What No One Tells You About Raising a Kid in NYC
5 Underrated Perks of Raising a Child in New York City
Raising a child in New York City isn’t the easiest route, but it comes with some unexpected advantages. While people often imagine NYC as a stressful place to parent (filled with tiny apartments and loud streets), the day-to-day reality can be far more exciting than many people assume!
Since having my daughter here, I’ve started to see the city differently. Not just through her eyes, but through a new lens of appreciation for everything this place offers to families. Here are the five biggest perks of raising a kid in New York (in my opinion).
1. There’s always something interesting to do
The number of kid-friendly activities in New York is downright staggering! On any given day, we can pay a visit to the zoo in Central Park, hop the ferry to Governors Island for bike rides and epic playgrounds, or splash around at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Rainy days are spent at the American Museum of Natural History or the Met (which we can access for free because we’re New York residents).
Errands feel like an outing! A walk through the farmers market, a ride on the subway, a stop for bagels, stimulation abounds! You truly don’t need a backyard when you have access to so much.
On that note, I was chatting with another mom at the playground recently, and she mentioned that her sister lives in the suburbs. Apparently, the kids play in the backyard for a little while but get bored pretty quickly, so they usually head to the local playground. The problem, she said, is that the community playgrounds are almost always empty (everyone has a backyard, so no one really goes). It made her realize how much easier it is to socialize in the city, where playgrounds are full of kids most hours of the day. I thought that was an interesting observation!
2. Cultural exposure starts early
One of the most valuable parts of raising a child in New York is the exposure to different cultures, languages, and lifestyles. Whether we’re at the playground, riding the train, or walking through Manhattan, our daughter is constantly surrounded by diversity. It’s not something we have to manufacture. It’s just built into daily life.
New York isn’t keen on sameness. That means your child grows up knowing that people celebrate different holidays, eat different foods, speak different languages, and come from all kinds of families. That kind of awareness, early on, makes a big difference in tolerance and acceptance. I love this aspect of raising C in NYC almost more than any other.
