To belive that my children are having a great childhood in London?

[mrsruffallo]

Annoying woman at parent and toddler grouip today.
She was noisily proclaiming her intention to leave London before her child turned 5 as it's an awful place to grow up!
I said if not here, where?
There is so much to do, lovely green spaces, much better than being stuck in the middle of nowhere
Turned into quite a lively discussion

[onebatmother]

I think money worries are at the root of it all. Money and schools - and of course they are connected. My life would be astonishingly different with

no mortgage. One would never have the sense of being trapped or of having to overcome a huge hurdle to get a decent school.

[fruitstick]

onebat you are quite right. That's certainly the reason we moved out. Of my original NCT group, only the lawyers are left.

One person on here, somewhere, said 'I live in zone 2 with a good sized house and a 100ft garden and good schools'. Well done you - I'd probably stay if that were an option.

I object most to the 'it's great if you have access to the countryside at the weekends' tribe. Oh yes, because actually rural britain is just one big theme park that you can all come and visit, without ever sending you children to the local school, using the post office or giving the pub weekday customers. And the people who do actually want to live there can't because the house prices are so ludicrous.

And the very notion that London is the only place with a sense of culture or vibrancy is slightly at odds with the 'everybody's so broadminded here' line of argument. The map goes out to zone for and then just wilderness and 'where thee dragons be'.

[Lolis]

I do like living in London, but the main problem for us is that it's ceasing to be affordable. How are we ever going to afford bigger than a two bedroom flat for our growing brood? I would like my children to have a little more space as they get older, not to mention a modest garden. That's what makes London difficult for me, more than the schools/pollution/stress argument.

[rb1979]

i live in spain half the year now the kids are at an age where i have to make a decion weather to do schooling in span or the uk..... any ideas ...??/

[dawntigga]

YANBU but I'd hate to live in a city now.

EachToTheirOwnTiggaxx

[anabellapity]

reluctant to resurrect this thread but had a terrifying experience this afternoon. went to buy medicine for ds, encountered two deranged hoodies who were charging down a narrow pavement in opp direction to me - one had a mobile phone on speaker and was shouting (no screaming) down the phone "i'm going to murder you 1!!è§(, i'm just on my way" - to think that i almost took my ds out on this trip (as i usually would have done).

[cityangel]

I agree with those that say kids will be happy wherever with good parenting. I also completely understand why others wouldn't understand why I live in London and respect their choices.

I grew up in North London and am living in East London. Essex, Surrey and Kent are where most of my NCT chums have moved to in the last year all before our kids turn 2.
Some of them are quite lonely but I know in time they'll build new friends and a nice life for my ds' friends.

I have relatives who moved away 'to an area where we are all similar' Wiltshire and are bored with the locals. Other relatives live in a village further north where everyone knows your business and domestic violence is high.

Things I love:
Lots of places/activities to choose from
The River
Great playgrounds, parks and the zoo
Transport options
The familiarity of where I grew up and local family and friends
Cultural Diversity

Things I hate:
Good school options are expensive in the area I want to live
Property prices are ridiculous
Traffic fumes and people smoking outside every building
congestion charge/cost of parking
bored hoodies - often they can't afford to do anything that isn't illegal and there's nothing for them to do round here

[Nigelella]

I grew up in a rural part of Wales but I've lived in London for many years since. And I always thought how great it would be to bring up any children I might have in Wales, not London. But now I'm not so sure. My partner and I had a little girl seven weeks ago, in London, and I'd come round to the idea some time ago that it's a fantastic place to bring up kids, if you can afford it (we can't, so have no choice but to move soon). There are different advantages and disadvanatges in the countryside and the city, that's all. If you look at yesterday's report about the health of under-fives, the bigger issues are much more to do with kids growing up in rich or poor areas, whether that's London or any city, compared to a deprived rural place. It's very sad to see inequalities getting worse and £10billion spent with such little impact on young children. See here [http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2010/feb/03/second-thoughts-children-health-inequality]

[gobuddy]

I hate London schools, either full of low achieving rude kids, churchy hypocritical parents or smug fee paying competitive middle class 4WD types. I hate not being able to let my DB play outside without having to see him over the roads and then keep an eye out. I love being able to do or see almost anything within 30 minutes (aw heck - for instance ice skating, seeing an Egyptian mummy, go trampolining or playing laser tag). I love always being near a hospital. I love the friends in my street and their kids who just pop round. I love the choice of jobs and the salaries they offer.

So on balance London is a great place to grow up. It's rich and varied but can be unrelenting.