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How important is it for kids to be able to walk places?
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Anonymous
I don't understand your comment. OP is asking if its important to be in a walkable community. I'm saying, Yes!, it is important to be in a walkable community. Maybe my example of walking to the pool sounds overly suburban? But the basic issue seems to be that the kids can get around to places they want to go independently. And for what is worth, my community is in MD, just a block from the DC line, so not exactly far out in the isolated suburbs. |
Anonymous
| I think it's huge. I grew up in a small town, nothing to do, nowhere to go and the kids got into lots of trouble. Contrast that with the teens I know in DC who take the bus and Metro and walk to bookstores, music stores, the movies, the pool, even the museums! I'm sure they're not perfect but they certainly seem to have more freedom, are less bored and have less angst than my peers and I did. My family is moving out of DC soon but we made a conscious choice to move to a place that's walkable (kids can walk to both elementary and HS) and has access to Metro, a mall, movie theater, and shops. |
Anonymous
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I knew kids who grew up in the Suburbs and the City. They all got into equal amounts of trouble! The city kids just had more places to go and do it without getting caught. Just because you can walk somewhere, does not mean it will keep you out of trouble.
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Anonymous
| For us, this was a non-negotiable issue when house hunting. I have no interest in being a chauffeur for any longer than I have to be. |
Anonymous
| where do teens walk to/hang out these days anyway? Record stores? doubtful, I can think of only 2 that survive in dc since so many people get their music online now. Bookstores are on their way out as well. Museums? I grew up in an urban area and I never hung out in museums except for school trips and when I came home after college. instead kids smoked weed in washington square park, but that was the 80s and things are a lot different now. what does that leave kids today- teen clothing stores, casual restaurants and movies? I am genuinely curious. |
Anonymous
And you can get this in a planned, walkable, suburban neighborhood as well as the city. I live in one of these. I have seen kids smoking on the playgrounds. One of my friends caught two kids (she thinks they were about 14) having sex on the playground equipment. Another time a 14 year old girl ran from a party that got broken up by the cops. She was f'ed up out of her mind and needed medical assistance. My sister and cousin used to hang out in the city. My sister first started smoking pot at 12. Harder drugs at about 13, 14. My cousin was having sex at about 15 or 16 with a 21 year old man who ended up becoming a heroine addict. We come from a good family too. THey would simply say they are going to their friends house. They would walk/metro it there and then go out and run amok. The closest they got to the museums were some bars downtown that they got into with fake ID's. So, which is worse? I think it's pretty equal, just different ways of doing the same thing. If you want a walkable area so you don't have to do all the schleping, that is understandable. But kids will still find ways to get into trouble regardless. |
Anonymous
| Op here again. I wasn't really thinking in terms of kids staying out of trouble. I was interested in whether other parents think this is important for fostering independence in older kids. I'm sure I will worry about the getting in trouble part later, of course! |
Anonymous
| To the OP, yes, fostering independence, exploration with friends, etc are important to me and were very important in our criteria for where we live. We are in DC proper. |
Anonymous
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We live close to downtown Bethesda,
My kid can/does walk to school, library, community pool, Barnes and Noble, the Apple store, the gym, the playground to shoot hoops, CVS, and the movies. There are other places he could walk, but those are the ones that he is interested in. |
Anonymous
| OP once again. Thanks for all your input. I can see downtown Bethesda working well for kids, 17:09. 17:01, what are good DC neighborhoods for this? I don't know DC that well. Cleveland Park, which is awfully expensive, is one that comes to mind. Chevy Chase DC, maybe? Maybe I need to learn more about the different neighborhoods. |
Anonymous
I know right? I grew up NEXT to a metro stop and had access to anywhere in the city I wanted to go. I spent a lot of time in DC. I also spent a lot of time snorting Crystal Meth and running down to half street to score some dope...now THOSE were some stupid times. I'm a mom to two boys who love sports. I'm not sure where they would find the time to walk all over the place. If you all have young kids, then you are not yet aware of how much time competitive sports in this area require. My boys play hockey and they are on the ice 4 nights a week, plus games. It is a relentless schedule. |
Anonymous
I don't think fostering independance=being able to walk places. Fostering independance is an attitude. Are you going to let your kids fail? Are you going to always bail them out of tough situations? Are you going to be constantly pumping up their ego? Are you creating a little prince and princess? Are you raising your girls and boys to get an education and be able to financially stand on their own feet? Are you teaching your girls to be dependant on a man one day? Do you make your kids clean their room, help around the house, and do for themselves? You can foster independance in any physical environment. However considering what happend to that poor Jewish boy in NYC who was cut into pieces, I don't think I'll be turning my kids out on ANY street urban or suburban unless they are very aware of the dangers in the world around them and how to protect themselves. |
Anonymous
| Op, you just need to be on a bus route. |