cook and clean and do laundry just as easily in Florida as in Massachusetts.

Here's the good part - you now get to "reinvent" yourself. You don't need to be an introvert just because you always have been; nobody knows that's what to expect from you so don't expect it yourself. That doesn't mean you need to be the life of the party but it can mean that you can talk to people in your classes when you get back to school in August. Find out what kind of clubs they have at your new school. Let yourself be part of those things that interest you that you always held back from, you'll be a sixteen year old not that six year old or eight year old who didn't get involved. Sure, it may be tough for you to take that first step but there must be something that interested you all along but you just kept telling your ten year old self you couldn't do it - now just tell yourself you can. Somebody in those groups feels the same way - find that kid! As a start figure out what you have in common with those five friends in Massachusetts and look for ten with those same interests in Florida.

And shorts and tee shirts don't hurt...unless you forget the sunscreen.

Actually the heat and humidity isn't an irrational fear...

Back up north we would get high 80s low 90s occasionally with the blistering humidity. Could see the haze in the trees/mountains from a distance.
Those days sucked. That's every day here. Those days were difficult to breathe for alot of people whether they had asthma or not...

That's not a fear... then again it might sound funny to you, but what will be funny to that kid is you breaking out NorthFace gear when it hits 50/60

Don't worry kid. You'll adjust. Somewhat. Best advice for you...

OAKLEY wrap around shades. It's ungodly bright down here. You'll thank me.
If you burn easily, good sun screen.
Buy gel type deodorant preferably by the 55 gallon drum. You're going to sweat in places you never thought could sweat.
Watch for fire ant hills.

I'm from NY we didn't have fire ants I was close to the border of MA. Half an hour I was into pittsfield, 45 minutes into Otis and if I hauled on 90 could be in Springfield in an hour or less.
You get bit by fire ants you may have the same kind of reaction to them that I get.
I get bit, a small bump rises then it blisters open and stays open like an ulcer for a week before it scabs over.
Drink water like it's going out of style. BJ'S carries Poland spring otherwise it's zephyr hills. That stuff has a funky taste.

Want to really make friends? Tell the Florida born kids about snow boarding/skiing/snowmobiling/sleds they've most likely never have seen snow a day in their life and will be intrigued by it.