From City Streets to Suburban Silence: My Unexpected Journey
I am a city girl, born and raised, and I never in a million years thought I would move to the suburbs… but here I am. Welcome to This Mom Right Here—your insider look at what happens when city grit meets suburban birdsong.
After our son was born, my husband and I clung to city life for as long as it made sense. But eventually, schools, space, and safety won. Making that decision wasn’t easy—I had a tight-knit mom group of toddler boys, all the same age, and we had 2–3 playdates a week. One of the best things about that group was being able to compare growth and milestones.
It was through that observation that I decided to have my son tested for speech delays. Thanks to early intervention, he qualified for speech therapy, occupational therapy, and ultimately an IEP when he started preschool. Without that early support, he wouldn’t be the brilliant student he is today. By first grade, he no longer needed an IEP, and he’s excelled ever since.
I met my core mom group on a social app, and five of us clicked—our kids clicked too. I just knew I’d be able to recreate that sense of village in the suburbs. So, we went house hunting—over 75 homes across several suburbs—until we found “the one.” Moving from city hustle to literal birds chirping was… a culture shock, to say the least.
Our son was three when we moved, and navigating suburbia was trickier than I imagined. I assumed every neighborhood was brimming with kids playing outside all day. Wrong. Very wrong. While there were plenty of kids on the next street over, in this suburb, if they didn’t attend your school, they weren’t really part of your social circle. The idea of “neighborhood friends” was a foreign concept to me. Watching my social, outgoing son feel lonely was hard.
Preschool brought a few friends, but then COVID hit, and everything shifted online. Virtual kindergarten was rough, but outdoor playdates slowly became our lifeline. We noticed our son gravitated toward kids in a particular neighborhood. We became friends with their parents, hatched a plan, sold our house, and moved. And suddenly, everything seemed… perfect.
Or so I thought.
There’s a saying: “Be careful what you wish for.” Living here has revealed nuances of suburban culture I never knew existed—unspoken rules, social hierarchies, and the subtle ways people either thrive or simply survive. Every day feels like a new lesson in suburbia.
Moving from the city to the suburbs has been a journey full of unexpected twists, eye-opening revelations, and hard-won victories. But through all of it, one thing is clear: This Mom Right Here isn’t just surviving—she’s thriving. She’s making it work, creating a village, and most importantly, making amazing memories for her kids along the way.
Because no matter the zip code, parenting is about showing up, learning as you go, and finding joy in the little wins… and that’s exactly what This Mom Right Here is doing.
