I can't be sure about all areas, but houses are only getting more expensive here... I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on rearing children in an apartment as opposed to a house. Does it affect the kinds of friends that kids will make...? Does anyone have any advice on things to consider? I found a page from a place in Arizona offering a small guide on apartment living with children that mentioned an interesting point about playgrounds being a good indicator of kid-friendly areas. I'd be keen to hear if anyone else has any helpful ideas though.

many thanks.

clo

Hi Closet,
Welcome! I haven't read anything specifically about this, but God plants you where He plants you, doesn't He? If you make the best of wherever He puts you, then that's the best place.
Blessings,
Christine

I have very limited experience with raising kids in an apartment. When we were military, we lived in an apartment for about 3 months while waiting for base housing to open up. We had 3 kids then, all under 6 years old. Then the base housing was town houses, so not a lot different than an apartment. We lived there for 2 years (and had our 4th child during that time). It's definitely different than having our own house. The kids used to play with the neighbor kids over the fence. None of them were old enough to go visiting on their own, so if the moms weren't available to take them out to play, they'd find a way to climb up where they could see over the fence and they'd talk to/play with the neighbor kids that way. In the apartment, they would lay down on the ground and talk under the fence (which was raised several inches off the ground). I thought it was kind of funny, but it wasn't just my kids who did that. All the kids did it, and they made pretty good friends in the process. When we could, we'd get together and take two or three families' worth of kids to the playground and they'd have a great time together. I remember once, I had my 3 and my neighbor had her 3, and we were walking to the playground together. Someone along the way stopped us and asked if we were a daycare. I thought that was kind of funny. Anyway, as I said, our apartment living was short-term. I agree, having playgrounds and other kid-friendly places available would be a good indication of a family-friendly environment. Personally, though, I would not send kids to the playground alone. I'd go with them and supervise closely.