How important is the nice flat backyard after your kids are not little anymore.

[Anonymous]

Looking for a house and finding some homes that we love, but don't have much or any backyard that is usable. Some homes have enough of the outdoor space for adult outdoor activities, like bbq, a bench, flowerbed, etc, but are not really suited for kid's running around, or a swing set, etc. I know lots of people are looking for a nice flat yard and they seem to have better resale value, which we are also worried about. But for ourselves, as long as there is a public playground nearby we can deal for a few years when they are little and all they want is run around outdoors. But after the kids go to school, seems like they spend less and less time in their backyards, they start using school amenities, go to activities and want to hang out with friends more. Our kid is only 2 now and does love playing outside more than anything, but I have no experience with older kids, so wanted to find out more seasoned parents opinions on this.

[Anonymous]

We have a very small yard but close to playground. It's perfect. Upkeep is minimal and it's perfect for BBQ and sitting out, adult activities. It was fine when the kids were
little, but they needed more running space as they got bigger. It was okay. They also wanted more variety. I think even one expensive, cool playset would have eventually bored them and they would have outgrown it. Also, as they got older they spent more time with other activities than hanging out in the yard and needed space for frisbee, throwing a baseball, and running with groups of friends that unless we had a HUGE yard, would never work, anyway. They do still use the yard for things like hackey sack and portable badminton.

[Anonymous]

PP here. The badminton isn't even close to reg and off in a corner, but it can work if they are desperate and are willing to chase the birdie a lot.

[Anonymous]

I am the parent of teens who rarely use our backyard anymore. They and their friends are more interested in sitting on the patio than being in the yard.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends a lot on your kids. Our kids (7 and 10) still need it and we are actually about to move to a house with a bigger back yard to give them more space. We're bringing the swingset with us. Both of the kids are very active and fairly serious athletes, so it's hard to imagine they would be sitting around on a patio in a couple of years. Our new house is only going to have a 1/4 acre lot, so I'm hoping I can figure out how to put up a volleyball net and the swingset and still have a little green space for free running and tag. A half or 3/4 acre would be better, but there's only so much you can do if you need to live close in.

Once they go to college then the dogs will take the yard over, I guess.

[Anonymous]

The main thing is making a small space fun and usable for your kids. Install a sand box, some ornamental grass, some running water to play with - it all tops being inside.

[Anonymous]

Around here you have to prioritize what you want/need because you rarely find it all, or it all for the price you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the parent of teens who rarely use our backyard anymore. They and their friends are more interested in sitting on the patio than being in the yard.

+1