Raising children - town or country?

[teepee]

Just back from a weekend in the Cotswolds to visit friends who live in a cohousing community near Cheltenham. We brought up our children in East Dulwich, but we wonder if we've missed a trick. Our friends' home is a 4 bedroomed apartment in a Jacobean manor hall in 14 acres of unspoilt countryside. They grow organic everything, keep animals and children roam freely and safely. The price is the same as a 3 bed flat in East Dulwich. Take a look: http://postliphall.org.uk/index.html . How different would life have been?

[Narnia]

I suspect you'd like to live in a tent!

[woofmarkthedog]

How are Tarquin & Jocasta ?

W**F

[candj]

It's nice to have so many children together as it makes the roof repairs go much more quickly. ;-)

[Mick Mac]

Its a tricky one - Friends of ours have moved to Gloucester and have a house and a huge garden/field. We went to visit and loved the walk to the family pub, the scenery the Wye Valley ales, the kids run free in the gerden.

But we were still glad to return to ED. But we don't really know why.

[Crystalpal]

If you want to relocate, it has to be before the children start school, its just too much of a wrench for them after that...

[Marmora Man]

Children live at home with their parents - who do their best for them - whether it's town, country or Mars. Parental care and love is far more important than geography.

[HAL9000]

The idea of a group of friends or like-minded individuals pooling their resources to purchase a huge country house or such like is not without appeal. I've stayed in a few such communities as a temporary guest.

Large properties and much better value-for-money than single-family homes on a cost per square foot basis.

I've toyed with the notion in the past but came to the conclusion that I was too much of a loner to fit into such a community myself.

[womanofdulwich]

I disagree. I went to 7 schools. Only became a wrench at 13 yrs old .Then I had a major strop- but did end up getting my own bedroom.

[katie1997]

gosh - with the right person, it doesn't really matter where you raise your children.

town and country are both fab in their own ways but its the relationship between the parents that matters and the love and security they provide to their children.

[brum]

I suspect that a child would be very happy growing up in the country until puberty hits. Then it would just become excruciatingly dull. Though I'm happy to be contradicted!

[woofmarkthedog]

brum Wrote:

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> I suspect that a child would be very happy growing

> up in the country until puberty hits. Then it

> would just become excruciatingly dull. Though I'm

> happy to be contradicted!

-----------------------------------------------

Ohhh...

No Brum, that's when the fun really started

W:)):))F

[skidmarks]

Have to agree with you on that one Brum. I grew up in a small village and there were around 5 other people of my age group. You couldn?t get out of the village as rural bus services were cut in the mid 80?s - we were trapped! My teenage years of consisted of shooting all the street lights in the village with my .177 air rifle, making petrol bombs and digging under a second world war nissin hut to make a hide out for me and my mates. I hit 17 and passed my driving test in 2 weeks so I could escape?to the nearest town?which was pretty small and like most rural towns full of drugs, to relieve the boredom I guess (the town was mentioned on channel4 news last week in an article on antisocial behaviour ruining peoples lives).

Now when I talk to people of my age group that grew up in the cities you realise they grew up a lot quicker than we did, they were doing things that we could never do, some of them have a lot more ?issues? I?ve noted as they got involved with things probably at a far too early age.

[katie1997]

I had my own island, old rowing boat and ruined castle to play in ( complete with 'Danger' and 'keep out.... or else' signs)

what more could a teenage girl ask for? ;)

( Yes, I know...make-up, fashion and boys)

street lighting is a nice novelty I must say :)

[Brendan]

skidmarks Wrote:

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> My teenage years of

> consisted of shooting all the street lights in the

> village with my .177 air rifle, making petrol

> bombs and digging under a second world war nissin

> hut to make a hide out for me and my mates. I hit

> 17 and passed my driving test in 2 weeks so I

> could escape?

I grew up in the suburds not particularly far from a major city and did pretty much the same things. I suppose I just had more people my age to do them with.

[Narnia]

Bet you're from Scotland Katie5678?

[Brendan]

Everyone in Scotland has a castle.

Fact.

[jalapeno]

katie1997 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I had my own island, old rowing boat and ruined

> castle to play in ( complete with 'Danger' and

> 'keep out.... or else' signs)

>

> what more could a teenage girl ask for? ;)

>

> ( Yes, I know...make-up, fashion and boys)

>

> street lighting is a nice novelty I must say :)

Makeup, fashion & what was it? I conclude my verdict that Katy is living her teenage dream at last.:))

[skidmarks]

katie1997 Wrote:

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> street lighting is a nice novelty I must say :)

Yeah my speciality was to shatter the outer heat shield of the bulb so the orange street lights would not get hot enough and would glow a bright pink. I had the whole village looking like a big brothel once. I was a good shot, I guess that was down to being given an air rifle for my third birthday, it was taller than me. Looking back I would have preferred to got drunk on a park bench with a load of teenage girls of my age than knackering the Parish councils street lighting budget.

*sigh*

[jalapeno]

I presume shooting is an extravangant pastime compared to extrementing in your local parks. My nose recoils in disgust at such odours unbearable.