I’m a suburban mom now! This has been a long time coming and I’m thrilled to be in our slow and quiet haven. We’ve spent the last 6+ years living in the city of Chicago and since we had our son 2.5 years ago, we knew this part of our lives was coming to a close.
While I’m excited to be in our “forever” home, I’ve experienced a sort of grief in leaving this era of my life. So many life altering events happened while living in Chicago. I landed my first ever big girl job, I lost a job, it was our first home married, we went through Covid, I was pregnant and had both of my babies in Chicago. It was their first home and all they knew. It’s not so much leaving the house that makes me emotional as it is closing the chapter of essentially becoming the person I am today. These were incredibly formative years and I feel so lucky to have these memories to look back on.
Now back to the good stuff… While I never pictured myself in the burbs pre-kid, I literally can’t picture myself anywhere else now. Yes, it’s only been a week and a half, but I stand by it. I’m sharing some little luxuries that suburban life provides in hopes that if you too are making this move, you’ll feel that you’re making a great choice! Obviously, these are just my opinions but they’ve had a major impact on my mental health already.
- An Attached Garage
- WOW. This has absolutely changed my life. I know you can get an attached garage in cities, but you’ll pay an arm and a leg for it! Getting my kids in the car by myself has never been easier. I get one kid safely buckled, then chase down and buckle the other separately. What a concept! To get to my garage in Chicago, I had to go down several stairs, walk outside, unlock the door to another building and then go through another door… all with two toddlers who both like to be carried. You can see why I rarely left the house.
- Parking Lots
- Not having to pay to park or being forced to parallel park has also been a game changer – Although I’m nervous I’ll lose that skill. But enough said!
- Less Traffic (or none compared to the city)
- I’ve become such a happier person with this perk. Traffic turns me into a rageful monster. Being able to leave my house at 5 pm and know exactly how long it will take for me to get there is such an elite feeling. Obviously, the drastic decrease in population helps too. Also, there are so many jerk drivers (including myself) in the city. People cut you off or don’t let you merge in. It’s the nature of driving in a city. You can be a jerk driver because chances of you seeing that person again are pretty slim. Not the same in the burbs. You have a higher likelihood of cutting off your next door neighbor!
- Slower Lifestyle
- No one seems to be in a rush here. Which might be a con if you are an impatient person like myself. But I’m trying to live slower and more intentionally these days, so it’s almost like a forced resolution for the better!
- Easy access to outside
- What do you mean I open my door and I’m outside? We ordered delivery on our first night here and the delivery man came right to our front door! It was incredible. He didn’t need to be buzzed in and we didn’t need to meet him outside a gate in the cold. This will be amazing when it’s warmer with kids and our dog – just opening the door and being outside in half a second is something I will never take for granted.
- Safety
- I’ve read, watched and listened to enough crime shows to know violence can happen anywhere, but there is something to be said about feeling safe in suburbia. When I walk my dog at night, while I’m always aware of my surroundings, I’m not constantly waiting for someone to jump out behind an alley and get me. It’s been bitterly cold so I haven’t been walking outside but I’m excited to be able to do so early in the morning and later in the evening!
I truly feel lighter and less ‘trapped’ here in the burbs. If you have little kids you know how hard it can be to get out of the house. Living in the city made this exponentially harder for me, but it was all I knew with kids! I’m excited to make this house a home and really start planting our roots here.
I hope this gave a little insight to what suburb life can be if you’re contemplating it!
Thanks for the memories, Chicago. You’ll always be my favorite city <3
XO,
Kassie
