To think I don't need sympathy for living in a flat?

[justarantreally]

Live in a 2 bed flat with a little balcony and large communal garden. Purchased pre DC (1.5 & 2.5).

The last few weeks I have had comments from people (mainly relatives) about how I must hate being stuck in the flat all day long, and how I must be so sick of day time tv etc etc...

AIBU to think that just because I live in a flat doesn't mean I'm housebound? Ok it would be fantastic if we had a house with a garden, but we just can not afford it yet. Yes sometimes I would love to just slob about without getting everything ready for toddlers and just all play in the garden (especially when I had 1 year old and newborn!), but I DO live in a flat with 2 toddlers which means I make the effort every single day (bar illness) to get out and about. Whether it be running errands, going to the park, playgroups, or going out for day trips.

It's not the first time I've had comments of a similar nature, in fact both my family and in laws have made comments in the past making it seem like they think I just stay indoors all day and do nothing, and to be honest it's really irked me. I don't send anywhere near as many photos and things as I used to to the family chats because it just seems a gateway to criticism.

In all honesty the gardens of most modern houses are nothing to write home about. Tiny and overlooked by many, many neighbours.
Also, in mid summer people forget that gardens are only used for a fraction of the year. For the majority of the year it’s too bloody cold or wet to go in the garden anyway.

it could be that i was brought up in a village on the mountains of south wales so im used to wide open spaces around me to explore and im not used to flats but i dont get peoples obsessions about gardens,they seem to think its like owning gold

i live in a big 3 bedroom house(rented,been here 5 years) surrounded by forests all around,there is a lot or rivers and streams as well practically on your door step(it is in a village im not a house in the middle of nowhere)before that i then we were in a village on the mountains

we have a fair size garden that is all concrete,unless its a hot summer and we get the pool out the garden doesnt get used as we are out every day exploring our surrounding,visiting the beach(40 min drive away) or home ed activities and we go on holidays every 4-6 weeks,we are never here to use it
boys are 8 and 14

it really wouldnt matter to us if we had one or not,our needs at the time of looking were big bedrooms and a big living room

I live in a flat with dp 9month old dd!
We’re renting and saving up for a deposit, decided not to move after having dd because it just didn’t make sense long term, renting a house with smaller floor space than our new build flat and in a much worse area of the city would put our rent up around £200 a month! But people still don’t get it!

I hate when people pity me for living in a flat, I think it’s perfect for dd. It’s such a large flat, we have a family bathroom and en-suite, in our bedroom we have our kingsize bed and dd’s cotbed fits in too, both rooms have built in wardrobes, we have a separate kitchen, a dining area and large lounge and the biggest bonus with toddling dd is no stairs in the flat!
We don’t have a shared garden but do have a big green space right outside with a park so can’t really complain as we don’t have to do the gardening

I hate looking new houses now as we get ready to buy, they all feel so much smaller and cramped than our flat.

We've lived in a flat and a house with small kids. A flat can be great - I liked being all on one level, the views and light coming in the windows, the better privacy and security.

On sweltering hot days a house with garden is better, but then for months in the winter I can't get the kids out in the garden, so it isn't useful year round. And if you want pretty garden it is actually a lot of work!

If you have a balcony that is v useful for messy activities - we didn't and I found having zero outdoor space in the flat tricky when they wanted to play with mud, water etc.