hopper

This past Saturday, I took Abby, my daughter, to the Art Institute downtown to see the Edward Hopper exhibit (for me) and the Chris Raschka exhibit (for her). I got to see my favorite Hopper painting (New York Movie) in person and Abby got to see some original artwork she recognized from some of her favorite picture books. And though I was a bit nervous, I’m happy to report that she was great about not touching the pictures!

We had fun and it was so nice to just spend a slow afternoon wandering around the art museum and take in the city a little bit. The weekend before we went to Navy Pier and had a great time at the Children’s Museum and even took a ride on the Ferris Wheel (it was cold, but my daughter and I were both willing!). I’m starting to think that the benefits of living in the city just might outweigh the drawbacks. Suburban life is nice in some ways, but this long winter we’re having is reminding me how stifling the suburbs can be! I grew up in the suburbs for the most part, so I’m used to this life, but I’m not sure how much more of it I can take and I don’t know if I really want Abby to grow up in Suburb, USA. I don’t know if I want to look back at my life 30-40 years from now and think that I should’ve done things differently. I guess living in a suburb close to a big city is the one way of having the best of both worlds, but is that even enough? Maybe it depends on the suburb.

I’ve read some parental opinions, but I wonder how other people feel? Suburbs or the big city? Which is better? Do you agree that the suburbs are better for raising kids? Or do you think a vibrant, diverse city is the best environment for a family? Or is this just another one of those topics where there just isn’t a “right” answer?

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