I was raised in the hood because that’s where my dad’s family house was. The neighborhood went to shit around us. I went to sleep with the sound of bullets flying, and recognized a drug deal when it was happening right out in front of my house. My parents had about had it when a kid at my sister’s elementary school was caught with a baggie of coke. Then we moved to a small farming town because my parents wanted us to experience the safety and community of a small town.
We moved just in time for my 8th grade year. I vowed I would leave as soon as I turned 18. And I did, to go to college, but I keep going back. It’s a love-hate relationship, but it is home. My parents have since moved to another city but my sister and I keep going back whenever we get a chance. I’ve since then brought my new family out there and have submerged them as much as I can into my small town family.
FH and I have talked casually about moving there someday and with Older Boy about to start middle school we’ve decided we’d like to move there. I have an idea now about why my parents moved us there. Although it’s not the exact same reasons that my parents moved us.
Middle Boy and Older Boy have had a really hard time it seems. They’re really drawn in and seem to be big fish lost in a lake with little fishes. In other words, they do well in class and often get pushed aside so teachers can deal with the children who are not doing as hot. Also, they just closed two elementary schools in our town so their elementary school that already has large class sizes is getting an influx of new students.
We’ve asked Older Boy what he thought about moving to the small town and he was really excited. Older Boy asked for a tour of where all the schools were at. If he had been reluctant I think we might have reconsidered, but since he has a lot of enthusiasm and excitement I think we’re going to go for it.
We’re really hoping that being in a small community will help them to flourish as individuals … Especially with sports, new friends and a sense of security with the town. I’m genuinely hoping that they’ll feel the same way I do about the small town … that its home.
4 comments:
2 years ago, I moved my kids from a 5A school to a 1 A school. In the old school system, there were around 1200 kids in the boys graduating classes. In this school, there are 47 seniors graduating this year.
The older of the 2 boys originally balked at the move and pouted for months and now he's totally immersed in small town life and will probably spend the rest of his life in this area. The younger of the 2 has blossomed here and has done even better than what I had hoped for. It was really a great choice for us and I hope it works out as well for you
I think you are making the right decision..this age is so pivotal in the path that kids take...they are lucky you guys are such good parents!
We moved last year to get SS into a good middle school. Now we live in a small town, very rural. SS freaked at first because he would miss his friends... but now he LOVES his new school and has more friends than ever. It was definetly worth the move to get him away from GHETTO School (one of the girls in his 4th grade class was being pimped out by her brother and giving bj's to older boys behind the grocery store).
My daughter's graduating class has 900+ kids in it. She has done okay at the school, but sometimes I wonder if she would have had even better experiences in a smaller school. I say go for it!
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