Calling all mums and dads

[Dreamer]

Me and the missus are planning a family soon.

Now, we have just sold our flat in London and have the classic dilemma, do we move out to the suburbs and join the commuters or try stay in town.
I'm keen to stay in London as its safer to forecast a better rise in property prices over the next 5 years than outside london.
As i see it London is like a maturing money pot that you only get one chance at to cash your chips in and move away from.

The school where we would be near is good.
So, would a child be affected much by London living and no rolling meadows and village fetes up to the age of say 5?

 

[gingertosser]

i can help you make the family but no idea where you should live

 

[markeg]

Personally, raising a child outside of the city environments in a rural environment is preferable - depending on the location, obviously. You may want to look at the Peace Index to see which areas are less violent than others (crime statistics); makes London look a scary place to live in

 

[LeeZ4MR]

We live very rural & in the middle of nowhere & our daughter is 5 in a few months but I think living in London must be great always plenty to see & do & for how often we get good weather & she is in the garden is few & far between!

She goes to a little village school with hardly any children in it which is nice but it doesn't really represent the norm, there are arguments for both sides I suppose.

 

[rhys4]

Why not buy a cheaper place in London and a weekend cottage ---- best of both worlds

 

[Carol M]

Personally, raising a child outside of the city environments in a rural environment is preferable - depending on the location, obviously. You may want to look at the Peace Index to see which areas are less violent than others (crime statistics); makes London look a scary place to live in

X2. I've done both with my kids, London and rural, and I would definitely want to be out of London before my child starts school.

 

[GregZ4]

I'd stick with town. As you say it's a one way ticket.

You've got everything you need there, friends etc - all nicely within reach.
If you are in the catchment for a decent school, stay there. Let them grow up with their friends...

The kids grow up way to quick (mine did) and if in the countryside all the parents become is a taxi service.

On another note, kids growing up in cities tend to be a bit more savvie than their country cousins. I say this as a man who comes from (and raised my kids 'til the age of 8 and 10) in darkest West Wiltshire. I've grown up hating cities.....

Doesn't matter where you are once they hit 10 as the PS3 could be anywhere..........

 

[MrPT]

Interesting topic. I'm not a dad (or a mum, for that matter), but grew up in the commuter belt (Dorking, Surrey) and have lived in London for the past 7 years.

No way would I bring up a child in London! I don't think it presents a balanced view of life, access to recreational facilities and decent schools is limited and often prohibitively expensive, and the air stinks. From the age of 2 till about 12 my sister and I used to play all the time in and around our road - a cul de sac - with loads of other kids and I think that's a superb way to spend a childhood.

Having said that, I'm not really a "Londoner", so am always pining for fields, village fetes etc.

On another note, kids growing up in cities tend to be a bit more savvie than their country cousins.

Agree with this, but uni is a great leveller.

 

[pvr]

I preferred for mine to be savvie later on, as yes - in the city they would be exposed to a lot more earlier on.

 

[Dreamer]

Thanks for input so far guys

I'm out in zone 3 so not exactly the built up jungle you could term 'london' as a whole is. Its as nice an area as you can near highgate and hampstead.

Ultimately i do want to move out to a nice commuter town in hertfordshire but the temptation to keep in the London property market until the kid gets to 4 or 5 is very tempting. :?

I read that London prices are forecast to rise about 25% over the next 5 years whereas the average for the rest of the country is only about 10%. Just seems a bad idea to cash those chips in so soon.

 

[RubyBlueZ4MC]

I'm not a parent but just wanted to add I was born and raised in London and it did me no harm. I think that growing up in the city makes one more streetwise which in this day and age is important.

 

[Toe-side]

Life is always a balance.
My kids were brought up in a rural location but have street 'savvy' due to the way we allowed them their own responsibility and accountability e.g dropping them off 1/4 mile from school and allowing them to make their own way there when they were quite young (terrifying at first!) Duke of Edinburgh, water sports, etc etc.
If its easier to live in London for you as a family' do it, but make sure your children have opportunities to do 'other things.' Camp, walk, canoe, sail orienter you name it.
People seem to think that a 'hobby' is shopping, watching movies and fashion of celeb's these days. :?
The great thing with living near a city is the support of other parents and social interaction of other children just ensure its stimulating and fun
BTW
Be 'canny' with your money but don't be a slave to it. ...............Life is about experiences.

 

[boristhebold]

If you are thinking this way before children, wherever you live after children won't make too much difference as you are forward thinking , decent and will be a "proper" parent.
Look at them the same way as making cash on property, you only get one go at getting your kids upbringing right as well but unlike buying a house in 20 yrs time and having another pop at making a profit, you can't turn back the clock with an errant teenager.
You'll be fine as you will make the right decision for you...happy mum and dad generally = happy kids.

 

[v8matt]

Me and my gf are in a similar dilemma. We need to work in London, but we both grew up in rural areas so thats where we feel most at home. We've found a few close commuter areas where you're just moments from green countryside and about 30 mins from the city. Is that too much of a commute for you?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[lewist]

I live in a very special place. We did not bring our children up here but spent a lot of time here. Now my Rock & Roll sons are in Glasgow, where the music scene is, and my daughter lives in a Central Belt town handy for her work and with good facilities for her children and good communications for her wind farmer husband.

The thought of living in London gives me the willies. On the other hand, many people love it. The children here are very savvy but not city street wise. Where else could you ski, board, sail, rock climb, play shinty, become part of the national Biathlon squad, learn traditional music in school from the stars of the genre?

Wherever you are, spend time with the children, do things as a family, share your interests, love them whatever.

 

[RJS-Z4]

Why not move to somewhere inbetween? I'm quite close to London but it's very suberb'y.

If you've got the cash somewhere like Bickley, Beckenham, Chiselhurst, would fulfil your needs nicely. Lots of parks, good school, generally nice places but not quite so 24/7 and "interesting" as London can be sometimes.