Belize is a country of young people—the average age of the population is only 19—so your children will probably have many opportunities to meet other children their age. Belizeans love children, and children are welcome almost everywhere. It's rare to find a restaurant or any other business that doesn't allow children to enter. In many respects, most of Belize is the way the United States was in the 1950s or earlier: Children play outside all the time, walk or ride bikes to the store or school, and hang out with friends. There are very few “soccer moms” in Belize who spend their days driving their offspring here and there.
Whether your children adapt well to Belize or not depends on what expectations that you both have. If their lives have revolved around going to the mall, seeing movies every weekend, and eating fast food, they're probably facing a serious adaptation problem-there are no malls or fast-food places in Belize and only one movie theater in the entire country. On the other hand, if they like to be outdoors, and especially if they enjoy activities on the water (no place in Belize is more than a few miles from the sea, a lagoon, a bay, or a river), they'll be in heaven.
Young children do have to be watched, as they may not recognize the dangers of scorpions, snakes, Africanized bees, and other wild creatures. In some neighborhoods in Belize City, children may be endangered by gangs and drugs.
Finding toys, children's books, and children's clothes may be a challenge in Belize, especially in rural areas. Libraries are few and far between, and none is large.
Schooling is obviously a concern for expats with children. About 85,000 Belizean children are enrolled in schools of all types, including almost 65,000 in primary schools and 14,000 in high schools. Schools vary widely in quality of teachers, equipment, and facilities. In rural Toledo, your local school may have few textbooks, no library, and perhaps not even electricity or running water. In Belize City, the best schools are quite good indeed, and motivated students will be well prepared for a rigorous college. Most Belizean schools do teach religion as part of their daily curriculum, and that may be an issue for some families. Some expats home-school their kids.
