Do you think kids who grew up in the tristate are wiser?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not necessarily wiser but perhaps more sophisticated and world-wise. I’m a NYC kid and that’s what people say of me.

Hi! Another one! Can we start a group? Manhattanite. Native NYer. My use of exclamation points is indicative of my last 20 years here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not necessarily wiser but perhaps more sophisticated and world-wise. I’m a NYC kid and that’s what people say of me.

You obviously weren't raised in NYC and can't see the difference.

Tristate <> NYC. Besides I knew plenty of kids from what used to be two fare zones who never went to Manhattan (aka the city) on their own. Ditto for Manhattan kids who’ve never been to Brooklyn.

Two-fare zones! Yes you make my heart sing! I have not met any other real NYers since being down here

[Anonymous]

I grew up in NYC. I think I’m pretty wise because I left and never went back. Happily raising my kids in the South now. Most of my friends never moved back after leaving home for college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The whole tri-state.....no way. The kids who live and grow up in Manhattan absolutely. I’m always impressed by the conversations young manhattan kids have. They just seem wiser in some ways.

It’s the copious amounts of drugs and parental neglect and seeing raving homeless men try to jerk off on the R. Makes you grow up faster.

[Anonymous]

Did you mean boroughs? If so, yes. Tri state is Connecticut and NJ. All very different outcomes.

[Anonymous]

Garrison Keillor said that kids in Manhattan are a couple of years ahead of their non-Manhattan peers i.e. a Manhattan 3rd Grader is like a 5th Grader outside Manhattan.

[Anonymous]

I mean, if by wiser you mean wise in the ways of how to spend their parents’ money on ungodly amounts of drugs, then sure — Manhattan kids tend to be wiser.

- 3rd generation New Yorker

[Anonymous]

A dear college friend grew up in south Putnam county and this is how she described her childhood: "just close enough to know cool and too far to be it."

[Anonymous]

I grew up in New England, went to an ivy with lots of kids from the hill schools and the tri-state area, and now live in the tri-state area after a decade of living in NYC + the Middle East for two years. I also have 2 kids.

No, definitely not is my answer. Kids from the tri-state area (especially "the City") are entitled and think that they have a monopoly on culture. I was amazed in college at how many city kids really thought that every aspect of how they grew up and viewed the world was better. I could not believe how many kids for St. Anne's dissembled over getting B's or thought that because they went to Horace Mann they were smarter and were shocked when a public school kid from NH (me!) got into the Creative Writing class that they thought they should get into.

I'm raising my kids in Greenwich, CT and have no idea how I'll keep their feet on the ground given how insanely wealthy everyone around here is, but I intend to try my best.

[Anonymous]

Jaded, troubled and rude

[Anonymous]

i see this is a zombie thread, but the answer going forward is yes-- because those kids have largely had in person school for the last 12 months, in relatively safe ways--as opposed to the disaster of little in-person learning in MCPS for the last 12 months. they figured out how to safely open most schools, and that is a sign of intelligence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i see this is a zombie thread, but the answer going forward is yes-- because those kids have largely had in person school for the last 12 months, in relatively safe ways--as opposed to the disaster of little in-person learning in MCPS for the last 12 months. they figured out how to safely open most schools, and that is a sign of intelligence.

Except NYC public high school and middle school students were barely in school last year. They were largely remote.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not necessarily wiser but perhaps more sophisticated and world-wise. I’m a NYC kid and that’s what people say of me.

And naïve apparently. don"t believe everything you hear.

[Anonymous]

Wiser, no, but more street smart? Yes. Few NY area parents would fret about a 13 year old walking 12 minutes through Bethesda from school or an activity to home on a "big road" like a bunch of posters here do.

[Anonymous]

Born and raised in Manhattan. Obviously the answer can vary greatly depending on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, socioeconomic backgrounds, race, religion, education, and family. For children who are raised in very wealthy homes and attend expensive and (generally) good schools, the answer would be different than it would be for children raised in the projects. The question also does not define “wise” which can be interpreted quite broadly. Some might interpret it to mean intelligent, some street smart, some cultured, and some sophisticated. I grew up in a part of Manhattan that was primarily comprised of ordinary, middle class families. Most of the parents of the children I went to school with were teachers, police officers, nurses, city government workers peppered with some doctors and lawyers. Most everyone was white, Irish, and Catholic. Most were also narrow-minded, racist, and uninterested in any culture outside of their own. These people could’ve lived the same life anywhere. They never once took advantage of all that NYC has to offer rather stayed in their little enclave surrounded by people who looked and sounded just like them. That said, there were a few families, mine included, who recognized that NYC had a lot to offer. Those families took their children to Lincoln center, museums, and libraries. From my experience, it’s those kids who became “wiser.” But that’s not so much a factor of growing up in NYC but rather a factor of having exposure and a sense of curiosity cultivated from a young age. The thing that I would say that I’ve noticed is different about a lot of kids from NYC, and this may be regardless of socioeconomic class although I couldn’t say for sure, is there’s an awareness and a confidence, which I suspect comes from constant exposure. A lot of kids from NYC are exposed to a lot all the time. They see a lot of different nationalities, hear a lot of different languages, see vast wealth and also poverty, great art and street art… They also, generally, have a lot of freedom from a fairly young age. Looking back, I’m surprised at how young I was when I started walking to school by myself. And I think all that exposure gives one confidence. Perhaps I’m generalizing here, but speaking for myself and some good friends (not those I described earlier), we are all pretty confident, independent, well-spoken people. I think most of us aren’t intimidated by great wealth or crowds but also don’t possess that suburban quality of constant comparison and one-upmanship. None of us would ever think to discuss our neighbor’s new car and which edition it is. Nor would we ever compare weddings or houses. There’s just a general lack of interest in that sort of thing. But, to be fair, we are all also terrible snobs and would discuss someone’s bad dye job or tacky bag!