AIBU to think estate life gave children a brilliant childhood

[CrowsInMyGarden]

AIBU to think living on a council estate was fantastic for kids. I lived on an East End council estate from age 3, then when I got married I moved to a Tower Block. That wasn't so wonderful but when I had my own children I moved back to the same estate I grew up on - a few doors along from my parents. Kids had a constant stream of friends to play out with and a central square to play in where all the parents could see them. Roller skates, bikes, football, runouts, huge water fights in the summer, strange made up games with their own rules. My children have grown up now and have such fond memories of their times playing on the Estate but they have all bought their own houses. Beautiful houses with gardens and their children go to after school/weekend activities and have playdates but don't get to just play out like I used to and they used to. Of course, there were downsides to living there. Neighbours above clattering about. Having to get up lots of stairs with a pram when the lift was out of order. Pee in the stairwells! But....it was a lot of fun. Anyone else have good memories of Estate Life?

Depends on the estate really.

We lived down a council road that was similar to yours.

My friend lived the other side and it was drugs, knifes and shouting and swearing. Men hollering "get back here you fat cunt!!" And the women screaming back "fuck off you stupid shit head!!!" All whilst dragging a toddler along for the ride.

I grew up in Africa, where community/ village life was very important and moved to England where my family lived among people who looked down on estates. Since then I’ve become close to people who grew up in estates in the U.K. and I think it would’ve been better in many ways for us to have lived in a community like that here rather than in the suburbs or English villages.

I don't think it's confined to council estates. I grew up on a new build estate which so many people are sniffy about. We had safe culture de says, fields behind the houses, kids in and out of each other's houses. Actually my own kids had a similar experience on a new build estate, goal posts at the end of our own culture de sac, kids knocking on to play etc. No extended family around, just lots of young families in similar life stages.

Meant cul de sacs obviously!!

I grew up in a new build estate and yes it was very much like that.

I don’t think that’s estate vs non estate. That’s a sign of the times. I grew up in a house on a well to do street and we all played out together constantly on the street…

@Changingforthisone66 Culture de sac sounds quite posh. I like it.

Youre kind of right, kind of nostalgic though

Kids playing out together was lovely - a thing of the past now maybe?

Estates are gone / bought privately now as well which changes things

Couture de Sacs, perhaps

I lived on a council estate, but in a market town in the south West. I played out all day as a child of the 70s from about 7 or 8yrs old. We had woodland in the centre of the estate. We built dens and played Robin Hood/ soldiers all day. Biked for miles out of town into the countryside. I was very naive though and it could have gone wrong. My own kids had a different version, a smaller estate, and went out from 8.
My grandsons aren't allowed out without an adult on their estate at 11-14 yrs. It's not an unsafe area.
I loved my childhood overall, freedom to make mistakes, learn who the rough kids were and how to avoid.

A 14 year old is not allowed out without an adult? Are they walking him to school?!

Mine wasn't a council estate, but still an estate. All the houses more or less faced the same field and we all played out all the time.
I let my son play out now and he's 9. He loves it!

I grew up on a council estate and it was great in many ways.
I don't know if it was the estate though, or whether it was just being able to do what we wanted because 80s parents let us run feral

The shit we did growing up and unsupervised was scary looking back at it now!

We went down manholes.
We cycled for miles with no clue where we were.
Jumped across hay bales stacked 6 high
Put pennies on train tracks.
Made dodgy rope swings over rivers.
Crossed motorways and major A Roads
Made fires
Knocked on random doors to ask for drinks
Hitchhiked....

It might also just be the way kids played back then?
I grew up in the 80s in a well to do village and we all played out all day, always kids outside cycling around, etc

Not a council estate but a cul-de-sac with a number of families with kids around the same age.

We'd all go and ride bikes to the park, mess about in trees, play tag and football in the close. Kids would go and knock on for their friends after school.

I remember one year my dad bought me a plastic kit that was like a make your own climbing frame - all the bits clipped together and you could make ramps and monkey bars from it, there were even wheels so you could make a kart.We put it in the front garden and it became a mecca for all the little gang. Loved it. Wish I could remember what it was called!

Times were different. Too many cars and people with serious mental health issues around to leave kids to play out alone in dense areas. It’s not safe.
Perhaps there are places where life is quieter where streets like you describe still exist. I don’t think they are in east / inner London anymore.

I agree. I played out all day. There were empty garages throughout the estate as not many people had cars then so us kids made dens in them. We also jumped bollards, rode our bikes, rollerskated, went down a nearby field and made more dens, picked blackberries, and more naughtily we played in empty house that someone had smashed up. We played the usual games- hide and seek, what's the time mr wolf, knock down ginger. We ran around the estate calling for our friends to join us. Never felt unsafe or bored.

Looking back, I'm so grateful for the freedom I had. It's a different world now.

@Shockedriven to school. DSs ex has residency of the boys, their father is not allowed any say! ( whole thread on its own!) She wonders why eldest has anxiety problems. 🤔

Yanbu. It depends on the estate...I've lived in two as a child, one wasn't safe to be outside and the second we moved to exactly as you say and I've lots of amazing memories until we moved again ..

I grew up on an estate like this and loved it as a child. Kids of all ages playing together, hide and seek, playing kerby, making ramps for bikes & skateboards, water fights, putting on shows for the parents in the car park (No one could afford a car so it was always empty). I still have fond memories now but times have changed. Kids don’t play out anymore, they’re rarely seen without an adult until they hit 10/11 yrs old. Parents would be called out for neglect these days if something happened to their child and the parent had to say I’m sorry I’ve no idea how my six year old broke his arm he’s been playing out for the last 4 hours.

Quadro? Friend had one similar and it's amazing and I looked into it when I had dd but sadly above my price range

Not just council estates. Me and my brother played out all the time, we did live on an estate, but not council. We had front and back gardens too. I think times are just different now.

@Shockeby not allowed, don't mean legally...just the ex. ..Court orders ignored.

Yes!!!!! Exactly the same. God I loved that set so much 😂 I bet my dad was well pleased with himself for it, me and my little friends used to play with it for hours and hours.