Raising kids in Ecuador

For us, our core values as a family never change whether in Ecuador or elsewhere. The specifics of living change sometimes due to limitations. In general I think it’s easier with younger children because with older children or teenagers the things that are not available can affect their quality of life and their potential. Education is an example and while it’s easier to educate younger children it’s a bit more complicated with teens. For instance my child who is in High School now is doing college credits, as in accredited college credits before he graduates from high school. This is not possible in Ecuador. Sure there are international schools that offer AP/A level but how much do these schools costs? Furthermore the offering of such courses is limited and are arbitrarily accepted as college credit by colleges. The same is the case with activities. It's easier to satisfy the competitive nature of younger kids but competitive sports leagues for teens is lacking. There are soccer leagues, especially in the summer, and offered as camp, but some kids prefer other sports. Gaming is another issue for some teens as its part of their lives as latency is an issue which makes playing some games online impossible. Although there is improvement in this area as there are now local gaming tournaments and a growing gaming community Lastly, employment, my kids love their independence and like to work part-time or during summer, and it’s difficult here.

Some positives irregardless of age of the children is that they get to enjoy something different and can very well learn another language. There's also much more time spent together as family for varying reasons including lack of social circles outside the family, employment, and so on. But in all, I think with younger kids the decision is easier because with with teens it can be a bit more complicated due to limitations.