This is the terrible economic Pain we are feeling?

[Anonymous]

Submitted by afx114 on April 4, 2008 – 8:05am.

If you are going to say that owning a house leads to an improved childhood, you might as well say that owning a BMW or owning a 60″ flat screen improves your childhood. Its not the owning of stuff, its the *ability* to own stuff, including health care, medicine, educational tools, etc that improves a childhood. Saying that owning a house is itself an indicator of a successful childhood is missing the forrest for the trees.

I’ll try one more time. Some of you just don’t get it.

Owning a house will always be a better situation for children than renting one because, with a few exceptions, renting, in and of itself, is not a stable situation. If the owner of the property tells you to move, you’ve got to go, regardless if it’s convenient at the time, regardless if it’s in the best interest of you and your children.

One of the circumstances where I would say renting can be stable is if you are renting from, say, your parents for instance. However, unless the house is paid off and they leave it to you in their will, even that situation is not stable.

That is why when women start having children, the majority of them insist their husbands purchase a home. When there are children to think of, they no longer want to rent unless they absolutely have to.

[Anonymous]

Actually, some of you don’t want to get it.

[Anonymous]

Actually, some of you don’t want to get it.

[Anonymous]

Actually, some of you don’t want to get it.

[Anonymous]

Actually, some of you don’t want to get it.

[yojimbo]

I’m not allowing myself to “get it” because I don’t necessarily think it’s true. It sounds pretty good though. And, if you’re comfortable leaving your level of analysis at that point and not taking it further, while, at the same time demeaning others as “not getting it” the so be it.

Sure, a stable family structure is probably beneficial to a child’s success. Seems to be common sense. But, is staying in a particular house for a long period of time beneficial? Probably. Could there be other scenarios that might be even more beneficial? Possibly. What about the family that moves a few times to different parts of the country and into communities with different demographics. Wouldn’t this possibly be beneficial to a child’s intellectual development?

I’m not a big fan of North County for just this reason. Sure it has great schools etc. etc. but it’s blah. A child that spends their entire childhood there will probably be successful in the sense that they will go to college, get a plug in job, and commute to work everyday for 40 years until they retire comfortably. Not bad. But there are other possibilities out there as well. Some of the more impressive people I’ve met in my life have been those that had experienced many different locales and cultures as children and it influenced the way they thought and their value system. So, I don’t think you can argue that staying in one place is absolutely the most beneficial situation for children. Well, ok, you can argue it but I don’t have to “get it”.

[yojimbo]

I’m not allowing myself to “get it” because I don’t necessarily think it’s true. It sounds pretty good though. And, if you’re comfortable leaving your level of analysis at that point and not taking it further, while, at the same time demeaning others as “not getting it” the so be it.

Sure, a stable family structure is probably beneficial to a child’s success. Seems to be common sense. But, is staying in a particular house for a long period of time beneficial? Probably. Could there be other scenarios that might be even more beneficial? Possibly. What about the family that moves a few times to different parts of the country and into communities with different demographics. Wouldn’t this possibly be beneficial to a child’s intellectual development?

I’m not a big fan of North County for just this reason. Sure it has great schools etc. etc. but it’s blah. A child that spends their entire childhood there will probably be successful in the sense that they will go to college, get a plug in job, and commute to work everyday for 40 years until they retire comfortably. Not bad. But there are other possibilities out there as well. Some of the more impressive people I’ve met in my life have been those that had experienced many different locales and cultures as children and it influenced the way they thought and their value system. So, I don’t think you can argue that staying in one place is absolutely the most beneficial situation for children. Well, ok, you can argue it but I don’t have to “get it”.

[yojimbo]

I’m not allowing myself to “get it” because I don’t necessarily think it’s true. It sounds pretty good though. And, if you’re comfortable leaving your level of analysis at that point and not taking it further, while, at the same time demeaning others as “not getting it” the so be it.

Sure, a stable family structure is probably beneficial to a child’s success. Seems to be common sense. But, is staying in a particular house for a long period of time beneficial? Probably. Could there be other scenarios that might be even more beneficial? Possibly. What about the family that moves a few times to different parts of the country and into communities with different demographics. Wouldn’t this possibly be beneficial to a child’s intellectual development?

I’m not a big fan of North County for just this reason. Sure it has great schools etc. etc. but it’s blah. A child that spends their entire childhood there will probably be successful in the sense that they will go to college, get a plug in job, and commute to work everyday for 40 years until they retire comfortably. Not bad. But there are other possibilities out there as well. Some of the more impressive people I’ve met in my life have been those that had experienced many different locales and cultures as children and it influenced the way they thought and their value system. So, I don’t think you can argue that staying in one place is absolutely the most beneficial situation for children. Well, ok, you can argue it but I don’t have to “get it”.

[yojimbo]

I’m not allowing myself to “get it” because I don’t necessarily think it’s true. It sounds pretty good though. And, if you’re comfortable leaving your level of analysis at that point and not taking it further, while, at the same time demeaning others as “not getting it” the so be it.

Sure, a stable family structure is probably beneficial to a child’s success. Seems to be common sense. But, is staying in a particular house for a long period of time beneficial? Probably. Could there be other scenarios that might be even more beneficial? Possibly. What about the family that moves a few times to different parts of the country and into communities with different demographics. Wouldn’t this possibly be beneficial to a child’s intellectual development?

I’m not a big fan of North County for just this reason. Sure it has great schools etc. etc. but it’s blah. A child that spends their entire childhood there will probably be successful in the sense that they will go to college, get a plug in job, and commute to work everyday for 40 years until they retire comfortably. Not bad. But there are other possibilities out there as well. Some of the more impressive people I’ve met in my life have been those that had experienced many different locales and cultures as children and it influenced the way they thought and their value system. So, I don’t think you can argue that staying in one place is absolutely the most beneficial situation for children. Well, ok, you can argue it but I don’t have to “get it”.

[atr]

Okay, I couldn’t resist putting in my 1/2 cent (since the dollar is worth less these days!). There are obviously strong feelings on this subject, and the back and forth is becoming a classic example of how various perspectives manipulate statistics to suit themselves.

My admittedly subjective experience is that family stability and involvement are the BEST indicators of the success of a child. I agree that it is the ABILITY to provide certain economic factors, like homeownership, that are indicative of certain desirable characteristics within a family, not necessarily homeownership itself. We have moved regularly (eight towns in twelve years, including one foreign country) and have rented in seven of those eight towns. Although moving is sometimes a hassle, it has enriched our lives immeasurably. My daughter may not have gone to the same school with the same kids all her life, but she has traveled extensively and learned how to adapt to new situations and new people. Our family dynamic is the constant in our lives, not the four walls around us. The one time that we did own a house was honestly the most stressful living situation because of the burden of caring for the house by myself much of the time. In life I have learned that the only constant is change. The earlier you can accept that, the more free you’ll be.

And as for the concern that a rental could be sold out from under someone, isn’t that what apartments are for? I know sharing walls isn’t always fun, but honestly,is it a MUST to rent a sfh?

[atr]

Okay, I couldn’t resist putting in my 1/2 cent (since the dollar is worth less these days!). There are obviously strong feelings on this subject, and the back and forth is becoming a classic example of how various perspectives manipulate statistics to suit themselves.

My admittedly subjective experience is that family stability and involvement are the BEST indicators of the success of a child. I agree that it is the ABILITY to provide certain economic factors, like homeownership, that are indicative of certain desirable characteristics within a family, not necessarily homeownership itself. We have moved regularly (eight towns in twelve years, including one foreign country) and have rented in seven of those eight towns. Although moving is sometimes a hassle, it has enriched our lives immeasurably. My daughter may not have gone to the same school with the same kids all her life, but she has traveled extensively and learned how to adapt to new situations and new people. Our family dynamic is the constant in our lives, not the four walls around us. The one time that we did own a house was honestly the most stressful living situation because of the burden of caring for the house by myself much of the time. In life I have learned that the only constant is change. The earlier you can accept that, the more free you’ll be.

And as for the concern that a rental could be sold out from under someone, isn’t that what apartments are for? I know sharing walls isn’t always fun, but honestly,is it a MUST to rent a sfh?

[atr]

Okay, I couldn’t resist putting in my 1/2 cent (since the dollar is worth less these days!). There are obviously strong feelings on this subject, and the back and forth is becoming a classic example of how various perspectives manipulate statistics to suit themselves.

My admittedly subjective experience is that family stability and involvement are the BEST indicators of the success of a child. I agree that it is the ABILITY to provide certain economic factors, like homeownership, that are indicative of certain desirable characteristics within a family, not necessarily homeownership itself. We have moved regularly (eight towns in twelve years, including one foreign country) and have rented in seven of those eight towns. Although moving is sometimes a hassle, it has enriched our lives immeasurably. My daughter may not have gone to the same school with the same kids all her life, but she has traveled extensively and learned how to adapt to new situations and new people. Our family dynamic is the constant in our lives, not the four walls around us. The one time that we did own a house was honestly the most stressful living situation because of the burden of caring for the house by myself much of the time. In life I have learned that the only constant is change. The earlier you can accept that, the more free you’ll be.

And as for the concern that a rental could be sold out from under someone, isn’t that what apartments are for? I know sharing walls isn’t always fun, but honestly,is it a MUST to rent a sfh?

[atr]

Okay, I couldn’t resist putting in my 1/2 cent (since the dollar is worth less these days!). There are obviously strong feelings on this subject, and the back and forth is becoming a classic example of how various perspectives manipulate statistics to suit themselves.

My admittedly subjective experience is that family stability and involvement are the BEST indicators of the success of a child. I agree that it is the ABILITY to provide certain economic factors, like homeownership, that are indicative of certain desirable characteristics within a family, not necessarily homeownership itself. We have moved regularly (eight towns in twelve years, including one foreign country) and have rented in seven of those eight towns. Although moving is sometimes a hassle, it has enriched our lives immeasurably. My daughter may not have gone to the same school with the same kids all her life, but she has traveled extensively and learned how to adapt to new situations and new people. Our family dynamic is the constant in our lives, not the four walls around us. The one time that we did own a house was honestly the most stressful living situation because of the burden of caring for the house by myself much of the time. In life I have learned that the only constant is change. The earlier you can accept that, the more free you’ll be.

And as for the concern that a rental could be sold out from under someone, isn’t that what apartments are for? I know sharing walls isn’t always fun, but honestly,is it a MUST to rent a sfh?

[atr]

Okay, I couldn’t resist putting in my 1/2 cent (since the dollar is worth less these days!). There are obviously strong feelings on this subject, and the back and forth is becoming a classic example of how various perspectives manipulate statistics to suit themselves.

My admittedly subjective experience is that family stability and involvement are the BEST indicators of the success of a child. I agree that it is the ABILITY to provide certain economic factors, like homeownership, that are indicative of certain desirable characteristics within a family, not necessarily homeownership itself. We have moved regularly (eight towns in twelve years, including one foreign country) and have rented in seven of those eight towns. Although moving is sometimes a hassle, it has enriched our lives immeasurably. My daughter may not have gone to the same school with the same kids all her life, but she has traveled extensively and learned how to adapt to new situations and new people. Our family dynamic is the constant in our lives, not the four walls around us. The one time that we did own a house was honestly the most stressful living situation because of the burden of caring for the house by myself much of the time. In life I have learned that the only constant is change. The earlier you can accept that, the more free you’ll be.

And as for the concern that a rental could be sold out from under someone, isn’t that what apartments are for? I know sharing walls isn’t always fun, but honestly,is it a MUST to rent a sfh?

[patientlywaiting]

I agree with the last two posts. It’s the support system that is most important, not homeownership. In my opinion, the luckiest children are those whose parents were in the diplomatic corps. They get to travel the world and absorb perspectives from around the world, and learn different languages and cultures.

Think of the interesting people who lived in other part of the world — Madeleine Albright, Andy Grove, George Soros, Jeb Bush, Ariana Huffington, etc…

The most interesting people I know are those who lived in a foreign country.

One the reasons I support Obama is because he lived in Indonesia as a child.

[Author]

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