For thousands of Australian immigrants, sending their child to their home country to be raised by extended family is just the way it’s done.
The only option for some struggling parents, it can be the optimum way to establish their careers and build a life in Australia that their children can come back to.
Yet it can also be exceedingly difficult.
Zhaohua Wang is one such satellite parent, who has a daughter, Mia, with his wife.
“We have experienced about three months separation with our child, Mia, and that time she was about one year and two months old,” he says.
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“After she went back to China, it makes … we feel panic, depressed and overwhelmed.
“At that time we had no idea how long she will stay in China, maybe one year, maybe longer.
"It could be one of the hardest decisions ... "
“It could be one of the hardest decisons because it’s not about money, it’s not about time or anything. It’s about reality.”
It’s something Wang understands intimately, as when he was a child he too was a satellite baby and spent about three years with his grandmother.
“When I was one years old, my mother had to finish her doctorate degree, so she goes to Japan and left me with my grandmother.
“It could’ve hurt my feelings but it’s hard to tell how it hurt me.
“But when I recall all these memories from now, it makes me (want) to blame my mother too. I’m just trying to ask her why she did that?”
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The decision for Mia to go to China was made by Wang’s parents, who wanted him to focus on his studies so that they would be able to provide a good life for their daughter in the future.
“When I look at Mia, it’s like I can feel what she feels,” he says.
“I can feel her anger, feel her pain … It’s hard to tell how separation hurt Mia. I think Mia is kind of optimistic.”
