Should we just make the best of what we've got, or look for more?

[McChocolateDoughnut]

I can't decide if I'm just in a middle age rut or if I need to make big changes.

We (me, DH, 2 primary age DC) live in a nice enough town. We moved here for work pre kids and stayed. Have nice friends but not many. Our long standing friends are still in London and we see them from time to time. Everyone busy with work and kids.

The kids' school is OK. Just OK. It's not great but it's not rife with bullying or anti social behaviour or anything like that. Most of my kids friends/ peers seem to have little ambition. A lot will end up working for their parents- as builders, farmers etc. No one talks of university. One of my DC is known as the clever one. But he's not that clever - he just likes school. He gets quite bored by the lack of wanting to work amongst his friends. Other DC struggles with friendships (very football focused class at school - he plays but isn't that interested) which brings its own challenges.

Life plods on and is just easy. And dull. Scouts, football, cricket in the summer... I'm not good at chit chat so say hello and have occasional chats to the other parents / locals but I don't feel part of it.

DH and I are wondering how we get some ooumph back in our lives. Should we move? Find somewhere else? Take bigger risks with jobs? Or is it just that this stage of life has its tedium and we should be grateful the kids aren't stressed or getting into trouble?

I can sympathize, I get itchy feet to change something major every now and again. Do you have any family or personal goals you are working towards? Can you make a bucket list of things that you want to do together that you can look forward to at the weekends?

Regarding your DC, is there any clubs or online resources you can find that will help push him academically? A hobby such as coding could give him useful lifelong skills and bring him into contact with kids who have similar interests to himself?

Have I read right? Your DC's primary school age friends lack ambition? They're not already prepping for Oxford? Scandalous!

@Dontbelieveaword I'm not sure how else to describe it. "I'll probably work at Tesco" "I'll work at the garage like my Dad". "School doesn't matter, my mum says". No awareness of a wider world. And content with that - probably as that's what their parents were content with.

I don't think this is good and it sounds really dull and frustrating. There are more lively happening places out there. There's nothing wrong with wanting to work in Tesco or a garage, but you need a bit of variety in a population.