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I suppose I should post a link to he new house we are (if the inspection goes okay) moving to with our two kids. Rowhouse dwellers no more! Feel like a bit of a sellout, but as I said, we couldn't afford the more "urban" styled houses in the city that would fit our family. For the same price (what we agreed to is slightly less than the list price here) we would have only gained like an extra half bathroom in the most walkable parts of the city.
I suppose I should post a link to he new house we are (if the inspection goes okay) moving to with our two kids. Rowhouse dwellers no more! Feel like a bit of a sellout, but as I said, we couldn't afford the more "urban" styled houses in the city that would fit our family. For the same price (what we agreed to is slightly less than the list price here) we would have only gained like an extra half bathroom in the most walkable parts of the city.
Great looking house! I love all of the original features. Your kitchen even has what appear to be some of its original cabinets. (or, maybe those were all the cabinets the house was built with?)
Oh, and look at all of those stained glass windows in what was probably a middle-class home, when built!
While I wouldn't advocate sending a 5 year old blocks away on their own, I would start considering it around age 9 in our urban neighborhood. This fear of rare threats like murderous child abductors is hugely overblown and the mentality behind it is partly why American kids in the suburbs often end up being so sheltered. To restrict a child's ability to experience independence because you think one of these extremely rare incidents will occur is doing an injustice to your child. If you want your kids to be safer, keep them out of the most deadly threat to them - the inside of automobiles! Live somewhere where they don't need to use one often - like a city. Most of the teens in my neighborhood actually have no desire at all to own a car when they turn 17. Some don't even bother getting a drivers license. Once you factor in the fact that car accidents are the #1 killer of teens, it also makes it a much safer way of life.
One thing parents of younger kids fail to consider is how much older kids and teens benefit from living in a walk-able urban neighborhood. Having your schools friends all within walking distance, being able to walk with your friends to the square for lunch, ice cream, or to the park. Riding the train to other neighborhoods.
Most cities I am familiar with, including Boston, have lots of traffic.
Wait until your kids are teens. Their friends live all over, especially if they go to these charter and magnet schools that are all the rage these days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eschaton
I suppose I should post a link to he new house we are (if the inspection goes okay) moving to with our two kids. Rowhouse dwellers no more! Feel like a bit of a sellout, but as I said, we couldn't afford the more "urban" styled houses in the city that would fit our family. For the same price (what we agreed to is slightly less than the list price here) we would have only gained like an extra half bathroom in the most walkable parts of the city.
Lovely house, looks very similar to the one I grew up in.
FWIW I live in a city, and have a daughter who's almost five, and a son who's ten months old. I wouldn't let my daughter wander around outside alone yet, but by 8-9 I wouldn't worry, since I went around outside on my own at that age. It's more likely she might get hit by a car than be abducted, which would apply equally in the suburbs. Honestly my biggest worry would be nosy helicopter parents reporting me, since apparently it's now considered bad parenting to leave an eight-year old alone for any length of time. Modern parenting boggles my mind.
Get back to us in 3 years. Chances are you'll decide to wait a couple more years, unless she's just going a couple of houses down the street.
Get back to us in 3 years. It's not just the walk. Are there lots of kids there most of the time? Or is the park usually empty? Go by herself, or go with a friend? Lots of variables. Upon looking at the park, it's totally empty! It has 3 baseball fields and a small play area.
Get back to us in 3 years. It's not just the walk. Are there lots of kids there most of the time? Or is the park usually empty? Lots of variables. Upon looking at the park, it's totally empty! It has 3 baseball fields and a small play area.
From what I've heard about Morningside, there are a lot more kids around than virtually anywhere else in the city. The one time we went to the park to check it out there were kids there too. Admittedly it's pretty small (smaller than our closest playground right now) but given there are no busy streets to cross around there it seems like a fairly safe area.
As I noted elsewhere, I was allowed to ride my bike down to the park alone by that age. It was roughly the same distance, perhaps a bit longer. If it was good enough for me in the 1980s, it's good enough for my kids.
From what I've heard about Morningside, there are a lot more kids around than virtually anywhere else in the city. The one time we went to the park to check it out there were kids there too. Admittedly it's pretty small (smaller than our closest playground right now) but given there are no busy streets to cross around there it seems like a fairly safe area.
As I noted elsewhere, I was allowed to ride my bike down to the park alone by that age. It was roughly the same distance, perhaps a bit longer. If it was good enough for me in the 1980s, it's good enough for my kids.
Get back to us in 3 years. We didn't wear seat belts or bike helmets when I was a kid. If it was good enough for us, it's good enough for our kids.
What does that have to do with a teenager needing a car to get around?
I guess I misread what semiurbanite said. I thought he was implying kids were safer in the city b/c there is less traffic. Actually he said they were safer b/c they weren't in cars. However, there are plenty of car-pedestrian accidents, especially among kids, which was my point.
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