The future’s bright? The future’s globalized?

One of the thoughts that has been festering in the back of my mind during this festive period has been the kids’ future in what I think will be a more globalized world despite the recent findings of the DHL Global Connectedness Index (http://www.economist.com/news/business/21568753-world-less-connected-it-was-2007-going-backwards). It seems obvious to me that as a parent you want your children to be in a better position than the one you find yourself in, not just in terms of financial rewards, but also in terms of opportunities plus other dimensions of their lives e.g. sport, travel, comfort, housing, music, friends, love etc. The other, often underestimated, part of this equation is that it is me, as a parent, who is setting the baseline of their expectations. This is a significant responsibility. I can’t help but think that if I am lucky enough to be able to provide a comfortable and happy existence for the children, then surely I should also be ensuring that they also have enough opportunities as they move into the adult world otherwise they will never be in a position to surpass the current existence that I have carved out for them. The obvious question then is that in a nation who enjoys penalizing high earners despite the limited financial gain to the rest of the population, of surly shopkeepers on who you almost have to thrust your custom, and of cobblers who refuse to mend zips on a pair of riding boots because “it’s a pain of a job”, is France really the best place for the kids to get the opportunities and experiences that will be necessary for them to compete in what is likely to be a more globalized, cost conscious and competitive world than the one today? Interesting Christmas conversation with the in-laws I can assure you.