London Childhood

[daisiessunflowersandtulips]

In Laws are adamant we should move out of London when the baby's born. Apparently it isn't a "good environment to bring up children in". which they wouldn't know because they never bloody visit. I am to this because I grew up in London alright, but they seem to think I was terribly deprived.

Here are the things I missed out on (and which my in-laws always bring up)
-playing in the street. Neither I, siblings, friends, cousins, ANYONE I know who grew up in our parts of London (leafy zones 2-4) ever did this.
-knowing who our neighbours were. Well we knew who the ones on either side were and they didn't have kids. We didn't know any of the other kids to say hello to and frankly that was fine by me.

Here are the things we got
-being allowed to get ourselves to and from school at a younger age than DP and his siblings and other friends outside London because schools comparatively closer, roads busy in a suburban sort of way with traffic lights not an A-road busy way.
-going to wonderful parks to play, Heath, Golders Hill, Clissold Park, etc. Parents came with when we were younger and then we could go by ourselves.
-being able to go to and from friends houses independently by 9 or 10 if if were short walking distance or 11-12 if it were longer walk or bus by ourselves and not have to hang around getting lifts
-loads of museums, cinemas, art galleries with kids stuff on

Now London might not be to everyones taste and I TOTALLY get that. But you're telling me it's worse than some pissy town in the middle of nowhere with no transport links to bring up a child? Seriously?

Ah so that's more about why commuting on the tube line is hard work!

Of course not everyone uses the tube to get to work.

Re trips to the seaside. You shoudve got the fast train from london bridge-brighton. 57 mins. Very frequent. Avoids purley way!

Feel sorry for me. My nearest beach is Weston Super Mare. Or Barry Island over the bridge.

Oh good grief, the northern line! It genuinely makes me want to weep.

I have gradually arranged my life so that I can avoid it entirely.

Hm yes, given a choice of beaches I don't think I'd be choosing Brighton (anyway my surf board would be a nightmare on the train, and I don't really do the train with ds1 without a bucketful of gin on hand).

Like I said, horses for courses.

You should all relive my childhood and spend your summers going to Southend!

If you lived in SElondon and wanted a day trip saintly you would go to brighton! Which given the purley way comment is where I assumed aboutlasnight was heading.

we used to drive to camber sands when we lived in SE London, but tbh the south east isn't really my cup of tea. Sorry I cross posted with about and thought you were responding to my beach comment. :)

London is definitely hard work. I loved it but it's noticeably easier just to do day to day stuff outside. Maybe it's population density? Everything's so brisk, you get really irritated if someone takes 0.2 seconds too long to pay for their shopping and everyone gets irritated with you likewise. I remember striding down the street and having to stop and consciously slow down my pace when not-Londoners came to visit. Now I'm the stroller rather than the strider having moved out to boring old commutersville.

"coloured"

and you lived in London

I love the generalisations on here like....I moved out of London and my children know all our neighbours. Many people in London know their neighbours and talk regularly. God, I even have dinner with mine sometimes shock!!!

Another question, I wouldn't class Croydon as London but am willing to be put right. Isn't it Surrey, it definitely doesn't feel like London to me.

Oh yes we were headed for Brighton...would join the queue for parking in Brighton - which started in Norbury. We did get the train a few times after that.

Loved Camber. And Southsea.

Helloclitty

Which poster was that?

I hand-feed the geese at dcs' nursery much to their awe [boast]...but no way to Canadian geese!

Topbanana said it

"DS never saw a coloured person until we passed one of the waiters from the local Indian walking down the road. He was about 3 and was genuinely I had many foreign friends from as far back as I could remember."

Croydons a funny one!

You have croydon and borough of croydon of which some parts are most definitely surrey. Some though are definitely london eg anerly etc. Borough of croydon stops at crystal palace.

You get trams in Croydon.

You only get trams in places you go on holiday to.

Ergo Croydon is not London but is a daytrip/holiday place.

HTH. *

YANBU. I am not really a city girl as I really struggle with places being too busy/crowded, but that's just my taste. I would like to live somewhere fairly rural really, but I wouldn't until I've learnt to drive as I would really struggle being too isolated

Small-town life: no rat race to get into the best school as there's only one.
London is just a train journey away for days out then you can return to sanity afterwards.

North side of Croydon comes under London. We weren't far from Thornton heath and our address def wasn't Surrey . I know what you mean though, parts are Surrey and def didn't feel like London at all.

LadyClariceCannockMonty

I really don't find London hard work, I find it easier than any of the smaller towns/suburbs I've lived in.

I like the briskness and efficiency, I like the fact that at rush hour it might be busy but everyone knows where they're going and is getting there as quickly and efficiently as they can, I like not expecting to wait more than 2 minutes for a train, being able to decide on a whim that I want to go to an exhibition or a concert and just go, because there's always something on.

Actually the tourist areas can be hard work, with people milling around aimlessly and getting in your way.

Lord yes, I have worked at Marble Arch and on Regent Street and it takes you half an hour just to nip out and buy a sandwich a few doors up from your office because of all the blasted tourists milling about.

Ephiny, I could have written that post (except you wrote it much better than I could have)!

It's hard work getting around suburbs/small towns, finding things to do, finding places that serve decent food and/or to reasonable hours, running the gamut of stares from people because your appearance or behaviour might not be exactly the same as that of the locals, dodging stupid ignorant comments about 'that London' etc.

And yes, most of the people who piss me off in London are the people hanging round the horrid touristy areas.

Although I feel for them, coming to London on holiday and then standing in Leicester Squalor, no doubt thinking 'WTAF is the fuss about this town?'

I grew up and Hackney and I am very proud to have done so and I benefited massively. I really struggle with how uncultured people from outside London are and I have lived in and loved many other cities. I now that sounds bigoted but in my experience it is so so true!

But I would retrain, live on the poverty line, give up my pension to not send my children to state london secondaries like I went to. And I went to a good one. shudder.