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It absolutely baffles me why people would raise children in NYC. If you are upper middle class, this quickly eats into your disposable income. Not to mention, are these the types of things you want your children to think are important? Having to compete to get into nursery school? Nowhere to run and just live free as kids should do? Any parents with the financial means to raise their children elsewhere and choose to raise their kids in the city do so for their own selfishness.
As one laid out in a previous post, it all comes down to what a family values. Not everyone wants to spend an hour or more each day commuting into and out of NYC. Living in the City means one can still be a productive/team player at work but still have good quality of life at home and with family.
We live on the UES and cannot ever remember seeing so many children. All the schools are bursting not to mention anything related to the <18 set.
During the day you see everything from nannies and SAHM pushing prams. Evenings you find plenty of teenagers doing what they have done for ages; hang out with their friends at pizza or froyo places.
In fact have lived here long enough that children who were in their carriages upon our arrival are now graduating high school and setting off for college.
It absolutely baffles me why people would raise children in NYC. If you are upper middle class, this quickly eats into your disposable income. Not to mention, are these the types of things you want your children to think are important? Having to compete to get into nursery school? Nowhere to run and just live free as kids should do? Any parents with the financial means to raise their children elsewhere and choose to raise their kids in the city do so for their own selfishness.
Some people can afford to have their income eaten like that. And as I kid I liked going to things like the zoos and museums. I didn't have rich parents but I do love my childhood memories of the city. And clearly most New Yorkers do not compete to get their kids into nursery school.
As one laid out in a previous post, it all comes down to what a family values. Not everyone wants to spend an hour or more each day commuting into and out of NYC. Living in the City means one can still be a productive/team player at work but still have good quality of life at home and with family.
We live on the UES and cannot ever remember seeing so many children. All the schools are bursting not to mention anything related to the <18 set.
During the day you see everything from nannies and SAHM pushing prams. Evenings you find plenty of teenagers doing what they have done for ages; hang out with their friends at pizza or froyo places.
In fact have lived here long enough that children who were in their carriages upon our arrival are now graduating high school and setting off for college.
Bingo. Excellent points, Bugsy. I've seen lots of people with baby carriages or what not in neighborhoods like Chelsea, Williamsburg, etc. Places like the YMCA, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, among other community centers have a number of sports and other activities for children, including swimming, martial arts lessions, music lessons, various games, etc.
Some people can afford to have their income eaten like that. And as I kid I liked going to things like the zoos and museums. I didn't have rich parents but I do love my childhood memories of the city. And clearly most New Yorkers do not compete to get their kids into nursery school.
Exactly!
There have always been families raising children in NYC, even Manhattan. Numbers may have dwindled during say the 1970's through early 1990's as white flight was in full swing and parents sought the safety of the suburbs, but even then...
What is happening now is that the high cost of living in NYC, again in particular Manhattan has made it very difficult for middle class parents. Finding a three much less two bedroom apartment that doesn't cost tens of millions, or rent for five or more thousand per month is nearly impossible.
The rise of Brooklyn is in no small part due to families being pushed out of Manhattan. Unable to find larger apartments/town houses they can afford here, they headed out to Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene, etc.. Having pushed into Clinton Hill they are going into Bed-Stuy to the north and South Brooklyn (Windsor Terrance, Kensington, Red Hook, etc...) all in aid of finding "affordable" housing.
Some people can afford to have their income eaten like that. And as I kid I liked going to things like the zoos and museums. I didn't have rich parents but I do love my childhood memories of the city. And clearly most New Yorkers do not compete to get their kids into nursery school.
I'm pretty sure I've argued with you on this topic before in which you took the complete opposite stance where I was pro-urban and you pro-suburb.
Thanks all our 99% members for chiming in on what the psychology among the 1% might be on this matter. Do we have any 1%member on board to share what the common stance is among that privilleged community? My guess is that getting their children into one of the competitive schools is a new status thing, like getting a lux car or private jet for us 99%. The new fashion or standard of success for our 1% citizens has probably shiftted from material manifestation to an intellectual focus, which is a positive evolution imo. i hope some 1% members could attest to this specualtion.
This is a major reason why I'm leaving for the burbs in the future. Its not the ridiculous cost of private pre-k/daycare (which I am willing to pay fo. All this so my kid can take naps and eat cookies.
Please do so and please do not forget to give us an update 20 years later how your son will make it on his own...all fingers crossed...
Real 1%ers don't need to compete to get their children into schools. They own or control at least one or more appropriate schools. The status fight you're talking about is mostly among those in the 2% or maybe barely hanging on to the 1%.
Richest person I ever met went to public schools through undergraduate. The children of the rich in the private schools are mostly the ones who will lose the fortune their parents made.
Thanks all our 99% members for chiming in on what the psychology among the 1% might be on this matter. Do we have any 1%member on board to share what the common stance is among that privilleged community? My guess is that getting their children into one of the competitive schools is a new status thing, like getting a lux car or private jet for us 99%. The new fashion or standard of success for our 1% citizens has probably shiftted from material manifestation to an intellectual focus, which is a positive evolution imo. i hope some 1% members could attest to this specualtion.
Am a whole lot closer to the "one percent" than you may think, so speak for yourself.
At least for "old school" wealthy or rich New York families the *right* pre-school is not a status thing per se, but what is what you do for your child in terms of starting them off properly.
This is an old New York Magazine article from 1997 but explains things pretty well.
Problem (if there is one) is that NYC is literally swimming in money ATM. What once was a leisurely process where say all the Park Avenue or Central Park West matrons knew each other and or ran in the same crowd so it was a more orderly process has turned into chaos. After all when you have hundreds of families with fortunes ranging from "just" five or so million to those in tens of billions all seeking seats for their children things are bound to get *ahem* interesting.
A score card of the nursery schools that really matter to the "one percent".
This isn't really a 1% thing. If you're really 1%, money is no object, and you can donate your kids way into whatever school you want. This is more an issue for the 2-5% (who'd like to move up to the 1%.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by leoliu
Thanks all our 99% members for chiming in on what the psychology among the 1% might be on this matter. Do we have any 1%member on board to share what the common stance is among that privilleged community? My guess is that getting their children into one of the competitive schools is a new status thing, like getting a lux car or private jet for us 99%. The new fashion or standard of success for our 1% citizens has probably shiftted from material manifestation to an intellectual focus, which is a positive evolution imo. i hope some 1% members could attest to this specualtion.
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