no silver bullet

Kids in the City

Yglesias says: (3)

Having been raised in Manhattan, I firmly believe that it’s not only a good place to raise children, it’s a fantastic place to raise children. If you can afford it, that is. Which is, needless to say, a very big if.

I don’t have any wee ones, but one thing I will never understand is why suburban America is almost universally considered to be the ideal place to raise children. Yes, the money issue in cities is real, so I understand why people choose the suburbs over the city, but the money isn’t the reason which is usually given. The entire suburban aesthetic is thought to be good for kids. Don’t get it.

This and the followup remind how glad I am we stayed in the city. The idea that city life == high risk of victimhood is bogus. Crime happens in the same places in every city, in and around taverns, in low-income or housing projects, and in the homes of the victims and perpetrators. That’s not to claim that there’s no risk in a city, but the the good things that kids (and adults) can be exposed to and be part of far outweigh the perceived risks. And that can’t be said for the exurbs.

But then, I still labor under the delusion that I have a lot of parental control and influence over what goes on in my house. I’m not letting MTV or Nintendo raise my kids . . . .

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *