Raising kids in Thailand

Hi
Raising a kid here in Thailand is just as same as back home in your country but if they are going to go to school than the language could pose a problem and they will be unhappy kids

I think that is easier to raise kids in Thailand than in other countries. The society is very children-friendly. You just get no problems when shopping or eating in a restaurant.

More complicated is the education. You have to find a good private school.

Hello everyone,

How is raising kids in Thailand different from raising kids in your home country? 

It’s very similar, The only difference is the language barrier, But easily can be taught to eventually allow more interaction and understanding.



What are the activities that your kids seem to enjoy the most in Thailand?  Sports Day is very huge at school and our son loves it !!!

Do you feel that the country is "family-friendly"?

Absolutely !!! Thailand is extremely Family Friendly as well as kids being a huge importance to the Thai Culture.

Do you recommend Thailand as a good place to raise kids? Why or why not?

We think that Thailand is very good place to have children schooled, The Culture is very child friendly and as is the drive for embetterment for Education driven in the schools.

I have  5 children born in Thailand. When my oldest was7. Years old I took all of them to America to get a. Proper education. Don't get me wrong. There are some very good Thai schools here that will give a good education. The reason I wanted them to go to a English school was to have 2 languages and because I wanted them to be fluent in both. It depends more on thier age. If they are fluent in one languange, why not. Just be particular,in selecting a school, Ok?  Good luck to in your decision.

Honestly speaking, it's not a child-friendly country, no idea what the other posters were on about? Life's only good when you can consider yourself rich, the educational system is the biggest joke on earth, and I'm part of it for the last 13 years.

   Only International schools that are even by Western standards expensive will offer a suitable education. Government schools might look good from the outside, but teachers who hit kids can be found nationwide.

An unwritten law by the MoE ( Ministry of Education, says that students at primary and secondary levels are not allowed to ask their teachers questions!! ( Reason for is that the teacher would lose face if he, or she wouldn't know the answer....

Teachers, in general, are not well educated and the school system really suc_-
Ordinary people who must send their kids to the "Rajabhat universities" will soon find out that all the years of studying were wasted.

Not many Thai students are good at English, when you look at their Thai English teachers and try to have a chat with them, you'll understand my points. Thailand has gotten a lot more expensive, but salaries didn't go up.

  Please think twice if you really want to find it out the hard way, Thailand isn't a country where someone could get a decent education.

Depending on where you want to live, there are plenty of things you must consider. Traffic jams in Bangkok are stressful and time-consuming if you don't live near the school.

Hello ,

It’s ok everyone has a personal opinion , It seems from your post that a lot of the focus is coming from living in Bangkok

I would feel the same ,  Bangkok is a  great place to visit , find work or a good party , Aside of That there are better places to live , School your children and enjoy a lot better cost of living in Thailand 

Best Wishes
Bob T,
American Citizen / Retired Resident Of
Nakhon Ratchasima Thailand

Do you feel that raising kids in Thailand is different compared to your home country?
Yes, lots different.

What are the activities that your kids seem to enjoy the most in Thailand?
They enjoy cartoons, drawing, swimming, school celebrations and eating.

Do you feel that the country is "family-friendly"?
Yes, definitely.

Would you recommend Thailand as a good place to raise kids? Why or why not?
Well yes and no. The problem is with inferior education. The society lacks intellectuality and egalitarianism. It also lacks road safety and the kids may die on their way to school.

OK I don't have kids but I have observed enough.

It is a child-friendly country, yes. The problem is, It is too-child-friendly. Thais rarely, if ever, discipline their kids. They spoil the kids, and strangers would interfere when a parent is trying to discipline their kid. Example from today: A young girl threw a tantrum because she didn't want to go home. She sat on the floor, wailing and kicking at nothing. Everyone turned to look. The mom turned back, waved bye-bye, and kept on slowly walking away from her. The girl stood up, I thought she was going to follow the mom, but she only walked a few steps before throwing herself to the ground again and wailed even louder. The mom continued walking away. Which is also something I would do. You don;t let your child win over you by throwing a tantrum in public. But what did mom's friends do? 2 or them actually came back to the child and tried to talk to her. Tried to get her to stand, etc. It only made her tantrum worse. She ran away from them until she eventually got to the trash bins. Which was quite far. If I were the mom, I would hate it if I were trying to make a point to my child by not letting her use tantrums to get control over me, and my friend or even some random stranger ruins it, making her think that if she throws a tantrum in public, she will get attention and sympathy from adults.

Mind you, that is not the first time. I tried ignoring my student who was throwing a tantrum a year back, and the maid sweet-talked the boy, thereby completely ruining my point.

Thailand is a child-friendly place, yes, but not educational-friendly. It raises a bunch of babies. Spoiled kids. Not strong adults. Which is why the "losing face" here is really a big thing. If what cocktaisinmyvenes said about students not allowed to ask questions to protect teachers' faces is true, then my god, how fcked up is that? If kids are raised properly, not just coddled, when they grow up to be teachers, they should be able to protect their own "faces", not be protected by the MoE by not letting students ask questions. Adults should be able to admit their mistakes when they have done something wrong. This I don't see a lot in Thailand. I often see adults saying "ok" if you point out a mistake that they've made. They never say "you're right. I made a mistake." Never. Because they have been coddled and babied their entire lives.

Hello,

I’m seeing this is your experience, My wife’s Family raised there Thai Children right no silver spoon no tantrums allowed they all appear ok to me.
One is my wife Our Son follows the same family discipline he goes to school here and I’ve visited classes first hand observing students asking the teacher questions.
I don’t dispute your experience merely stating there not the same experiences i’ve Encountered.

Best Regards
Bob T.
Americans Citizen/ Retired Resident
Nakhon Ratchasima Thailand

Vate wrote:

kRUBEN wrote:

Vate wrote:

OK I don't have kids but I have observed enough.

It is a child-friendly country, yes. The problem is, It is too-child-friendly. Thais rarely, if ever, discipline their kids. They spoil the kids, and strangers would interfere when a parent is trying to discipline their kid. Example from today: A young girl threw a tantrum because she didn't want to go home. She sat on the floor, wailing and kicking at nothing. Everyone turned to look. The mom turned back, waved bye-bye, and kept on slowly walking away from her. The girl stood up, I thought she was going to follow the mom, but she only walked a few steps before throwing herself to the ground again and wailed even louder. The mom continued walking away. Which is also something I would do. You don;t let your child win over you by throwing a tantrum in public. But what did mom's friends do? 2 or them actually came back to the child and tried to talk to her. Tried to get her to stand, etc. It only made her tantrum worse. She ran away from them until she eventually got to the trash bins. Which was quite far. If I were the mom, I would hate it if I were trying to make a point to my child by not letting her use tantrums to get control over me, and my friend or even some random stranger ruins it, making her think that if she throws a tantrum in public, she will get attention and sympathy from adults.

Mind you, that is not the first time. I tried ignoring my student who was throwing a tantrum a year back, and the maid sweet-talked the boy, thereby completely ruining my point.

Thailand is a child-friendly place, yes, but not educational-friendly. It raises a bunch of babies. Spoiled kids. Not strong adults. Which is why the "losing face" here is really a big thing. If what cocktaisinmyvenes said about students not allowed to ask questions to protect teachers' faces is true, then my god, how fcked up is that? If kids are raised properly, not just coddled, when they grow up to be teachers, they should be able to protect their own "faces", not be protected by the MoE by not letting students ask questions. Adults should be able to admit their mistakes when they have done something wrong. This I don't see a lot in Thailand. I often see adults saying "ok" if you point out a mistake that they've made. They never say "you're right. I made a mistake." Never. Because they have been coddled and babied their entire lives.

I couldn't have expressed it better. The developed Thainess "system of things" makes for a unique, (pay-as-you-go) comfortable expat lifestyle. However, becoming personally "involved" with the locals, is a guaranteed recipe, for an inevitable tragedy, in some way, shape or form. Thais (SE Asians) in general, and Thai menfolk in particular, have absolutely no sense of adult "accountability" whatsoever.

Now, regarding the fantastic "eye-candy" sexuality of Thai women, then by all means, enjoy that aspect. However, there is a very smart, and valid reason of why the Russians bring their own womenfolk with, to Thailand. Very smart, indeed!

Not SE-Asians in general, I have only observed it in Thais. Burmese are hard workers, at least harder than Thais. God knows the Viets are too. Indonesians are willing to admit it if they've made a mistake, Filipinos.... I've seen 2 types of Filipinos. Those who are hard workers and are reliable, and those who are lazy and irresponsible and drama queens.

Point is: Thais are the only SE-Asians who still have the mentality of children even when they are adults. Generally speaking, of course. Not including the exceptions.

True enough. Thais (menfolk in particular) are emotionally "arrested" at the puberty-stage of life. Despite that, I find the Thai system of things, and social environment to be the most over-all compatible, compared to other SEA nations. See PM.

kRUBEN wrote:

True enough. Thais (menfolk in particular) are emotionally "arrested" at the puberty-stage of life. Despite that, I find the Thai system of things, and social environment to be the most over-all compatible, compared to other SEA nations. See PM.

Compatible for what? Child-rearing?

Now, the Thai public education system may not be perfect, according to western standards, but their's, is a developed parallel universe, that works exceeding-well, for the Thai society of people.

Would I attempt to raise children, in conjunction with the Thai public education system of things, as it is? Yes! Why? Because regardless of whatever flaws may be present within the Thai system, Thais are some of the best (over-all) behaved people, on this planet. Their's is a 'live, and let live' society, for the most part. In addition, regardless of their overly "temperamental" mentality (nobody's perfect), Thais have a uniquely "keen" sense of national solidarity among themselves (a public education product), that is enviable, and worthy of my American respect. Done! 

Vate wrote:

kRUBEN wrote:

True enough. Thais (menfolk in particular) are emotionally "arrested" at the puberty-stage of life. Despite that, I find the Thai system of things, and social environment to be the most over-all compatible, compared to other SEA nations. See PM.

Compatible for what? Child-rearing?

Ditto! My choice rationale, "unintentionally" confirmed by the Vate, dear "Lady". Thank you,  Ma'am and cheeri

Hi there thank you for the information.
Would you say that good schools in Thailand are cheaper or more expensive  than home?

Kruben describes a Thai child in a public temper tantrum. I have never seen such a thing but my consultants assure me that it does happen. They pass off the young girl as a spoiled poo dee brat or perhaps one who is mentally defective. However, I find such scenes common in American shopping centers.

If you want a good look at an American kid, search on Honey Boo-Boo. I showed these videos to a group of Thai mothers and they thought the kid was "great".

Oh, boy, after I wrote a book on this subject... I was beaten 3-5 times a week by as many as five other kids at age 7 in Montana. I never had a conversation with any of them, they never knew a thing about me, I just wasn't big enough to fight back. This was actually payback over a fight my mother got into over where the bus stopped after I got trapped in snow and ended up with severe frostbite. At age 8 into 3rd grade, the principal's older son jumped me on the playground, hurtling my face into solid frozen ground. I was unconscious for over a month, yes indeed. I was tormented daily for the next two years until a high school senior blindsided me with a load of books where I sat on the bus next to the window, lifting me out of the seat out cold and into the aisle where I woke up with my books ruined and soaked in blood. I raised three children of my own in various places and experience much the same trying to keep them out of trouble. Almost 50 years later I worked for five years in a nearby Montana school where the administrator would sneak in and plant porn on teacher's computers and log in with their credentials at the server where he surfed kiddie porn. Most kids I knew felt that the school system was little more than a prison and suffered daily, though some got by okay.

I finally moved to Thailand 13 years ago and met a Thai high school teacher who retired this year after 36 years, so I've also had very close involvement with the schools. I've never seen a child harassed or beaten. They are all very respectful to all, smiling and friendly, get along extremely well, and have a lot of fun. Do they learn as much? I would have to say they do. I've also got a most adorable and pleasant granddaughter who will be six next month. She's spent the last four years (yes, began at age 2) at our Good Kids Christian Preschool where we pay less than a fourth what it would cost in the states. She is totally fluent in both Thai and English, far better at numbers than I was at that age. She is bursting with joy every minute and when I pick her up from school she is glowing with happiness. She'll have no trouble getting support for college some day, unlike myself who risked a bullet in Vietnam for the GI Bill and nearly starved for eight years getting two degrees that turned out to be absolutely useless in a culture completely absorbed in copulating when they aren't stabbing each other in the back. Yes, I hear farang comments about how ignorant and undereducated Thai people are, but I really think that's the garbage built into their personalities from the education they got in the states.  I wish I and my own kids I left behind could have been born and raised in Thailand.