It's great raising kids in a big city. Other than Sarasota, FL, which has all the cultural and educational opportunities of a city ten times its size, I wouldn't want to bring them up anywhere but the center of a large metropolis. There's the energy and variety of people, the puppet theatres, opera houses, ballets, live theatres, galleries, outdoor concerts, city celebrations, parades, libraries and countless other things I never knew existed when I lived in rural Pennsylvania.
Nevertheless, every choice made closes off other opportunities. My first ten years were spent deep in the countryside of Lancaster. Most of my neighbors were Amish. It's sad that my boys will probably never spend their afternoons building forts in the woods, catching eels under the old bridge, and waving to the Amish kids as the buggy drives by. Living on the 15th floor, they won't know how good the breeze smells on a summer night blowing in through your window, the sounds of crickets, or the constellations of lightning bugs on a darkened lawn.
Like many MKs, they'll grow up knowing three or more languages, and hopping national boundaries with the mental ease that we drive through States. The city also gives them a wider selection of friends than I had -- the wild Olzcwieski kids next door. But it's sad they won't have that poignant sense of place that comes from a childhood in the country.
Posted by Discoshaman at mai 25, 2004 06:59 PM | TrackBack
I was born Lancaster, we lived in East Petersburg, but only for a year after I was born. We then lived in northern VA (Dad worked in DC) and then outside of Cleveland. Other than frequent visits to the Air & Space Museum and about one trip to the Mall, though, we didn't take advantage of the big-city opportunities. I'm still pretty much a homebody, and I think it will be nice to raise children in a small town where folks will know them! It is very cool that your kids are multilingual, though. And if you actually DO stuff with them, I'm sure they'll get a lot out of it :)
Posted by: Lenise at mai 26, 2004 08:04 PMLenise-
Have you been back to Lancaster for visits? As my father says, it's a nice place to be from. But we both prefer Sarasota immensely.
And yes, cities are great. But it is sometimes a lot of work getting my yellow-haired monkeys dressed, out the door, and to any kind of children's function on-time. We're building to that. ;)
Posted by: Discoshaman at mai 28, 2004 02:29 AMCompared to Minco, I think Lancaster is urban. (My wife went to Messiah College and loves the area).
You make me wish I could give my children that sort of home.
Posted by: mark at juin 4, 2004 03:32 PM