City Kids

Amy and I both grew up in the suburbs, and many of our family members live in the suburbs, so our kids are experiencing a very different childhood than we did or than their cousins do.  It has its pros and its cons, but (ever the city booster than I am) I am trying to impress upon them the pros so they don't take them for granted.

One is mobility.  When I was Jada's age (13) was when friends really became important, and being able to socialize with my close guy friends (and to flirt with girls) was paramount.  Luckily, where I lived in the burbs, I could actually walk to some of my friends' houses, although in some cases it was quite a hike. But anything beyond that, like going to the mall or seeing a movie, involved either finding a parent to chaperone us or spending the afternoon figuring out Silicon Valley's sparse bus system. 

Contrast that to our living situation now.  Because we live in such an amenity-rich mixed-use neighborhood, rather than a set-apart single-use suburb, there is so much within close walking distance our kids can get to on their own: movies, food, parks, etc.  Then when you introduce buses, trolleys, and subways, that opens up an even bigger world that can be gotten to without the use of a car or the need of a parent.

Thirteen year old me would've killed for this kind of freedom and these kinds of options.  Let's hope our kids understand how good they have it.