To be sad that so many children won't have a "family home" in the future?

[MrsTawdry]

Or am I being overly sentimental about something which doesn't really matter?

I'm talking about the generation of families aged between 24 and 45 who can't afford to buy and are stuck in a cycle of private lets which don't often see out their children growing up.

I know that when my Mum was small in the 40s that renting was normal...no working class child that she knew had one home from birth to 18...it just didn't happen.

Then council housing was built on a large scale...and working class families COULD settle...I for one grew up from birth to 23 in the same council house on a lovely estate...and my Mum still lives there.

She and my Dad bought it...and that's where things started to go wrong isn't it? The Right To Buy has ensured that DH and I...we can't get a council house or housing association place as there are hardly any available ever...they've all been bought up.

...and rentals from private LLs are insecure...we can't afford to buy a private home...with a mortgage so have always rented.

My older Dd has lived in 4 homes...granted one of them was for 7 years...and to her that's home even though we had to leave last year when the owner needed to sell. She was 9 when we left.

We're moving abroad to DHs home country where we will be able to buy thanks to a gift from a relative...we could buy here but we both feel that we need to go now as his Dad is unwell.

However...DD1 is ten now...she won't be able to look back and say "That's where my home is..."

Or will she? Where will "home" be to her? And...does it matter?

I think the way 'right to buy' stitched people up is a great shame. Not sure if I think the 'family home' stuff is a shame or not.

I lived in two houses before I was 18 - both of which I think of with mild affection now. Parents moved out when I was in my early twenties and now live in a different country. So my kids have only visited the (fantastic) area of the UK where I grew up twice. We live in the town DH grew up in, and his parents are still in the 'family home'. It's nice for his parents seeing the grandkids play in the garden their kids play in I think. And the kids know/can picture far more of his childhood than they can mine. Not sure that matters though.

We live in a house that we bought to be a 'family home'. Moved in when youngest kids were just a few days old and intend to stay here long term. I love our house, and feel enormously lucky that we and our children have this kind of home. But I think we would be our family wherever we were, and that is what matters, if that makes sense.