My kid’s childhood is going to be so different than mine...

[Anonymous]

I know there are great, cool things about growing up here but it makes me sad that my kid’d childhood is going to be so different than mine. All the kids in my neighborhood lived there the whole if school years, we all rode bikes everywhere, we all had swingsets and slip n slides in our backyards. The ice cream man came down our street everyday.
We live in a condo in Arlungtin- no backyard, learning to ride a bike on the W& OD, really transient area. She is three and her best friend’s famiky just told us they are relocating to Europe. Seems like any friend she makes will have a 1-3 yr lifespan. Just bums me out. Yea there are great museums and playgrounds etc but makes me sad she won’t get what I had.

[Anonymous]

This doesn't happen in the 22207 suburbs either. All of the kids are in camp all summer.

Even here the friends come and go. It's a transient area.

[Anonymous]

The transient nature of this area was very hard on me when the kids were little. We would make friends (mom and kids) and they all left. It was quite the contrast to my Midwestern upbringing. I will say that the transiency lessens once your kids are in ES. GL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know there are great, cool things about growing up here but it makes me sad that my kid’d childhood is going to be so different than mine. All the kids in my neighborhood lived there the whole if school years, we all rode bikes everywhere, we all had swingsets and slip n slides in our backyards. The ice cream man came down our street everyday.
We live in a condo in Arlungtin- no backyard, learning to ride a bike on the W& OD, really transient area. She is three and her best friend’s famiky just told us they are relocating to Europe. Seems like any friend she makes will have a 1-3 yr lifespan. Just bums me out. Yea there are great museums and playgrounds etc but makes me sad she won’t get what I had.

I think turnover will be high in a condo community pretty much anywhere. I agree it's a transient area, but our neighborhood of SFHs has surprisingly low turnover. In the 5+ years we've lived here, we only know a few families that have moved away (all but one to NY or LA for work, interestingly). So far my 7yo has only lost one (not close) friend in the neighborhood--most people plan to be here for the duration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This doesn't happen in the 22207 suburbs either. All of the kids are in camp all summer.

Even here the friends come and go. It's a transient area.

I grew up on Long Island, where almost everyone went to camp all summer. 8 weeks. Some did day camp and some did sleepover camp. I was in 9th grade before being friends with someone who didn't go to camp.

Oh, and OP, I grew up with a swingset in the back yard but we never used it. And although the ice cream man went by, my mother never let me have any, so I only got ice cream from it once, when at a friend's house around the block. Most everyone lived there their whole childhood. I moved away after high school and have never talked to anyone from there since, except my sister and cousins. I was only allowed to ride my bike for 15 minutes at a time, once a day. I begged my parents to move into Manhattan.

[Anonymous]

It's been hard on me too - I grew up in a small town, same friends since I was 5 years old, we're still sort of friends now (mostly facebook), but I have a lot of affection for them and my town.

At the same time, I recognize that I could not WAIT to get out of that town and meet new people and have new experiences and just be allowed to GROW.

So, yeah, I am sad sometimes that my kids might not have life long friends, but some of their friends may last. I'm more sad at how disconnected from nature they are - lack of stars, seeing gorgeous sunsets every day (our view west is partially blocked), wandering in quiet. my parent's had a wood burning stove, so it's even dumb stuff like cutting logs - they'll never feel what it's like to split wood (which is hard but a great work out and fun). Or be sent out ot weed the huge garden - just physical labor vs exercising on machines.

[Anonymous]

Please don't do this to you or your kid. Yes, their childhood will be different than yours. THAT IS FINE! I have teens and my husband laments that they don't "hang out" at the bowling alley during the summer or "cruise" in cars every weekend evening. He literally said this and my teen nearly burst a gut laughing at him. They have their own lives and they will enjoy them.

[Anonymous]

The transiency in this area does make me sad. Both of my kids have list friends to moves, for military or jobs. I've lost friends to moves too. 1-3 years seems to be the extent of friendships here.

[Anonymous]

I was the child who was uprooted every few years to go to another country.

My kids are the ones who see their friends leave.

Let me tell you something, OP: the second scenario is easier!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was the child who was uprooted every few years to go to another country.

My kids are the ones who see their friends leave.

Let me tell you something, OP: the second scenario is easier!

I'm the poster who begged her parents to move from LI to Manhattan. I would have LOVED to move around to different countries. I was such an adventurous kid who was great at making friends wherever I went.

[Anonymous]

This is why we moved back home.

Sorry, op. It stinks.

[Anonymous]

A condo community is likely to be more transient but for our Arlington neighborhood (22201) there was definitely less moving once kids started ES. In the preschool years, we had more friends who decided to move away from DC or to outer suburbs to buy a house or upgrade to a larger house. But those who stayed into ES seemed committed to staying put. Some switched houses, but stayed close. My 14 yr old DD has had the same BFFs since 2nd grade. 16 yr old DS is still good friends with kids he met in kindergarten. Most of our neighbors with kids have been on our street since they were little.

My DH also sometimes -- usually when I was planning out summer camps -- wished they could have the free summers he did. But 1) their friends are all in camp so they'd have nobody to hang out with and 2) at other times he tells stories about all the trouble he got into during those unsupervised summers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was the child who was uprooted every few years to go to another country.

My kids are the ones who see their friends leave.

Let me tell you something, OP: the second scenario is easier!

I'm the poster who begged her parents to move from LI to Manhattan. I would have LOVED to move around to different countries. I was such an adventurous kid who was great at making friends wherever I went.

PP you replied to. For the child it can certainly be fun, albeit challenging, because you have to learn new languages and adapt to different cultures. For the parents, it's very hard. My mother fell into a depression and my father was married to his job. It's harder to make friends the older you are, and when you're moving around every few years, learning the language and trying to fit in, it can get impossible to make real friendships. My parents' social difficulties impacted my childhood significantly.

My point, PP, is that travel comes at a price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please don't do this to you or your kid. Yes, their childhood will be different than yours. THAT IS FINE! I have teens and my husband laments that they don't "hang out" at the bowling alley during the summer or "cruise" in cars every weekend evening. He literally said this and my teen nearly burst a gut laughing at him. They have their own lives and they will enjoy them.

Great perspective! I lol'd about the cruising part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The transient nature of this area was very hard on me when the kids were little. We would make friends (mom and kids) and they all left. It was quite the contrast to my Midwestern upbringing. I will say that the transiency lessens once your kids are in ES. GL!

I was going to say the same -- once your kid is in Elementary School, there will be fewer families moving away. So far, we've lost one family per year in his class but gained many more.