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

[JeremyVile]

Based on this thread, londoners are looking like they are overly represented in the judgemental, narrow-mided, ignorant of how others live, cant-see-past-the-end-of-their-noses depts

Whoddathunkit??

[JeremyVile]

Whats your point though Junglist? You're the one using absolutes... the majority of londoners are white too.

[Habbibu]

Junglist, my point is that outside London it isn't just wellies, here be dragons and mud. There are other cities. With very mixed populations. And nary a wellie in sight.

[junglist1]

What do you mean what's my point? My children are exposed to lots of races and religions that children in the countryside aren't. Fact.

[Habbibu]

We need a version of Godwin's law for the use of the word Fact to end a post.

[junglist1]

Cities, yes. Big cities. Country people are more likely to wear wellies and be white. There's no arguing with that

[junglist1]

I don't know what Godwins law is so that's gone right over my head

[Habbibu]

So outside London can be ok, really and truly? My kids are Scottish. Most people here are blue white. Are they destined to be racists?

[junglist1]

Just because you don't mix with all cultures doesn't mean racism. Your kids won't be racist if they're taught people can be different and it's positive.

[Habbibu]

Good to hear that. Had me worried for a while.

[BradSplit]

no time to read thread
all i can say is that my kids will get to the age of 16 - nay 11 not knowing anyone who has been mugged

that i can say, is a good hting

[onebatmother]

It very much depends on Where in London, doesn't it?

West, North, Lots of South all larvely. Green spaces, good schools (crucially, diverse population and access to all the cultural brilliance that the bustling metropolis has to offer.

East - at least where I am - not so much.

[onebatmother]

But dp came from rural village and whispers 'wicker man' under his breath whenever I whinge. Actually, what he talks about is boredom, and various forms of social bullying, and provinciality gorn mad. And boredom.

My argument is that parents in the 60s weren't as in thrall to engaged with their children and our own dc's wouldn't be bored because they'd be ferried, to a degree, to where the action was.

He snorts.

[lolapoppins]

Not read the entire thread, but I bet your kid is having a far better time than my ds stuck out in the middle of nowhere.

There is only so many times you can skip through fields before you get so bored you lose the will to live.

Can you tell I regret moving to the country?

[Habbibu]

ONEBAT! You sound like you're in the London vs Here Be Dragons camp. I'm all sleep-deprived wrath, be warned.

[Swedey]

I have only read OP, so apologies if repeating.

It's impossible to talk of living in London as though it was one homogeneous mass. You don't live in London, you live in Greenwich or Muswell Hill or wherever. Some nice, some not so nice. Some interesting, some truly dull.

Also, it is very often quicker and easier to get into central London from the commuterbelt than it is from pockets of London. One of my colleagues lives in Stoke Newington and her door to door journey is longer than mine.

I was raised in London until the age of 11 and Suffolk was heaven to me as a child when we moved. I have very vivid memories of real childhood freedom and adventure. It was shit boring a few years later though.

I think pleasant valley Sunday commuter towns have much to recommend them as they really are nice places to live for the long-term.

[Swedey]

Sheeet. Such a slow typist.

[onebatmother]

But you hit the nail on the head Swedes. It's difficuilt to plump for the swallows and amazons tweens (bleurgh) if you worry that a temazepam, cider and Twocking teenagehood will follow swiftly behind

[pointydug]

I don't know London at all really.

I visited a friend once when I was 20 as she went to a London uni. It struck me that the area she lived in was like any dull grey town, with little to do. It certainly seemed to me that London was a cluster of hugely differing towns.

[Swedey]

And it is often true that you aren't just comparing green versus urban. There are other things at play. More house for your budget, a garden, a big garden even, being able to park outside your own house, off street parking perhaps, a garage even. A hall big enough to not have to collapse the pushchair.

All these things get on your nerves and can really impact on your quality of life. They are things that annoy/upset/irritate you several times a day. Every day.
Even if you live in Kensington, you probably go to museums no more than once a month, I'm guessing.

If I could live in a four storey house in Manchester Square, with a south facing walled garden and underground parking, I would defo choose London.

[onebatmother]

Habbs - ach.

I am London born and bred. But if truth be told the people whom I now find most interesting are those who weren't brought up in London but live here now.

Can't realistically afford to live in a really nice bit of London - and am really fed up of the dog shit.

We need new emoticon:
(can godalming be a verb?)

[midnightexpress]

[Habbibu]

Come to Scotland, onebat. It's really, really nice. And we have moving pictures and the electric and everything. And bring pol. She has, apparently never ever been.