To get annoyed that a middle class life style is not "real life"?

[Roseflower]

I don't get- why is trying to move to a nice, safe and quiet area with a good school not "real life" as some people like to tell me?

How is this any less "real" that living in a crime ridden, ugly area with an unsafe school?

Seems its only real life if your let your child actually live in the middle of all sorts...

Does anyone else get this attitude sometimes?

I think, depending on the people, they are either saying "Don't get disheartened about this area, it has its good points too" or else "Don't get ideas above your station because posh people aren't like us so you won't fit in or else you'll change to fit in and we'll decide you've got snobby. So stay here and don't dream of something better, because it's not for the likes of us."

The opposite argument is usually that people who live in urban areas don't live real life because they don't see where food comes from. It is all ludicrous.

I am more envious of people who get to live a fantastical life.

I used to live in a smug working class area.
it was dreadful

We moved from a very posh rural area to a place in the city suburbs with a very mixed bag of people in the locality. On balance, it is far better in a mixed area than it was living among the footballers wives. The kids do see how things are in real life here instead of having an outlook tainted by middle class rose tinted spectacles

A group of people said to me that I have no idea about what happens in the "real world".I asked what they meant by this.Apparently living in a suburb and having an education means I have no "real world" experience.When I questioned this further the people asking thought that I was privileged and somehow managed to never experience "hardship".Well they were very wrong.I explained this but then felt angry that I had justified my life to them because they wanted to have some sort of bloody "I'm so hard don by" pissing contest.

done typo

Yes MillyR me too. ...a fantastical lifestyle : )

Roseflower... I've just moved to a more rural area because I wanted my children to have the sort of childhood I had.

So far, it's everything I'd hoped for. The children can play out, the scenery is wonderful... I'm so happy.

We went for a walk today and half way through I asked DH if he had noticed anything missing... "Arguing?" he asked. "Exactly" said I.

I used to be so proud of MY area (where we lived before) but it wasn't the best for my children. I will definately keep in touch with my lovely neighbours from there though.

massivehead, I find that the residents of our 'posh', leafy suburb, are actually less educated (in an academic sense), than those I lived with in an urban area.

Many locals in my peer group are happy with the, got-A-levels-and-got-married-to-hubby-with-top-job-in-finance route, rather than aspiring in terms of career and education for themselves.

BoojaB - you show me a white working-class neighbourhood and I'll show you more "racism" and "homophobia" than you can shake a stick at.

Those middle-class-types you so hate have ambition and drive and energy.

BarmyArmy ...I don't think theres many just white working class neighbourhoods ...

massivemammaries - you said "The kids do see how things are in real life here instead of having an outlook tainted by middle class rose tinted spectacles"

I don't understand what you mean.

If I'm not living in real life here, in my life (which is pretty middle-class, I accept), where am I living? Why is your life more 'real' than mine? Presumably you are suggesting the working class is more real than the middle class but what are your grounds for saying that? Your comment is just meaningless.

Your DD's are quite young IIRC LeQ but they "will" go to a selective grammar school? Why?

Do you not have disadvantaged but naturally academic children in your area?

I think you have a duty to pay for private secondary education since you can easily afford it. Better safe than sorry, they'll meet a better class of people or are you staunch socialists?

Your lifestyle does sound fabulous by the way. I'm only jealous joking

Ah feck, I really am, honestly. It doesn't sound like it from my previous post, I'm paraphrasing a lot of what goes on in AIBU regarding grammar schools.

You know I love you and your shabby-chic Georgian house and knowledge of the Tudors

I live in a middle class rural idyll, we never worry about locking doors, children can go wandering off safely, beautiful views etc. Everynow and again someone says that we are not living in the real world. I acceopt it is very monocultural and sheltered, it is a cross between a MIss Marple episode and the Vicar of Dibley - just with less death. But we do have cars, we do experience other areas and people.

I am lucky enough to be able to chose where I live, why would I chose to live somewhere grim?

Thread-derailing not withstanding of course a middle-class lifestyle is real.

I happen to live in an authentic, "une vraie" if you will, shabby ex-council house but even I know that nobody is immune from unhappiness, addiction, bad health, death, taxes etc

I just got back from my rural holiday and the police helicopter is overhead, the neighbours had a screamathon in the street, it's polluted, the lad across the way is still playing computer games with his headphones on REALLY LOUDLY with his bedroom window open, two car alarms are going off and someone was sick in my wheelie bin while I was away.

I am so out of here. Bugger real life: I want to see the sea, cows, daisies, mountains or similar from my kitchen window, not scallies nicking the lead off the roof across the road.

I often hear helicopters, but that means someone is travelling between their estate and London house. Other than that I hear sheep, pheasants, cows and sheep. From my kitchen window I see horses, fields and the odd rambler.

I have from "Oliver" in my head now.

I know what you mean. I get told I 'live in a bubble' and I 'have no idea about the "real world"' all because of where I live and the job my dh does.

What they don't take into account is where I grew up, the job i'm trainning to do, and the charity work I take interest in. Which is all very "real world"

It pisses me off because it's meant in an insulting way

I've had this accusation all my (imaginary) life.

Apparently, unless I live on my old sink estate, doing a job in a factory then my lif is not 'real'.

Also my children are in an even worse situation, having not had the 'real' start in life I had. They will not, I am told, be street smart. So that's a position in the cripps buggered then.

at Litchick's imaginary life.