Expat kid Q&A: It makes a difference

This is the first of a new expat series about raising kids in Cambodia, where we talk to parents about the finer points of child rearing in the Kingdom of Wonder.

Narisara Murray and family

Family life in Siem Reap.

Narisara Murray has been living in Siem Reap with her husband John McDermott for a decade now. They have a four-year-old son and recently became parents to a baby girl. I asked Narisara a few questions about raising kids in Cambodia.

What’s the best part about raising kids in Cambodia?

The supportive environment and help with childcare. By and large, Cambodians are warm and friendly to kids and it makes a difference to feel welcomed into a restaurant or shop, where staff might play with your child, giving you a little more time to enjoy your meal or make your choices. About childcare, I find that my friends in my home country (the US), especially the families with two working parents, often have to wrestle tough choices about childcare, which is usually pretty expensive. My husband and I both work at home and we’re lucky that we can afford a wonderful nanny at home, so that we can participate in our son’s day and see how he’s doing, but get our work done at the same time.

What’s the worst part about raising kids in Cambodia?

A higher risk level than I’m used to in my home country. Poisonous snakes have been sighted in our garden, including cobras and green tree pit vipers. Dengue is always a concern, especially during rainy season.

What are your favorite activities for kids in Cambodia?

My four year old loves to go for “nature walks” — from Siem Reap, we can drive a couple miles into the countryside and find places with plenty of nature for a four year old to explore, or go to the Angkor archeological zone and wander around paths through forested areas there.

If you could give one piece of advice to new expat parents in Cambodia, what would it be?

Don’t worry. Siem Reap is a wonderful place for a child to grow up: compared to a major city, there is so much access to nature and natural life. People here are used to raising kids without iPads, iPods, TVs, etc. It’s easier to unplug here. I don’t want to be hypocritical — our son loves his iPad, but he’d also just as soon go play in the garden, look for tadpoles and lizards, make a play building out of fallen bamboo twigs (nature’s Tinker Toys), or watch the cows amble down the road. I hope these are things he’ll always remember about his childhood.

2 Responses to Expat kid Q&A: It makes a difference

    Lina says:

    Most parents I know go to Embassy Clinic or Royal Rattanak for medical–I’m going to do a survey and found out more and will report back. You should consider joining the Cambodia Parent Network for setting up playgroups: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/cambodiaparentnetwork/info I’ve got a lot more groups and sites here that might help: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/cambodiaparentnetwork/info
    Not a lot of outdoor parks in Phnom Penh, but there’s one at Wat Botum park by the Vietnamese friendship memorial. There are a lot of indoor playgrounds all over town, though. AgroVet is the most popular (and most expensive) veterinarian in town.

    Liza says:

    Hi, we’ve been back in the UK for 18 months and my husband has just been given a new post in Phnom pehn to start mid June. We’ve been in Hong Kong and Mexico previously and I’ve traveled in India extensively but was interested if anyone had any particular advice regarding moving to Phnom pehn with a 3 year old and a 1 year old and a dog? I am trying to plough through all the information out there while packing up but all and any hints and tips welcome and I am particularly interested in recommendations for
    – a pediatrician
    – mum & tot playgroups
    – parks (for when we can’t get out to the countryside)
    – veterinarian

    Thank you!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.