mommy, are we poor?

Matt, you're right: the same class standards apply for Manhattan as for the United States of America.

Middle-class in the United States of America means that you can afford the basic building-blocks of American family life: a single-family residence, a car for each adult, health insurance, tertiary education, and a secure future.

Anyone in Manhattan, as in the United States of America, who does not have all of those things, is sub-middle-class.

...

Point, Alan?

All I'm saying is, living in Manhattan over Peoria is a *luxury*, just as driving a Mercedes is a luxury over driving a Ford. They're both cars, but if you want the Benz, you have to have more money -- or make more sacrifices.

Matt, the feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.

AR - do you have any family living in better value states or countries? We went through the same interrogation from our 1st grader and told her that her grandparent's house overseas was her country home and that NONE of the other kids had one like it! Actually the summer is the best cure to your dilemma. Our daughter recently told us she didn't want to leave our modest home when I told her that we were moving into one of the mansions in Newport. Of course when school starts next week she'll be back to her old ways! Gotta love private school!

i'm only practicing witchcraft, so i'd say the man hasn't gotten me down totally.

the relatives live in pittsburgh and west virginia. but none of the nieces and nephews seem to be making it to college (or staying there at least). although that's a funny idea. i should send her to school telling people that her country home is in west virginia. or should have in kindergarten. would have been worse than the time i told one of the students that we often ate dinner on the floor while playing board games together. i don't know what surprised her more, that we ate on the floor, ate dinner together, or that we engaged in an activity.

I volunteer with a local hospice. Either reading to souls who can not leave their beds in $$$ apartments or helping change their linens in a hospital, one learns very quickly about the "value of money." Call them wealthy or rich...those that have family members visiting them are the "zillionaires." Stop focusing on the trees-it is the FOREST that matters.

marcel, i volunteer as well. and always have.

and i agree 100% with you.

Aboutready, when my oldest started at Trinity, he came home from a playdate and said, "Tommy's piano is made out of marble." I said, "I think a piano has to be made out of wood." He replied, "The piano in the music room is made of wood, but the piano in the ballroom is made of marble."

When he asked, "Are we rich or are we poor?" I said, "We're rich, compared to almost everyone in the world. But we're poor compared to your school friends." We had a combined income <$500k, both creative types in the adbiz. I can recommend a fine antidote to private school, a summer camp in Vermont, founded on Quaker principles with lots of scholarship kids and foreign counselors. Farm and Wilderness. It changed all our lives, and both my kids wrote their college application essays about experiences there, and went to great colleges.

ps. One is working for an NGO in Indonesia and the other is working on a PhD in molecular biology -- i.e. neither will make any money.

One of the best television lines ever was on an episode of The Cosby Show. Vanessa asked Cliff, "Daddy, are we rich?"

"No, honey, we're not rich. Your mother and I are rich, but 'we' are not rich."

trinityparent, that's a lovely story. my daughter abhors camp and i won't force her. but living here helps.

good for them. my daughter is currently interested in product packaging and commercial interior design(odd). who knows where she'll wind up. in my heart i'd love to see her in academia. but hopefully we can give her the choice.

i don't know how i missed this thread over the past few days, but i would like to compliment ar for starting it and (almost) everyone else for their contributions. I was very interesting to read 100+ posts straight through instead of a few at a time and the thread lurches along. there is so much here that my wife and me go over and over about kids, education (in school and out), manhattan influences, etc. One of the best threads in a while...although I'll be damned if I can tell you what any of it has to do with real estate!

true that marcel

My highlights from a top to bottom read of 4 days of posts:

- mom vs. nanny stare down in the playground. priceless
- "senior partner, damn that was smart."
- NYCMatt re: The Cosby Show

"wife and I" oh god, redneck grammar. proofread before posting

Or at least go whole hog: "me and the wife"

My Name is Earl? Earl could be my brother.

me and the wife. that's what you're striving for.

thanks for your post. it kind of related to real estate. as in, not having it.

that was kind of scary, ah.

because one asshole is not enough for the thread, here's ben stein, provocateur:

http://www.businessinsider.com/ben-steins-right-it-costs-too-much-to-have-children-2009-9

Hatez.. that wonder years teacher... his nasal voice and penchant for totally missing this bubble and calling anyone who saw this bubble a baffoon... well makes him KING BAFFOON!

Did aboutready issue a terroristic threat? "(if you don't think that i'm ready to bitch-slap a few, you think far too highly of me)."

aboutready is the queen of class and civility, and is genteel. SMH

LOL.