How does moving your kids to a foreign country affect them?

Those are very good questions. Why would you want to sell everything and move to Mexico (or any different country) with your kids? My husband and I thought long and hard about that question because we knew it would affect the rest of their lives.

It was not like we didn't have a choice; it was not an employer requesting our move. There was no major reason, no urgency … only our desire.

Basically, we just wanted to do it! We actually felt the need to show our children a different country, a different way to live and a different culture. Plus, we are adventurers at heart. All that being said, what would life be like for our kids?

In case you are considering moving to another country with your kids, here is what we have found after almost five years of living in Mexico, and we live with the results of our choice every day.

We made the move from Canada to Mexico when our son was eight and our daughter was eleven. Our son was very laid back and loved the idea of moving to a place with palm trees. Our daughter was horrified. After all, at age 11, she had friends and a life.

It wasn't at all easy, as there were language barriers, new schools, and new ways of thinking for all of us in our newly-adopted country. We have however, managed to get through it all thus far and learned a lot in the process. Now our son is 13 and our daughter is almost 16 and, as we suspected, their lives are permanently altered. My husband and I like what we see, though. The kids now have a second language and a real understanding of cultural difference and different ways of life. They don't see one as being better than another, just different. That kind of view has got to be good for the world.

They adapt to different situations without a lot of stress. They are free thinkers; they question a lot and take very little at face value. The downside is that they sometimes question their parents' statements and challenge many of the beliefs we carry.

Our son now considers himself Mexican and has asked to school in Canada for a year in grade ten. He tells us it will help him understand the world better! We did not anticipate that - but he was only eight when we moved and most of his memories are now of Mexico.

Our daughter threw us a curve ball; she wants to continue her university education here in Mexico. I didn't expect that. I guess I just figured they would go back to Canada for university or maybe somewhere else in the world to continue an exploration on their own. But she wants to perfect her Spanish and pursue teaching and possibly translation work. She also wants to perfect her English skills by whatever means, so that it benefits her teaching and translation skills, and so that she can be a writer as well. At this point she considers her home to be Mexico.

Would I do it again? Things or situations crop up and I actually ask that question - but the answer always comes back to yes, I would do it again.

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