backyard importance?

[FaithManor]

As a homeschooler, how important is a backyard to you? Do you need a big one? Is a small one OK? Could you go without?

 

We live in a big city and are trying to buy a house. I want a house so that the others in the condo don't tell me I'm too loud! Still, even if we buy a house, we probably won't get much yard if we're near where we currently live. DH has an incredibly demanding job, so I don't want him to add a commute.

 

I saw a perfect house in a perfect location with a super-dinky yard, but a yard none-the-less. I'm trying to figure out what we "need". It would be about 1 house from an open space and 1 block from a park. What I'm concerned about is low-key outdoor play time.

 

Thoughs? Your experience?

 

Emily

 

 

Hmmm....well for us, the backyard isn't a want, it's a need. We do not have a city park less than six miles away so it's important with three growing boys to have a place for them to romp and be loud. Second, we garden. Gardening is a priority, well that, and trying to make my stupid, lazy, good for nothing, I won't grow no matter what you do for me, apples tree produce something, anything!

 

So for us, a dinky yard would be a deal breaker.

 

Faith

[MBM]

Two of our kids grew up in Chicago in a co-op with a very tiny, shared yard. It worked out fine because we had nearby parks that were safe where we would meet up with friends to play. Eventually, our kids joined clubs through our local park district. The park districts were awesome, way better than what we found in the suburbs. Also, in the suburbs, the clubs and activities for sports are incredibly competitive, so if a kid isn't good by 3, fuggedaboutit! The only drawback to living in the city is that I was not comfortable with my kids walking or biking around on their own because we lived in a few areas with high crime.

 

If I could do it over, I would have stayed in the city because the commute for my husband is about 2.5 to 3 hours per day from our suburb even though he's only 17 miles away from work. It would have been much better to have him home for an extra 2 hours per day. Plus, the city offers so much more than the boring 'burbs. We plan to move back in a few years.

[MBM]

He also grew up on the 4th floor of an apartment building and thinks kids grow out of yards (and into parks) at a fairly young age. Also, I'd need to be in charge of yard work if we had one... but still... :-)

 

My youngest child is 15 and stopped playing in our suburban yard when he was about 11. The yard is just there now as a showpiece that needs mowing, trimming, weeding, feeding, dog-doo picking up, etc. LOL. I would soooo much rather have an itty-bitty yard or maybe just a sunny deck where I could plant tomatoes, etc. What I really love in the city are the townhomes with roof decks. Some of those are so beautiful!