"you don't need a garden, you've got daughters"

[JumpJockey]

So says MIL on our search for a new house. Firstly, it's fine for her to say this, her garden is 8x the size of ours...

Secondly, apparently because we have 2 dds, we don't need outdoor space because "it's not as if you'll need to have space to play cricket or kick a ball around".

Any counter-arguments I can give her, apart from just sighing and saying Oh for heaven's sake woman? or is it not worth bothering to explain...?

Linden - that's what I'd ideally like, I grew up in a village and school hols were spent building dens and wandering round the meadows and cycling to the woods (up an A road! aged 10! ) but since that's unlikely to happen given my and dh's jobs, big garden with trees/hiding places seems the only option.

Menstrual hut :) will definitely use that if she comments again...

Very much in a town - but on the edges and lots of countryside for all the children to play in - most of them build dens or explore and one Dad regularly marks out a footy or rounders pitch too on the open space between houses. My childhood was all about wandering round in a feral gang! Lucky where I live I suppose - as to the op - girls need the outside space just as much as boys, read something recently about outside space and emotional health - see if I can find it.