I do NOT want to raise my kids in NY!!! Help me! (daycare, home)

[DaniellaG]

With any move I have always been told it takes 6 months to know if is the place for you. To me it takes longer. I would think with children it would also add to the factor of adjusting. I can see where certain states are more family friendly then others and where NY may be great single or as a couple but when kids come into play it becomes not as easy.
Sleekchic I was also going to state Boca and you could live by the ocean if wanted. It is sometimes over the top but overall it seems to fit what you are looking for and I am sure with the population medical jobs would be one of the easier to find.

[brinked]

misskathy, I was born and raised in NY my entire life in NY...more specifically brooklyn. If you can not walk to the store without being harassed then you must live in a bad area, I have lived in ridgewood queens, williamsburg and bensonhurst bklyn and I have never witnessed that severe harassment like you describe. If you live in a bad area then you live in a bad area...the bad areas in palm beach county are much worse than in NY. Do you live in east new york or brownsville?

Its a different lifestyle here in palm beach county...I just bought my winterhome here about 4 months ago and I like it...but I dont know if i can ever move away from NYC for good.

[kinkytoes]

Misskathy, I hope you understand people on the board are trying to help. Florida seems great, and i personally wanted to move there myself because I miss caribbean weather, greenery and people, but it's not the caribbean and you may not be helping your kids by moving to Fla.

It seems like you really Hate NY, and I can understand that, but maybe this advice will help:
1. Visit the areas first before buying.

2. Supplement your daughter's schooling. Please do this please please please. Schools in Florida are not good, and you need to make sure she is prepared by spending money on Kumon or some sort of regular tutoring. Make sure you have money set aside for this. It would be really unfair to your daughter to spoil her future opportunities because of a move. Please dedicate yourself to her education because the schools in florida will Not Cut It.

3. Chaperone your Daughter - Florida is FULL of s@x offenders. Be EXTREMELY careful of your daughter's safety. Because of the great weather she will be able to play outside much more as well. Please for God's sake make sure she is safe and in a fenced yard and with multiple children and you talk to her about "boundaries", "privacy" and "strangers." Again I beg you on behalf of your daughter.

4. Get a Government Job - Well, state jobs may not be doing that well, but they are probably better than private industry. Maybe you can try to search for a state, local or federal government job before your move. Unless you are already well-employed, then you can forgive my insolence.

5. Keep a cash cushion - I have met and read about people who want to get out of Florida to find better jobs etc, but can't because they can't afford to. Sad but true. So even if it's borrowed, pls keep a few grand stashed away in case you need to "escape."

Best of luck.

[Reedsmit]

Originally Posted by kinkytoes

Misskathy, I hope you understand people on the board are trying to help. Florida seems great, and i personally wanted to move there myself because I miss caribbean weather, greenery and people, but it's not the caribbean and you may not be helping your kids by moving to Fla.

It seems like you really Hate NY, and I can understand that, but maybe this advice will help:
1. Visit the areas first before buying.

2. Supplement your daughter's schooling. Please do this please please please. Schools in Florida are not good, and you need to make sure she is prepared by spending money on Kumon or some sort of regular tutoring. Make sure you have money set aside for this. It would be really unfair to your daughter to spoil her future opportunities because of a move. Please dedicate yourself to her education because the schools in florida will Not Cut It.

3. Chaperone your Daughter - Florida is FULL of s@x offenders. Be EXTREMELY careful of your daughter's safety. Because of the great weather she will be able to play outside much more as well. Please for God's sake make sure she is safe and in a fenced yard and with multiple children and you talk to her about "boundaries", "privacy" and "strangers." Again I beg you on behalf of your daughter.

4. Get a Government Job - Well, state jobs may not be doing that well, but they are probably better than private industry. Maybe you can try to search for a state, local or federal government job before your move. Unless you are already well-employed, then you can forgive my insolence.

5. Keep a cash cushion - I have met and read about people who want to get out of Florida to find better jobs etc, but can't because they can't afford to. Sad but true. So even if it's borrowed, pls keep a few grand stashed away in case you need to "escape."

Best of luck.

Not all FL schools are bad. I had three children come out of them. My daughter was the last to graduate from Dreyfoos School of the Arts, she auditioned for Juliard in NYC, she was offered a scholarship at UCF and ultimately graduated in 3 1/2 years from FSU in Tallahassee, and she never had a tudor. She also worked part time from the time she was 15, along with being a dedicated Musician.

So please don't say that FL schools are bad of the top 100 High Schools in US in 2009 -published by Newsweek 16 were in FL, four in Palm Beach County - Suncoast (where my son graduated) was #7, Dreyfoos (where my daughter graduated #51, . Atlantic Community #53 and Boca Raton Community #84, I think in anyones book those results do not indicate we have bad schools.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/201160

[Shoegal1075]

Originally Posted by brinked

misskathy, I was born and raised in NY my entire life in NY...more specifically brooklyn. If you can not walk to the store without being harassed then you must live in a bad area, I have lived in ridgewood queens, williamsburg and bensonhurst bklyn and I have never witnessed that severe harassment like you describe. If you live in a bad area then you live in a bad area...the bad areas in palm beach county are much worse than in NY. Do you live in east new york or brownsville?

Its a different lifestyle here in palm beach county...I just bought my winterhome here about 4 months ago and I like it...but I dont know if i can ever move away from NYC for good.

she lives in Yonkers not in Brooklyn - let's say she did live in brownsville - would it then be ok for her to want to move ?

[Swimmom32]

Originally Posted by kinkytoes

Misskathy, I hope you understand people on the board are trying to help. Florida seems great, and i personally wanted to move there myself because I miss caribbean weather, greenery and people, but it's not the caribbean and you may not be helping your kids by moving to Fla.

It seems like you really Hate NY, and I can understand that, but maybe this advice will help:
1. Visit the areas first before buying.

2. Supplement your daughter's schooling. Please do this please please please. Schools in Florida are not good, and you need to make sure she is prepared by spending money on Kumon or some sort of regular tutoring. Make sure you have money set aside for this. It would be really unfair to your daughter to spoil her future opportunities because of a move. Please dedicate yourself to her education because the schools in florida will Not Cut It.

3. Chaperone your Daughter - Florida is FULL of s@x offenders. Be EXTREMELY careful of your daughter's safety. Because of the great weather she will be able to play outside much more as well. Please for God's sake make sure she is safe and in a fenced yard and with multiple children and you talk to her about "boundaries", "privacy" and "strangers." Again I beg you on behalf of your daughter.

4. Get a Government Job - Well, state jobs may not be doing that well, but they are probably better than private industry. Maybe you can try to search for a state, local or federal government job before your move. Unless you are already well-employed, then you can forgive my insolence.

5. Keep a cash cushion - I have met and read about people who want to get out of Florida to find better jobs etc, but can't because they can't afford to. Sad but true. So even if it's borrowed, pls keep a few grand stashed away in case you need to "escape."

Best of luck.

Please you have got to be kidding with this post....Misskathy, we are here 8 months now and love it...both my kids are thriving here and NOT ALL florida schools are awful...SO MANY of my neighbors in our last development their kids ALL attend and have attended FSU/UF/FAU and UMIAMI and they have gone on to medical school here in florida as some of the others have or are attending Law School here too...so pls dont put ALL florida into your catagory unless u have lived in every town in this state..You do u know that SCHOOLS are bad everywhere...depending on where u live....With that being said, Sex Offenders are everywhere too and I would think ONE would educate their kids regardless of where u live....My dh has an excellent job here in South Florida have YOU found utopia?? if so id love to know where....eessshhh

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by kinkytoes

2. Supplement your daughter's schooling. Please do this please please please. Schools in Florida are not good, and you need to make sure she is prepared by spending money on Kumon or some sort of regular tutoring. Make sure you have money set aside for this. It would be really unfair to your daughter to spoil her future opportunities because of a move. Please dedicate yourself to her education because the schools in florida will Not Cut It.

A ridiculous and baseless statement. I went to public school in Florida and do as good or better than basically all of my cousins in New Jersey.

[Shoegal1075]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

A ridiculous and baseless statement. I went to public school in Florida and do as good or better than basically all of my cousins in New Jersey.

Berry/Trim - I couldn't even respond intelligently - I read it twice and part of me thinks this was a joke - a parody to all those who say Florida is so horrible - I have to tell you guys, I sometimes venture into other states and goodness people are not so dramatic nor are they as negative. This obviously is not meant toward all but I wonder what went so wring in their life that they are so sour!

[tiddles]

If you are involved in your kids education they will do fine, no matter what school they attend. Read to them when they're little, make sure they do their homework, keep their minds working during the summer months, limit computer games/nintendo. If you don't care or don't have time then they probably won't do as well. Pretty simple.

[Reedsmit]

Originally Posted by tiddles

If you are involved in your kids education they will do fine, no matter what school they attend. Read to them when they're little, make sure they do their homework, keep their minds working during the summer months, limit computer games/nintendo. If you don't care or don't have time then they probably won't do as well. Pretty simple.

You are absolutely right Tiddles; our children went to public schools, were involved in church, Scouting and sports. We as a family have supported them by taking an active role in the things that interest them. We have gone camping, baked cookies for bake sales, attended concerts, chaparoned field trips and sat on a ton of bleachers over the years.

Our children have grown into good citizens, they have excelled in many aspects of their lives. No drugs, no arrests - all college educated. Each one of them learned about working hard to achieve their goals and got their first jobs while in High School.

And each of them were in the FL public schools. My sons Kindergarden Teacher, even took the time to attend the Eagle Cememony when he became an Eagle Scout. How's that for dedication.