Expat Kids in Brazil

Disclaimer - no, I am not a mom.  I realize I don't fully understand what it's like to have kids of my own.  I promise to read this again someday if I do. I love kids, respect parents for doing a great job (and one hard job!). Ok? End of Disclaimer.

I get a lot of hits from people looking for info on moving to Brazil with kids.  While I can't say that I have done this myself, I do have a few observations which I will share.

• There seems to be a lot of support for expat moms - including quite the dynamic toddler group that meets at least once a week in a different locale for the moms to talk and the kids to play.
• Brazilians love kids and their reactions to kids are priceless.
• Kids seem to get sick a lot here. I realize this is the case everywhere having several friends with kids back home.  Especially toddlers, which makes sense as many of the kids I know were moved here when they were a year old or less, and kids immune systems generally aren't developed until age 2.  They are exposed to things here they and their parents were not necessarily exposed to where they lived before.  Just an observation, but most of the kids I know in the 2-3 year range here have incessant hacking coughs most of the time (and their parents worry because they have had them for months).  I wonder if it is the case as much with kids who are conceived/carried/nursed here in Brazil, if they have different antibodies... just a theory/question...
• There are wonderful places to take children such as the Jardim Botanico, Parque Lage, the zoo, the beach, out walking. Oh and of course all the little snack & juice shops, kids love those. Malls and public places cater to children in ways I am not accustomed to in North America.
• I have yet to see a "kid on a leash" in Brazil - which is refreshing because when I was in Banff, Alberta, Canada, just over a week ago, I saw a mother with a kid on a leash and the kid literally tripped on a curb and fell on his face because his mother pulled on the leash not really watching what he was doing.
• Kids pick up the language quickly and often end up teaching their parents.  It's also cute to see the little ones asking for agua. 
• What would scare me the most as a parent if I lived here would be kidnapping or carjacking.  Because it is pretty much impossible for a kid to get themselves out of a carseat in a carjacking scenario.  Not to scare people, but rather to inform, as this is a potential hazard of living in Rio with kids.
• Every parent whose children attends the American School in Gavea says their kids LOVE school here much more than ever before.  This applies to the littlies and teens alike.
• Expat moms seem to be much more involved than a lot of the Brazilian moms in my neighbourhood - most of the Brazilians with children have a "Baba" or nanny, easily spotted as they are dressed all in white.  Most of the expats seem to be relishing in the fact that they have a great excuse to stay home and have quality time with their children.

Mom's? Anything you can add to help inform people with children who are trying to make the decision of whether or not to come and live in Rio? What is easy, what's hard?

Comments

[Corinne]

I had my son here, so he got all the Brazilian germs from the get-go. He is pretty healthy, but does get a string of colds in the winter (but that probably has more with being in daycare than anything else). The changes in humidity make a difference. We moved to Costa Rica from California when I was 15 and it does take the body a little while to adjust. I am not sure that the ex-pat kids are sicker than the Brazilian ones (but I know no ex-pat kids).

I am not part of an ex-pat community, so I don´t have a mom support group, but kids give you an instant "in" and something in common with others and I have developed friendships with the moms of my sons classmates in daycare.

One thing that I find frustrating is the options for childcare. I have my son in daycare but have no support on the weekends or evenings, so forget a night out with my husband). This is a role usually played by the live-in nanny or extended family. I miss not having the option of a babysitter.

I agree that Brazilians like kids and cater to them. One neat thing is that a lot of restraurants will have play areas and some even have special employees to entertain the kids while Mommy and Daddy eat lunch/dinner.

While adapting takes some time, I know that my experience in Costa Rica as a teenager was invaluable and think that the foreign exposure is really good for kids.

[Typ0]

The biggest problem with expat kids is they get incredibly used to the lifestyle of having people adore them, having maids and drivers, and everything else that goes along with that. It creates kids and teens that have a hard time adjusting to the real world when and if they have to return.

Of course the same holds true of adults. But that's hardly the point. :p

[DRL]

I think it is a great way to make kids more well adjusted (including yanking them back into the real world), and tell a lot of the moms I know (when they are having doubts about the situation) that their kids will thank them for this opportunity and experience some day! I mean it's even a good job interview topic, etc. and shows character, culture and resilience! (Even if that is not in fact the reality, it implies it).

[Mika]

Since you mentioned it, the American School in Rio really scares me. It's really scary to see all those 7 year olds talking on their cellphone and giving orders to their drivers. Almost every single kid in this school has a huge entourage and I just find it weird.

The other private schools in Gavea are still expensive but they're not an exorbitant amount and it's a much more usual environment.

[Daily Rio Life]

For interest's sake of those who read the blog - which schools are these?

[Mika]

In Gavea the best schools are Teresiano and Escola Parque. Like most schools in Brazil, they go from kindergarten all the way to the last year of high school. They're not bilingual though but they're very good schools.

[Daily Rio Life]

Thanks that is great info. Not bilingual = just Portuguese?

[Mika]

Exactly. Just Portuguese. But kids in Brazil, from what I've heard, are welcoming to kids from other countries and very curious about it.

[Daily Rio Life]

Thanks!