Anonymous wrote:I know a city kid that got mugged at knifepoint.
He ended up in hospital. All is good now.

And I know a suburban kid who was accidentally shot by a friend. He didn’t make it to the hospital.

I know a city kid that got mugged at knifepoint.
He ended up in hospital. All is good now.

Are you comparing NW DC to DC suburbs like Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Arlington and McLean?

I was thinking NYC to McLean.

I don’t live in DC but, where I live, the city kids are from wealthier families and are more likely to be only kids to older parents. A huge amount of time and effort is dedicated to helping them succeed in life and their parents are hyper focused on getting them into the best schools, programs, activities etc. Generally, their parents drive them to and from activities where they socialize with peers. They don’t have a lot of free time that isn’t scheduled.

Suburbs kids are more likely to have more siblings and have parents who are less involved in their academic and social lives. They have more free time and are more likely to engage with “neighborhood friends”. These kids frequently go to public schools and interact with a more economically diverse group of peers. They are more into sports and less into politics than their city counterparts.

I think the city kids are more dependent on their phones. They are also more independent and have more attitude. They seem to grow up faster or think they are grown up already.

Kids in suburbs seem more sports focused.

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Anonymous wrote:I notice that my "urban" kids (Cap Hill) and my nieces from Brooklyn are a whole lot better talking with adults than their suburban cousins (midwestern and southern). Also not as "judgy" of people who are different than them - and less absorbed by their phones.

Not sure if this is due to parenting or geography.

I was going to say the same thing. My kids (DC) are really comfortable around adults, any adults really. They also expect that they will be treated like people, and not dismissed for being kids (they get annoyed by this every time we visit family). My sister's kids in AZ avoid adults, and they are all super judgy of how others raise their kids.

My vote is it’s the parenting and the kids’ personalities. I have lots of cousins with kids and I haven’t noticed that the ones living in the city are any more mature or “cultured” than the ones in the suburbs. The ones living in the city are wealthier, though.

Anonymous wrote:I notice that my "urban" kids (Cap Hill) and my nieces from Brooklyn are a whole lot better talking with adults than their suburban cousins (midwestern and southern). Also not as "judgy" of people who are different than them - and less absorbed by their phones.

Not sure if this is due to parenting or geography.

I was going to say the same thing. My kids (DC) are really comfortable around adults, any adults really. They also expect that they will be treated like people, and not dismissed for being kids (they get annoyed by this every time we visit family). My sister's kids in AZ avoid adults, and they are all super judgy of how others raise their kids.

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Anonymous wrote:Most of the "city" kids I know go to expensive private schools, while most of the "suburban" kids I know go to public schools. The city kids are learning that it's good to *appear* to embrace diversity by living "in the city" but that you don't want to *actually* integrate your life/education with people who are different from you.

The BEST comment in this thread! Bravo!!!!!!!

No, sounds like poster above don’t know many city kids then. Our DS goes to a charter elementary and we have a net worth of over 3 million. Lots of UMC families go to charters or DCPS. Schools are diverse unless you are in upper NW. Also, many families like ours who could afford to move to upper NW but choose to stay closer to downtown. We are in NE and so is our school. One of my DS closest friend is AA. Another good friend is middle eastern and another Latino.

You'll have them in private schools by 7th grade.

lol at the bolded. These proud “city parents” are so unintentionally hilarious. Gotta catch em’ all!

Hahahahaha

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Anonymous wrote:I grew up in the city, got married, moved to the suburbs and now we are back in the city. I probably just haven’t noticed, but what has living in the city taught your kids compared to the suburbs?

Rich white “progressives” are so extra.

I’m actually not rich or White and I’m a native Washingtonian from Ward 8. Honestly, my kids enjoyed living in Northern Virginia for the years we lived outside of the city just as much as they do within the city. For me it was hard because of the reactions other parents would give me when they found out what part of D.C. I am from. It’s just so strange to me the way there is this sort of local discrimination but it doesn’t apply to people from other cities etc… or even other parts of this city such as NE, SW. My experiences don’t mirror those of others from D.C. but just my perspective. We truly enjoyed the availability of new and diverse experiences especially cuisines but I struggled with local relationships. It was as if people had this alien view of what exists in SE or how I could exist coming from “there” as a human who did the same things in the same ways that they do. Do not be shocked to see me put one arm in at a time when I put on my jacket. I am a living, breathing, boring human just as you are.

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in the city, got married, moved to the suburbs and now we are back in the city. I probably just haven’t noticed, but what has living in the city taught your kids compared to the suburbs?

Rich white “progressives” are so extra.

Yeah, I'm going to agree that for ethnic store needs, the suburbs really are your best bet. Most of the immigrant populations live outside the city. VA and MD have all kinds of ethnic pockets with tons of weird (in a good way) shops and restaurants. There is some good stuff in DC but the cost of real estate is a major hindrance to the type of authentic/organic/mom and pop type places you will find in NoVA and Maryland.

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Anonymous wrote:Public transportation and general street savvy. Also, being comfortable around ethnic food - both restaurants and groceries.

Huh. Why's that? We moved out to the suburbs in large part due to the better ethnic grocery stores and restaurants.

It's not that there is no good ethnic foods in the suburbs. But getting ethnic food in the suburbs is an outing, as in "today we are going to that <insert ethnicity> place where we go every couple of weeks". And there are menus, and Yelp reviews, and they are making certain adjustments for the proverbial "white people", have waiters who speak excellent English, etc. It's a bit different with the places that are first and foremost serving local immigrant communities and also happen to be your neighbors, and you interact with them as neighbors.

snort. have you ever considered that the person to whom you are responding might be *gasp* a member of an immigrant community/ethnic minority and that's why she/he said what they said?

I love being whitesplained by clueless white urbanites. Dunning-Kruger personified.

PP. Have you ever considered that I may be a member of an immigrant community too? And this is how I know the difference between the place I and my family go to and food places of my ethnicity that get endlessly blogged? Keep snorting.

NP. Also an immigrant (Indian). We've found that it's the city places that are endlessly blogged and "trendy" and have English speaking waiters etc. The suburbs are where the authentic places that actually cater to people of that ethnicity are. The reason for this is that there are far, far more immigrants in the suburbs. "The city" doesn't have many immigrant communities compared to suburban areas.

Are you seriously implying that the PP would stoop so low as to LEAVE DC?

No thank you, I left my midwestern suburb to come to the big city, and I'll be damned if I'll let my friends see me somewhere so unhip as Silver Spring or Rockville. I accidentally got off the train in Cleveland Park once and my roommates wouldn't let me back into our rowhouse in Trinidad until I had scrubbed the stench of white privilege off myself.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go get a $5 happy hour PBR at my local dive bar that opened last week before the DJ starts his set.

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Anonymous wrote:Public transportation and general street savvy. Also, being comfortable around ethnic food - both restaurants and groceries.

Huh. Why's that? We moved out to the suburbs in large part due to the better ethnic grocery stores and restaurants.

It's not that there is no good ethnic foods in the suburbs. But getting ethnic food in the suburbs is an outing, as in "today we are going to that <insert ethnicity> place where we go every couple of weeks". And there are menus, and Yelp reviews, and they are making certain adjustments for the proverbial "white people", have waiters who speak excellent English, etc. It's a bit different with the places that are first and foremost serving local immigrant communities and also happen to be your neighbors, and you interact with them as neighbors.

snort. have you ever considered that the person to whom you are responding might be *gasp* a member of an immigrant community/ethnic minority and that's why she/he said what they said?

I love being whitesplained by clueless white urbanites. Dunning-Kruger personified.

PP. Have you ever considered that I may be a member of an immigrant community too? And this is how I know the difference between the place I and my family go to and food places of my ethnicity that get endlessly blogged? Keep snorting.

NP. Also an immigrant (Indian). We've found that it's the city places that are endlessly blogged and "trendy" and have English speaking waiters etc. The suburbs are where the authentic places that actually cater to people of that ethnicity are. The reason for this is that there are far, far more immigrants in the suburbs. "The city" doesn't have many immigrant communities compared to suburban areas.

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Anonymous wrote:Most of the "city" kids I know go to expensive private schools, while most of the "suburban" kids I know go to public schools. The city kids are learning that it's good to *appear* to embrace diversity by living "in the city" but that you don't want to *actually* integrate your life/education with people who are different from you.

The BEST comment in this thread! Bravo!!!!!!!

No, sounds like poster above don’t know many city kids then. Our DS goes to a charter elementary and we have a net worth of over 3 million. Lots of UMC families go to charters or DCPS. Schools are diverse unless you are in upper NW. Also, many families like ours who could afford to move to upper NW but choose to stay closer to downtown. We are in NE and so is our school. One of my DS closest friend is AA. Another good friend is middle eastern and another Latino.

You'll have them in private schools by 7th grade.

lol at the bolded. These proud “city parents” are so unintentionally hilarious. Gotta catch em’ all!

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Anonymous wrote:Most of the "city" kids I know go to expensive private schools, while most of the "suburban" kids I know go to public schools. The city kids are learning that it's good to *appear* to embrace diversity by living "in the city" but that you don't want to *actually* integrate your life/education with people who are different from you.

The BEST comment in this thread! Bravo!!!!!!!

So true. My cousin lives in a wealthy and white area of a diverse city and her parents are constantly talking up how great it is that she is exposed to so much diversity and is a “city kid”. She is easily one of the most sheltered kids I know.