Moving to Siem Reap with kids

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siliconlife
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Re: Moving to Siem Reap with kids

Post by siliconlife »

Barang chgout wrote: Wed Sep 27, 2017 1:28 pm I don't agree that parents are to say what is best for a child. Did anyone get the best as a child? For every choice, there is necessarily an opportunity cost and I believe we are often myopic when assessing our choices. I understand that this makes many feel uncomfortable as it challenges an entrenched belief system. I think the world is changing a little and there is room for some fresh perspective.

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It's still our moral and legal responsibilities to try our hardest and to look after them to the best of our ability. Some parents are shitty, and all parents make mistakes, not arguing that. But I doubt I will look back on my life and say, "Oh what a huge mistake that I didn't let my kids spend more time in Cambodia, all the opportunities they missed."

You can say that children benefit from things like "a whole new way of living" or "a different perspective", but true as those things may be, they are far too vague a set of "opportunities" for me to be presenting my child with. And just because you don't choose to live in an impoverished, politically unstable country with your kid doesn't necessarily mean you're being myopic about choices. In some cases it might mean precisely the opposite.
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John Bingham
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Re: Moving to Siem Reap with kids

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You're Australian and don't have much connection to this country though, am I right?
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siliconlife
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Re: Moving to Siem Reap with kids

Post by siliconlife »

John Bingham wrote: Wed Sep 27, 2017 3:17 pm You're Australian and don't have much connection to this country though, am I right?
Khmer wife and family-in-law. Soon to have children. Personally, I feel deeply connected to the country. For the past decade my life has basically revolved around it (or vice versa, rather).
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John Bingham
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Re: Moving to Siem Reap with kids

Post by John Bingham »

Fair enough, are you planning to move away soon then?
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siliconlife
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Re: Moving to Siem Reap with kids

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John Bingham wrote: Wed Sep 27, 2017 4:29 pm Fair enough, are you planning to move away soon then?
Yeah, we're currently looking at immigration for my wife. Fucking shit of a process it is, too. Like I said, there's a lot of things about Australia I wish my family didn't have to experience as well. It's heartbreaking for me personally as well, as I feel much more attached to Cambodia than to Australia. It's been a very difficult decision to make.
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AndyKK
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Re: Moving to Siem Reap with kids

Post by AndyKK »

Give the kids the best education they deserve. And better to have the best possible health care. What is here long term for a young western child.
I remember traveling India 93/94 I checked in to a hotel and was approached by an 8 year old boy "mister where you from", The boy was alone most of the time, "mister do you want to buy some drugs", I took him to his parents room! and there they were, both of them shit faced and out of it. Good life I think not for the kid.
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Re: Moving to Siem Reap with kids

Post by Barang chgout »

I got what my parents thought was best for me. Not so sure if they were right though. I mean... they even christened me and made me go to church as a young'un! Was THAT shit in my best interest? Are the poor little, radical Muslim kids, having explosives scrapped into them in their best interests?
Where then does "the best education"" , come from? Surely ones environment and therefore ( hopefully) ones parents. The rest, international schools and such piffle, are purely a distraction for those with no imagination.....imho.

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phuketrichard
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Re: Moving to Siem Reap with kids

Post by phuketrichard »

the thing with international schools is if you want your child to pursue a higher education, they need the western education years 8-12 to get into a good university. UNLESS your in business and your kid can work with you.
Not saying that is always best, but for sure it gives them a better chance than the ones without schooling or only a local education, ( which severely limits their future life choices). Back in the 60-80's one could get by without a university degree, harder to do that now a days.

Every parent wants the best for their kids and will do whatever it takes to achieve that.. I know for me, i gave up a lot, but it was worth it to see my daughter happy and successful , working towards her life dream
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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John Bingham
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Re: Moving to Siem Reap with kids

Post by John Bingham »

AndyKK wrote: Wed Sep 27, 2017 5:42 pm Give the kids the best education they deserve. And better to have the best possible health care. What is here long term for a young western child.
I agree on the education and health care bit, but many of the kids being discussed aren't particularly western, they are mixed.


I remember traveling India 93/94 I checked in to a hotel and was approached by an 8 year old boy "mister where you from", The boy was alone most of the time, "mister do you want to buy some drugs", I took him to his parents room! and there they were, both of them shit faced and out of it. Good life I think not for the kid.
Was this an Indian kid? It doesn't sound remotely like any family I know here.
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siliconlife
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Re: Moving to Siem Reap with kids

Post by siliconlife »

Barang chgout wrote: Wed Sep 27, 2017 7:26 pm I got what my parents thought was best for me. Not so sure if they were right though. I mean... they even christened me and made me go to church as a young'un! Was THAT shit in my best interest? Are the poor little, radical Muslim kids, having explosives scrapped into them in their best interests?
Where then does "the best education"" , come from? Surely ones environment and therefore ( hopefully) ones parents. The rest, international schools and such piffle, are purely a distraction for those with no imagination.....imho.

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I don't get it. Are you saying that we should not try to do anything particularly in our child's best interests and just let things run their course, or not worry about healthcare and traditional education? So long as we impart our own education to our children at home? Or are you saying it takes a particularly imaginative parent to raise their children well in the developing world? Or is it that parents don't know what is best for their child, and should... follow their child's wishes, or just their own or what? I'm confused as to what the essence of your argument is.

Ideally "the best education" does come from one's environment, and children are exposed to broader ranges of environments than simply the domestic one, therefore, while parents are a pillar of the education process, it is probably beneficial for them to have other sources of guidance as well. I learned a lot from my parents, still do, but I HATED it when my mother came to teach at my high school, I ended up changing classes.
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