‘Urban lifestyles for children’- a look into the growing trend among young parents

‘Urban lifestyles for children’- a look into the growing trend among young parents

Young parents are pushing cities to become more family friendly so that they do not have to move to the suburbs

The downtown areas of cities rarely have schools, playgrounds, or parks. These areas have been specifically designed for young professionals, businessmen and women, and students. Block after block hosts trendy bars, cafes, restaurants, and shops. Few children are ever to be seen in these areas and most people prefer it that way.

Why would any parent ever want their kids to grow up in this neighborhood?

Yet, increasingly, young couples are opting to stay in their downtown apartments, even after they have children.

A recent report by the Associated Press shows that in major cities such as Denver, Seattle, and Minneapolis, young families are pushing cities to develop schools and playgrounds in downtown areas.

The parents who spoke to the AP reporters had a variety of reasons why they stayed in the city.

“It gives them a different way of living,” said Lindsey Carillo, 31, and mother of two children, who are eight and one. “I want my kids to have a cultured experience growing up.” She admits, however, that her son wishes he had a backyard to play in and could walk to school.

Melissa and Aaron Whitney of Minneapolis initially moved out of the city when their son was born. Yet, “they quickly realized they didn’t want to spend their time on home repairs or yard work and already spend so much leisure time downtown” that they decided to move back into the city with their son, who is now two.

Paul and Heidi Hughes say quite simply that they “didn’t want to give up on urban living when they had a son.” They hope the city will create more family friendly policies so their second grade son can have some playmates in the building.

There has been much research into child development and it has become a more or less established fact that children need space to play in order to develop their imaginations and independence. In an apartment, what can a child do aside from watch TV and play video games? Especially if Mom and Dad are too busy with work to walk the kid three blocks to the playground.

“The benefit of living in the city so far outweighed what we could get by moving out to the suburbs,” said Jenny Kelly, 32. Both she and her husband walk to work from their apartment in downtown Seattle. Their apartment’s laundry room doubles as their toddler’s bedroom.

There are many benefits to city living for young professionals. Yet being a parent means thinking about the benefits for the child. And as of right now, downtown areas offer very few of these.

 

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