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- My American family of five, two adults and three kids, lives in an apartment in Germany.
- Living small keeps us minimalistic when it comes to the stuff we own.
- We have a strong community with our neighbors in our building.
Our family of five, two adults and three children, lives in an apartment in Germany. Apartment life is the norm where we live — most of our friends who have kids also live in apartments.
Many of my American friends who live in houses with their kids and are more accustomed to doing this find it hard to fathom, but overall, I honestly prefer apartment life with kids.
It keeps us more minimalistic when it comes to possessions
We've had to move a number of times since we've had kids, which as anyone who has had to move with small children in tow can attest to, is no easy feat.
However, since, by default, apartment life makes you more minimalist in terms of anything from furniture to toys, this certainly was helpful in regards to having far fewer boxes to pack.
Having also witnessed how stressful it can be for some of my peers to help their aging parents destash the items from a large house, I do feel like simply not having the option to accumulate too much stuff ends up being practical in the long run.
Maintenance is low-key compared to a house
My husband and I work while taking care of our children's needs and running the household. To be honest, at this stage in our lives, I can't imagine having to deal with additional maintenance and responsibilities that living in a larger house requires, whether it's a greater amount of rooms to furnish and decorate, worrying about attic or basement issues, or the extra cleaning required for all the subsequent space.
We can barely keep up with our current apartment in terms of cleanliness and daily chores like meal cleanup, raising young kids, and working, so I'm honestly happier to have fewer tasks around to deal with.
Plus, since we're renting, like most apartment dwellers where we live, our landlord is responsible for repairs- so financially and time-wise, that's yet another added bonus.
We have more organic access to exercise and socializing
A lot of my house-owning friends have a backyard space, which many see as a huge benefit of owning property. I won't lie, it certainly would be great to have an outdoor space that the kids could simply run outside to or for hosting guests outdoors when the weather is nice. Some apartment buildings have the advantage of a communal yard replete with a play area for kids, which is potentially the best of both worlds.
However, I'm still OK with not owning our own backyard and relying on our many local parks and playgrounds. It organically builds additional exercise into our days; since we have to walk or bike to get to a park, we move our bodies more than if we simply waltzed into a yard. Playgrounds where we live are varied and exciting, so the kids also get the opportunity to physically try out all sorts of new athletic challenges, like a climbing wall, a skateboard area, or an obstacle course.
We've met some of our best friends in the neighborhood by meeting people in green spaces. I love that when I take the kids to the playground, I can choose to be social with other parents if I want adult company, but it's fine to be solo if I just want to chill with the kids.
And frankly, I'm glad that we aren't spending our spare time dealing with yard-related chores and maintenance like mowing the grass and pulling weeds — I like that on the weekends, none of those time-consuming tasks fall on our shoulders as parents.
Our neighbors are our support system
As a parent to young kids with no family in town, we're really thankful to have a great support system of friends in our city. Apartment life is something that I feel contributes to our sense of community.
When my third baby was born, it was reassuring to know that we had any number of neighbors in our building who could easily step in to take over emergency childcare if need be, and that's exactly what ended up happening. My oldest child is old enough to stay home for short periods of time independently, and it gives me a lot more peace of mind that if he had any issues, there are enough tenants in the building he could easily reach within seconds.
While there are certainly elements of house living with kids that I would appreciate, all things considered, I'm really happy with our apartment life and it's working well for us and our other friends with kids.