Life…
So I saw the picture above today on Facebook and it got me kind of thinking. The Picture? Jack and Abby are staying with grandparents this week and this is Jack spraying off the driveway in front of my in-law’s house.
I guess whenever you think about your kids, you get a little reflective and this made me think about two interesting dynamics in this life.
Family/Generations
I have one brother that lives over 2 hours away, but other than that all of our family is 5 hours away or more. So we try to be intentional about Jack and Abby getting to interact with them. This week, the kids will spend some time at both sets of grandparents and we love it when the grandparents make the trip to our house. Jack and Abby still have 4 great-grandparents living back in our hometowns also who they visit on every trip. On top of that, time with cousins/aunts/uncles and more. Jenny and I had such great experiences with our extended families growing up, we don’t want the distance to eliminate this.
Small Town/Suburban
We love living in the Chicago Suburbs. Being close to the Best City in the World means we take our kids to first-class Museums, incredible parks, fun on lake Michigan’s beaches, world-class zoos. The city has hospitals and universities that are among the best in the world. We live 10 minutes from almost anything you want to buy or any place you would want to eat. We have great schools and the options for kids from the arts to sports to hanging out with great neighbors make suburban living a good fit for us.
Still, I look at this picture and can’t help but have some nostalgia for the small town. Not only did I not have a stoplight in my hometown, but our school district had 8 small towns feed it and NONE of them had a stoplight. Life there wasn’t perfect, but it was really good. People work hard and help each other out. You can pack your calendar full where-ever you live, so I’m not sure the pace was actually slower, but I do know the stress levels were usually lower. More simple. Usually more focused on what is truly important. And it was safe in a “you don’t even have to think about it” sort of way.
I’m grateful my kids are experiencing all of it.
.Real.Greg.Lee. 
Greg,
I couldnot agree with you more! On all points….I grew up in a small town as well, life was so much more simple then (of course that was eons ago as well) 🙂 There is much to be said for being able to also allow your children to play where a a bicycle forgotten and left in the park next door is still there the next morning, bats, mitts, forgotten toy..all there waiting to be claimed..I am glad my sons were able to have that environment as well. My sons, all grown, still talk fondly of the huge gatherings of relatives, often held at the Lake County Fairgrounds because one house simply could not hold us all:)..there is indeed, something good to be said about “the good old days”…blessings to you, your family and the Suncrest family!
Greg,
Can you adopt us? I love small town U.S.A. Growing up in the city my entire life I often see Schererville as my small town. At least that’s what I convey to my children. Great post…
You forgot to mention the best sports teams also in Chicago.
I actually considered it and then thought it would require another paragraph, explaining which ones I thought were world-class!