Argentines love and pamper their children in every way possible. Buenos Aires's kids are also trained from an early age to stay up late in this nocturnal city. Don't be surprised to find yourself passing a playground full of kids and their parents on the swing sets at 2am when you're trying to find your way back to your hotel. There are restaurant chains, such as Garbis, that have indoor playgrounds, and several museums have been created just for kids, such as the Museo de los Niños in Abasto Shopping Center and the Museo Participativo de Ciencias in the Centro Cultural Recoleta. Teens will love the concentration of movie theaters, video arcades, and inexpensive eateries on the pedestrianized Calle Lavalle. Be aware that with a drinking age of only 18, unsupervised minors who look older than they actually are might have easy access to alcohol.
Having said all that, your children might find it hard to see other children begging on the streets in large cities throughout the country and helping their cartonero (homeless parent) by looking for discarded paper to sell to recyclers for a very desperate living. The peso crisis has enacted a heavy toll on many Argentine children, creating a young, homeless class of beggars. It might be a good idea to explain to your child the inequities within Argentina, and the rest of Latin America for that matter, if he or she comments on this. In theory, your visiting Argentina, in the long run, will improve the economy and the plight of these homeless children. It might be tempting to give money to these sad kids, but nutritious wrapped food or school supplies will do them more good in the long run. Trips to Buenos Aires arranged with Airline Ambassadors, a travel industry nonprofit that allows tourists to vacation and do charity work at the same time, might be ideal for helping children understand the poverty in Argentina in a constructive way.
