Also, as a fellow Missourian, born and bred… no shade, but our state’s motto should be “never give a 2 minute answer when a 20 minute one will suffice…”.
One thing that struck me when you were talking about where childrens’ activities are located was something I read a while back.
Apparently, around the turn of the 20th century, there was little-to-no concept of a “children’s menu”. Children were expected to eat adult food, merely smaller portions.
I think this implies that we need to reconceive some of our adult institutions with children in mind. Manhattan may be, as they say, “the greatest playground for adults ever constructed”, but why the hell SHOULDN’T we also take children along for the ride? The Met, MOMA, hell, even the hokey Spy Museum I took my fiancée to last year, are all perfect examples of how children can be fit into the modern adult aesthetic with reasonable design effort and reasonably better parenting — especially on behalf of the professional elites who predominantly populate places like Manhattan these days.
Well said. We strive really hard to avoid “kid food” and incorporate them into things we enjoy. But we also can’t ignore the reality of parenting today, play with their friends, etc etc.
The "things you never notice until you have kids" resonates so much. Here in Riverside (first ring 'burb) there has been much done to improve parks and playgrounds. Yet, for some reason unknown to me, the water fountains are never turned on. Just a small example among many of how our cities are generally not kid friendly.
Kevin, thanks for this honest reflection on living in Jackson County, MO. Public safety is the number one concern of the citizens according to various surveys yet on Election Day the citizens of Jackson County fail to vote for/elect officials who are serious about crime reduction. It is a mystery to me.
We’ve all gotten very apathetic and comfortable. And that’s borne out by those votes, and that so few people even bother to vote. So the fringe groups and special interests dominate local elections. It’s all of our fault, we need to figure out how to motivate more people with common sense attitudes to pay attention.
Just want to say, again, that I appreciate immensely your podcast, your politics, and the ethos that informs both. Savannah just ain’t the same without you.
Good, totally reasonable reflection on difficult issues. There definitely is a political dimension to downplaying regular people's concern about crime or striking hostility to school choice. I agree the key is trying to ground ourselves in the perspective of people who don't know what urbanism is and are just trying to live their lives.
Thanks for this episode, Kevin! I'm in somewhat of a parallel situation, where my family (including the 7 year old) absolutely love the city we live in (Boston area, wonderfully walkable with lots going on). But rather than leaving for our son, we need to move to be closer to aging parents, both of whom have selected driving-only homes in the Southeast. With their ability to drive rapidly fading, we're still not sure how to make that move:
Do we focus on their request that we live 20 minutes away in the middle of nowhere, and then eventually add shuttling them around to our list of daily necessities? Or do we try to find a vaguely walkable option instead and try to get them to move to where we settle?
Definitely leaning towards the latter, but it's so hard to know how where and how to find something at all what we know and love. And then we have to figure out how to tell them that we just don't think it's good for our family to mirror their housing choices and that if they really want to be that closely involved with us, they'll have to make changes to their priorities. It's hard, especially since they used to live up near us but actively chose to head down there and then play the grandparent card to pressure us to join them. Tough stuff. Family is complicated...
Advice-giving is tough in very personal situations like this…. But having been through your situation the last few years, do what’s easiest and best for you and your family. It’s incredibly hard caring for aging parents, in every respect. It’s a pleasure to do that for them,, but it’s hard. Being somewhere that’s rewarding for you all during this time is important. In the end, it’s the togetherness that matters, but don’t minimize the emotional toll. Make sure you make enough time for joy in the experience.
Also, as a fellow Missourian, born and bred… no shade, but our state’s motto should be “never give a 2 minute answer when a 20 minute one will suffice…”.
Classic, love it.
One thing that struck me when you were talking about where childrens’ activities are located was something I read a while back.
Apparently, around the turn of the 20th century, there was little-to-no concept of a “children’s menu”. Children were expected to eat adult food, merely smaller portions.
I think this implies that we need to reconceive some of our adult institutions with children in mind. Manhattan may be, as they say, “the greatest playground for adults ever constructed”, but why the hell SHOULDN’T we also take children along for the ride? The Met, MOMA, hell, even the hokey Spy Museum I took my fiancée to last year, are all perfect examples of how children can be fit into the modern adult aesthetic with reasonable design effort and reasonably better parenting — especially on behalf of the professional elites who predominantly populate places like Manhattan these days.
Well said. We strive really hard to avoid “kid food” and incorporate them into things we enjoy. But we also can’t ignore the reality of parenting today, play with their friends, etc etc.
The "things you never notice until you have kids" resonates so much. Here in Riverside (first ring 'burb) there has been much done to improve parks and playgrounds. Yet, for some reason unknown to me, the water fountains are never turned on. Just a small example among many of how our cities are generally not kid friendly.
Kevin, thanks for this honest reflection on living in Jackson County, MO. Public safety is the number one concern of the citizens according to various surveys yet on Election Day the citizens of Jackson County fail to vote for/elect officials who are serious about crime reduction. It is a mystery to me.
We’ve all gotten very apathetic and comfortable. And that’s borne out by those votes, and that so few people even bother to vote. So the fringe groups and special interests dominate local elections. It’s all of our fault, we need to figure out how to motivate more people with common sense attitudes to pay attention.
Just want to say, again, that I appreciate immensely your podcast, your politics, and the ethos that informs both. Savannah just ain’t the same without you.
Good, totally reasonable reflection on difficult issues. There definitely is a political dimension to downplaying regular people's concern about crime or striking hostility to school choice. I agree the key is trying to ground ourselves in the perspective of people who don't know what urbanism is and are just trying to live their lives.
Thanks for this episode, Kevin! I'm in somewhat of a parallel situation, where my family (including the 7 year old) absolutely love the city we live in (Boston area, wonderfully walkable with lots going on). But rather than leaving for our son, we need to move to be closer to aging parents, both of whom have selected driving-only homes in the Southeast. With their ability to drive rapidly fading, we're still not sure how to make that move:
Do we focus on their request that we live 20 minutes away in the middle of nowhere, and then eventually add shuttling them around to our list of daily necessities? Or do we try to find a vaguely walkable option instead and try to get them to move to where we settle?
Definitely leaning towards the latter, but it's so hard to know how where and how to find something at all what we know and love. And then we have to figure out how to tell them that we just don't think it's good for our family to mirror their housing choices and that if they really want to be that closely involved with us, they'll have to make changes to their priorities. It's hard, especially since they used to live up near us but actively chose to head down there and then play the grandparent card to pressure us to join them. Tough stuff. Family is complicated...
Advice-giving is tough in very personal situations like this…. But having been through your situation the last few years, do what’s easiest and best for you and your family. It’s incredibly hard caring for aging parents, in every respect. It’s a pleasure to do that for them,, but it’s hard. Being somewhere that’s rewarding for you all during this time is important. In the end, it’s the togetherness that matters, but don’t minimize the emotional toll. Make sure you make enough time for joy in the experience.