Comments on: Our Own Private Wisconsin

By: Graham "Doodaddy" Charles

Graham "Doodaddy" Charles — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:59:47 +0000

Exactly my thoughts — we ourselves have loved the urban lifestyle, find it valuable in various ways, and so we’ll work hard to make sure that our kids get exposed to it as much (and as safely!) as possible.

Still, it’s not quite the same as living right in it as I did when I was a kid, but then again, we didn’t get out much…

By: STL Mom

STL Mom — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:36:51 +0000

Oh, I understand this feeling. We recently moved to another state, and considered living in the city. However, instead we chose to live in an upper-middle-class suburb that is 88% white and 72% of the adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher. It is also the friendliest place I have ever lived. There is a weekly neighborhood cocktail party, and the kids on the street will walk up and ask your kid to play (this first happened on the day we moved in). The adults stop to chat on the sidewalk when they run into each other. From what we hear, the schools are fantastic. Our realtor lives in the next town over, and she confessed that she never locks her door. It’s almost like that movie “Pleasantville”, except that there are many roads leading out of town.
It’s a very safe and friendly place, but it does lack diversity and excitement. Like Gary, I’ll have to provide those things when we leave our new home town.

By: Doodaddy » My Own Private Wisconsin

Doodaddy » My Own Private Wisconsin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:29:01 +0000

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By: Gary Walter

Gary Walter — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:28:24 +0000

Several years ago, longer than I care to admit, a friend and I rode our motorcycles south to SF. It was an unplanned trip that led to some great adventures and serendipitous ad-hoc friendships. I fell in love with SF and was ready to move. The career prospects were good and the “bohemian” lifestyle fit right in with my PDX values.

I almost did the same thing on a similar trip to Hawaii, but that’s another story.

I didn’t make either move, but I’ve had other adventures in the past 20 years – one of which involved getting married and having kids.

Two years ago I had to attend a conference in San Mateo. We generally set aside extra time to travel when someone else is paying the airfare; so we planned to spend a few days in downtown SF. We were anxious for this mini-vacation, my wife had never been to SanFran, and I was excited to show her the city I fell in love with a couple of decades ago.

However, as a former paramedic, who has intimate knowledge of the inner-city, I quickly determined that I couldn’t relax. The safety of my wife and one and a half year old daughter were too overwhelming for me.

I wasn’t paranoid, mind you, I was just concerned. And when my daughter toddled into an open elevator and almost disappeared, I realized that I didn’t enjoy the city that much.

We recently moved to a semi-rural community about an hour from Portland. We have our own 1/2 acre and a large undeveloped forest adjacent to our property. We make routine trips into the city to explore culture, diversity, and connections – but we enjoy the freedom of allowing our now three y.o. daughter to go outside and play, without direct supervision.

Before this we lived in some sterile Colorado suburbs, that was boring, dry, and culturally stagnant. We feel blessed to have found this Pacific Northwest paradise.

While in Portland last Tuesday, my wife and I commented on the eclectic, bohemian subculture of the neighborhood (like we do in most neighborhoods we visit), but we always come back to the safety and freedom that we have here in the country.

Not everyone has the options or the choices we’ve been able to create, so I don’t judge others for where they live. But for us, listening to the wind blow through the trees, watching deer, raccoons, squirrels, and all manner of birds in our backyard, and being able to let our dog run free – this is how we find serenity in an increasingly busy society.

Our kids will learn openness and diversity through our example in our multi-cultural choice of friends. They will learn service and understanding through our intentional acts of community service. But they will do this from the safety of a sanctuary we call home.

By: slouching mom

slouching mom — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:09:28 +0000

what a thoughtful post.

as a former new yorker living in a small town, i wrestle with these kinds of issues vis a vis my kids.

i don’t want them to grow up insulated and conservatively naive because of it.