From Pavements to Pathways:
Raising Our Children in Nature in St Lucia vs the UK 🌿🇿🇦🇬🇧
When we swapped life in the UK for a wild, nature-filled childhood in St Lucia, South Africa, we knew we were making a big change. But we couldn’t have imagined just how deeply that decision would shape our children - and us.
This isn’t a critique of one place over another. It’s a reflection. A comparison of two beautiful but vastly different environments, and how they influence the way we raise our kids.
🌧 The UK: Structure, Safety, and Schedules
In the UK, our life was comfortable. We had playgrounds, soft play, after-school clubs, and a local library. The children’s days were structured and predictable. School ran like clockwork, rain or shine (mostly rain). There were puddles to jump in, autumn leaves to crunch underfoot, and ducks to feed at the local park.
But nature - real, wild nature - was something we planned for. It lived on the fringes of everyday life. We visited it, like going to see a relative. You’d need a car, the right gear, snacks, and a window of good weather. Spontaneity was rare.
Safety came in the form of reliable public services, CCTV, and risk assessments. But sometimes, in trying to keep everything safe, we forgot how important it is to let children feel brave.
🐘 St Lucia: Wild, Free, and Wonder-Filled
St Lucia, on the edge of iSimangaliso Wetland Park, is a place where wild animals genuinely roam the streets. Our "neighbours" include hippos, vervet monkeys, hornbills, and bush babies. Our children know how to identify animal tracks, which birds call at dawn, and which berries to avoid.
Here, nature isn’t something we go to visit. It’s the background to every day. It teaches our kids patience (waiting for warthogs to cross the road), courage (learning not to panic when a gecko lands on your arm), and awareness (watching where you step, always).
But it's not without challenges. There are dangers we didn’t face in the UK: snakes, ticks, unpredictable wildlife encounters. Medical care can be far away. And yes, sometimes I miss the ease of grabbing a sandwich from M&S after school.
🧠 Mindsets and Childhood Freedom
In the UK, parenting often felt like a performance—are we doing it “right”? Are we following the rules? In South Africa, there's a different rhythm. Less comparison, more connection. Fewer Pinterest crafts, more mud kitchens. Our kids are barefoot more than they're not. They’re sun-kissed, mosquito-bitten, and endlessly curious.
We’ve traded screen time negotiations for rock pooling, and after-school traffic for spontaneous beach walks. There’s less pressure to entertain, because nature does the entertaining. And it doesn't cost a thing.
💬 Conversations That Matter
In both countries, parents want the same things: safety, happiness, opportunity. But the way those things look differs.
In the UK, the focus is often academic readiness and structured play. Here in St Lucia, it’s experiential learning and intuitive growth. Our children ask questions about ecosystems, animal behaviour, conservation. Their classroom is a mangrove forest. Their lessons are lived.
And the most beautiful part? They’re growing up with a deep respect for the natural world—not because we told them to, but because they live within it.
🌍 Final Thoughts: A Tale of Two Childhoods
There is beauty in both lives.
In the UK, we had routine, familiarity, and proximity to family. There was comfort in the predictable. In St Lucia, we have wildness, freedom, and connection—to land, animals, and each other.
Raising children here isn’t easy. But it is intentional. It’s raw, real, and often messy. And as I watch our little ones grow up under African skies, with dust on their toes and stars above their heads, I know we made the right choice for our family.
It’s not for everyone—but for us, the bush beats the bus stop.
Would you choose a childhood in the wild or the one wrapped in waterproofs and wellies? Let me know in the comments below 👇💬
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