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Dreams are Made of Concrete Jungles
The positives of bringing up your kids in the city
Lack of green space, pollution, and constant noise- I know only too well the challenges of living in a big city- let alone one home to 15 million people.
Istanbul is one of the most built-up cities on the planet.
With over 2500 people per square kilometre, most people live stacked on top of one another in flats and high-rise apartment blocks.
After focussing so long on the challenges of city life, (and working through all the mum-guilt for not raising my children on an idyllic farm, lol), I started to see what city life gives my kids. In no particular order…
1. Diversity and Acceptance:
Living in an inner-city environment, my kids encounter people from all backgrounds. From local neighbourhood families, to Syrian refugees that come and sort out our recycling, my children get to meet and learn from other people different from themselves.
2. Safety and Street-Savvyness:
Our neighbourhood consists of narrow hilly cobbled streets where motorcyclists regularly come whizzing down (often texting one-handed at the same time). The pavement or curb area consisted of flights of steps. So, in the middle of the street, we walk buggy and all. My kids have been dodging motorbikes and stray dogs in the middle of the street from 2 years of age. They know how dangerous main roads are and have learned to stop and use pedestrian crossings. This has taken time, though- I can only just about let the 5-year-old walk next to me and the buddy without making him hold onto the buggy!
3. Finding Beauty in Unexpected Places:
An interesting graffiti wall, a butterfly fluttering past, or an intricate tattoo on the leg of the stranger walking in front of us, beauty in the city is often even more eyecatching because of its presence amid uniform grey. But for every pile of broken rocks in the street in Istanbul, there’s a patch of wildflowers. A cat is nursing her kittens, or a dolphin is leaping out of the Bosphorus sea.
