Living in the suburbs is definitely the place I always wanted to be. I grew up more in the country, so just the thought of living in a city makes me feel claustrophobic. When I first graduated college, I worked in a city and really kind of hated it. The traffic was awful, and so was the lack of greenery. Everything was so gray and smelly. If the place I worked at wasn’t depressing enough, the environment sure was. Living somewhere surrounded by concrete would have driven me batty.
My parents both grew up on farms, and the yard I had growing up was three acres in itself. We had a hill for sledding, and the backyard was surrounded by woods. I couldn’t even see into our neighbors’ yards, and I liked it that way. I could go exploring in my own backyard! It made for a lot of fun times. I knew that I wanted something similar when I became a mom. A yard was a must-have. We have just under an acre, but I’d like even more someday. There are definitely some things that only suburban moms understand.
Here are just some of the ways that you can know you’re a suburban mom, like me:
You get spooked by loud noises.
It is so quiet much of the time that when loud noises come through your neighborhood, it freaks you out. For me, this is usually a car revving its engine or a motorcycle. They are few and far between, but when it happens, it’s startling.
Even being able to see into other people’s yards irritates you.
Seriously, when are we building that fence? I’m not thrilled at people being able to see into my yard. I want either a fence or trees along the back. I have some privacy, but I want even more.
It’s too far to walk anywhere.
When you’re in a city, so many places are within walking distance. You can turn the corner and be in a coffee shop or restaurant. When you live in the suburbs, you can pretty much only walk around your own neighborhood, everything else is just too far away.
You love how quiet it is.
Aside from the stray motorcycle, the neighborhood is really quiet. I love how quiet it is. It is much more relaxing and slower-paced than a city.
You love how far away from people you are.
Despite not being able to walk anywhere, you love how far away people are. Being in a city, everything and everyone is on top of each other. There are some cities near me where you can reach out your window and touch your neighbor’s house. No, thank you.
Anywhere you go is a special outing.
Since everything is more than 10 minutes away, it is a special outing for the kids whenever we go out. It takes planning and prep work just to get out the door. You want to be prepared since you aren’t super close to home.
You hardly go anywhere at the spur of the moment.
Going anywhere takes planning, so we usually don’t go places on the spur of the moment. I need time to plan.
You secretly want to buy a bunch of land to be further away from people.
You’d think that since I don’t want to live in a city, I’d be comfortable where I am, but secretly, I’d love to be even more remote from people.
You hate driving into an actual city.
I feel like I’m just like my parents now on this one. They never drive into cities, and now that I’m older, I totally get it. Driving into actual cities is exhausting. It’s busy. There’s a bunch of traffic. I have no interest in doing it.
You love all the green.
An asphalt jungle is so not my jam. I love all the green and trees that surround our house. Being outside makes me happy. Going outside in a city would just not be the same.
You had your first kid take swim classes as a baby just to get out of the house.
When my first was little, I thought we needed to get out of the house all the time. This was way before the whole pandemic, so things were different. I took her to swim lessons as an infant, even though there’s really no point. It was literally just to get out of the house.
You have fully embraced leggings.
I used to be of the mindset that leggings aren’t pants. Boy, have I changed my tune on that one. They totally are, and they are the most comfortable form of pants that you could ever ask for.
You have a minivan.
I confess that I don’t have one yet, but I want one. A minivan or SUV will for sure be my next car.
You love Target…and coffee.
As I mentioned earlier, getting out of the house is a special outing. Going to Target is a trip in itself, so we make sure to hit the Starbucks inside for a fun treat for both the kids and me.
You’ve worn pajamas outside.
Wearing pajamas outside on my deck is totally my business. I’ve done this a few times. Who cares?
You prefer outdoor playdates to anything inside.
Anytime we can be outside, you can bet that we’re outside. If someone wants to do a playdate, I’m all for anything outside, such as the zoo, the park, or even just going for a walk. I hate being cooped up inside. Indoor playgrounds and trampoline parks just sound germy, confining, and terrible.
Suburban life is pretty great, but I know city moms love their lives too. It really comes down to the individual, but having my own space and yard are must-haves for me and help me do this mom thing a whole lot better.
