Carmel Valley is an interested place. My kids went to preschool here and I know the mom circuit pretty well. The kids at the preschool were from all over Carmel Valley. I have quite a few friends with kids now at Sage Canyon, Torrey Hills, Sycamore Ridge, Carmel Creek and the new school 8 (Ocean Air?).
Of course, I think my friends are great, but I do hear some interesting stories about keeping up with the Joneses. Some of the people in this area are very competitive about everything. Better house, better car, smarter kids, more volunteer hours – you name it and someone has to “win”.
At the elementary school level, working moms are definitely looked down on. Some men consider the SAH spouse as a sort of trophy and those wives act the part. Some of the area SAHMs hang out at the “PAC” (Pacific Athletic Club) and talk about the other moms. The PAC, a gym, has valet parking. No joke. People here spend a lot of money and I’m not sure how many of them really have it to spend.
Don’t get me wrong – there are a lot of things I like about Carmel Valley. There are some very nice people here. There are also a lot of wannabes trying to impress. I don’t think you will find many wannabes in Pacific Highlands Ranch, or even most areas of Carmel Country Highlands. You might find more on Del Mar Mesa and in Meadows Del Mar. Although I do know one or two who live in Lexington. The good news is that they are easy to spot. They are the ones who run Raptor over in their Hummer on the way to soccer ;).
