Why I Love Raising My Kid in the City

Since I am no longer posting weekly about Miss Alynne, I decided that I want to take that time to blog about various other (mostly mommy) topics.  Between tot school posts, a monthly Aly post, and these, you should hear from me quite often haha!

So today I wanted to take some time to write about why I love raising Alynne in New York City.  I often have many people ask me why on earth I would want to raise her here, and I also know so many people who live here, but want to move away once they start a family or once there family grows larger.  This city is full of transient people, and I am always eager and excited to meet people who are here for the long haul.  Ron and I absolutely love being in the city and plan on staying here for as long as God will allow us!  

So here are my top 10 reasons I love raising kids here:

1. The culture.  We live in one of the most diverse cities in the world!  We see and meet so many people of various backgrounds and cultures everyday, and I love that Alynne gets to be exposed to it all.  When we take trips to the library, we are surrounded by faces of all color, language, and culture.  

2. Convenience. I absolutely love that I can get to anything by simply walking through my neighborhood.  I can walk to the grocery store, movie theater, shopping, library, etc.  And this means that Alynne gets to enjoy a nice stroller ride while we run errands instead of being stuck in a car seat staring at the back of the car all afternoon.

3. Parks. Now, I know so many people long for backyards or can't imagine living without one, but we have the biggest backyard of all--Central Park! But seriously, we have so many fun parks to explore and play at.  And since we have to venture outside of our home to go play outside, we get to meet all sorts of new friends everyday.  What an awesome way to build friendships and share Christ's love with others!

4. Quality Time.  Since we can't just open our back doors and send our kids outside to play by themselves, it actually forces us to be intentional with our time with our kids.  When we play outside, it's together as a family! 

5. Small spaces. Wait, that's a good thing?! Well, not always, but I like to remind myself of the positives on this one.  With such a small apartment, it means that I can see Alynne at all times.  I can be in any room and still see her and see what she's doing, and I can get to her before she gets into whatever trouble she's headed for! And someday when our kids are teenagers, I'll know exactly what they're up to because they won't have their own room to shut themselves up in! 

6. Community. Since most people who live here are transplants, most of our families live far away.  Because of that, your community becomes like a family to you.  I remember when Aly was sick recently, one friend ordered us dinner, another brought us medicine, and another sent us cookies!  It's amazing having such wonderful friends so close by.

7. Our Neighborhood. I love living in our neighborhood.  Our street is quiet and lined with trees.  I step onto to the street and always see a familiar face.  We know almost everyone in our building and have playdates and dinner dates with many.  We go to the grocery store and the workers all greet and play with Alynne.  It is a very small town feel, something most outsiders don't expect from NYC.

8. Public transportation. I love that when we travel far, we can hop on a train or bus to get there.  Aly gets to hang out in her stroller checking everything out (or touching everyone she can reach), and if she gets fussy, I can get her out and hold her in my lap.  I always hate when I get in cars and can't take her out of her car seat if she's crying!

9. Free programs. There are SO many free programs and events around the city for kids.  Alynne has gotten to experience so many things this way! 

10. Missions Field.  This city needs Jesus in a bad way.  There are so many unbelievers here.  And maybe that is scary for some parents to expose their kids to, but I think it is important for our kids to understand God's calling on our lives, and He calls us to seek out the lost, not to run away from them.  We will of course be wise about what our kids are exposed to, but we are excited for them serve God in NYC.