If you work on the Internet and can do it from Mexico ... I think it's a great thing for all of you. Nothing like opening up the world to kids and possibly having them become bilingual and bi-cultural. Go for it !!!!

 

IIRC, you are both self employed, right?

If you can find a place where you will be able to provide for your kids, why in the world would you NOT allow them to grow up in a culture that values families and children, that has history eons old and is, in so many varied ways, home to some of the most beautiful places on earth?

My kids are grown and gone, and if there is one thing I regret, it's being too timid and staying in one place. I dreamed of living in other places, and never did. Learn from my mistakes.

 

We (Mexican husband & Canadian me) moved to Mexico City 15 years ago when our kids were 10, 8 and 5. We moved to a neighbourhood where his family lived, so that the kids could have connections with their cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. This wasn’t something they could have in Canada, because of my family being so scattered and farflung across the country.

Given that, our main concern was whether their education would suffer. We had a trial year, and then made the decision to stay in Mexico when we saw that they were getting a satisfactory school experience (which played out in both private and public schools). Fifteen years later, all three are university-educated, and have had a rich bilingual, bicultural experience.

 

I am raising 3 children in Mexico and one is on the way. All of them in the varying ages speak both english and spanish, except of course the unborn child, but he will. My children enjoy Mexico and have fond memories of the USA, however this is their home until I kick them out

I would recommend a private bilingual school. Private schools are expensive in Mexico, however its worth it for the education and structure they receive while they are there.

Public schools here in Mexico seem to me like day care and not much else. The teachers union is corrupt in the larger cities where they get preferential treatment and the smaller costal and inland public schools get the shaft. There was a scandal a few months back regarding embezzling from almost the highest seat of the Education Department. This nasty lady stole millions of dollars out of the national education budget, and was put in jail. So there were protests and riots from the inner city teachers unions to get that crazy bat out of prison!

My wife's sister on the coast is a teacher and she is almost ashamed to be a teacher with all that BS going on.

Sorry for the rant.....in a nutshell, Mexico is a good place to raise children for the culture, education (out of pocket), and the experience to experience.

 

I don;t know your situation concerning where your children were born but look to the future and ensure they can maintain the citizenship they might want in the future whether it is Canadian or Mexican, I made the mistake of not keeping things up to date and my two children born in the UK but brought up in Canada lost there Canadian immigrant status by being out of the country longer than the allowed time.

 

I am originally from the U.S. but have lived in Mexico for 36 of the past 41 years. My dad worked with the U.S. State Department as a career diplomat. I was 10 when we moved to Mexico and with the exception of four years in Boston for my undergraduate degree I have been here in D.F. (Distrito Federal) or Mexico City if you are unfamilar with the abbreviation.

I missed the U.S. as a 10 year old for about two months, but once I started school the U.S. days were forgotten and I made friends with boys (I went to a private Catholic school for boys) from Mexico, the U.S., Europe and the world was open to me through them.

I am thankful to this day that dad decided to leave my mother and I in Mexico when he took other posts in Latin America. I fell in love with the country, its people, customs, cultures, traditions and above all its FOOD.

We visited my father often in Panama, Guatemala, Bolivia, Colombia and other places, but we never lived in any of those places for longer than my school vacations. I did not know any Spanish when I arrived but since children are sponges in language until about 12 to 14 years of age, I quickly learned. Of course, many posters here on the site insist no one can speak a second language like a native, I believe I come close. But that is another issue entirely that was discussed on another thread by another poster.

I suggest a bilingual private school. Even though public schools are quite good her in Mexico, private schools still overall are superior. I am sure if you did not move to Mexico you would regret it for the rest of your lives and your children might just be upset you did not once they become older.

 

Homeschool if possible, and if you are up to it. Or next "best" would be private school if you got the money for that. I dont think public schools stand a chance against private ones here...but I dont think it would kill me to have him in public if money was tight. I love the little differences in schools here in Mexico and US. i think both MEX and US could learn a little from each other.

i see kids growing up 'quicker' in mexico compared to the states and the reasons are obvious but doesnt mean kids will always follow the pack. i think you can make anywhere a blessing to live...just got to admit you are lucky to even be alive, well, and lucky enough to be living in such a beautiful country...and then make the big jump in.

I think you will end up making the move and loving it... just allow mexico to come into you
Where are you guys considering living?

 

i see kids growing up 'quicker' in mexico compared to the states and the reasons are obvious but doesnt mean kids will always follow the pack.

I don't see that at all, especially among the middle class. I think that Mexican children, especially the boys, are overly-protected and spoiled by their families. I have no printed sources to back up this opinion. It's just based on what I see around me and what I have observed from spending time with the families of Mexican friends.

 

That's what I like to see, A lot of feedback....Keep it coming.
To answer some questions about us:

Self employed..(in a town of 3000 (manitoba canada)...
My wife has a home based hair salon and I also have a home based Graphics shop (design, decals, & screen printing.....) we are also in the works of opening 3 online clothing lines.

Our 8 year old was born in Canada and we plan the same for our 2nd in Sept.
All my family lives in Manitoba and we are tight (Family day/dinner once a week)...We live 8 houses away from my parents !lol (moving we be tough on me)
All my wife's family lives in Jalisco Mexico, mostly in Vallarta.

Right now we are leaning to the Bucerias Nayarit area.(still in the "safety of the Bay, but out of Vallarta) We love the area, seams to have good schools and a good potential for business.

oh yes PanamaJack the FOOD is the ticket.

I have thought about home schooling and would love to, but that needs more thought.

We try to spend a month in Mexico every winter and then we spend 11 months trying to save and plan the next trip down...........

thanks everyone for posting......keep it coming

 

Unless you have a) the considerable time and b) the far ranging knowledge necessary and c) the psychological make up to be a teacher full time to your own kids, homeschooling could be a trial for all concerned.

It can work; I have friends who, when their middle daughter was diagnosed with a pediatric version of Tourette's, decided that the dad would stay home and teach their three kids until high school.

But, as he was already an elementary school teacher, the lesson plans, classroom discipline, etc were not a stretch for him, at all.

 

Like conorkilleen, I am raising children in Mexico.

My husband and I, along with our family up in Canada (even though they miss seeing the stink necks every week), are grateful that we are able to expose and immerse our children in another culture.

Both my boys go to a private bilingual school. Private school was my choice for many of the reasons conorkilleen mentioned and that I was not willing to sacrifice my children's education because their parents chose to move to Mexico. Where we live, there are good public schools but, I find the class sizes to be too big and the classrooms under equipped.

I did homeschool my oldest son the first year we were here. I loved the extra time I was able to spend with him but, IMO he missed out on getting right in there to be immersed in Spanish.

My boys get to be kids here. I feel that they can run and play more freely and are not being rushed to grow up. I find that children and their childhood is cherished here. When we go back to Canada for vacations I find that they want more and, feel they need more things. However, they cannot wait to get back home!

OP, if you can, give it a try. It can be/is scary at first but better to try and learn from your experiences than to say, I wish I had tried.

 

Another private school option is the modest neighbourhood private school as an alternative to an expensive upper class international bilingual school. This is what my kids attended up to Grade 6 (after that we switched them to a public school). The tuition — for full-time education — was the same amount that I had been paying in Canada for their once-a-week piano lessons — very affordable, in other words. We had confidence in the school because several of my Mexican nieces and nephews were already attending there. The “English” classes were not very good, but it didn’t impair their education because we speak and read English at home.