A Bad Place to Raise Kids
by Dick Downer

Many people wonder where they should raise their children, and it’s one of the most important decisions parents can make. If anybody asked my advice, I would tell them that they should avoid raising their kids in New York City.

First and foremost, the public schools in New York are a disaster. The teachers are overburdened with classes that are too large, and they often have little training. What’s more, the school buildings are old and crumbling, and there is never enough money for repairs. If that isn’t enough, the problem of safety is a crisis, with the weapons found among students who threaten teachers openly.

In New York City, bad influences confront children on a daily basis. Just walking from school to home, they must pass by pornography shops, prostitutes and drug dealers. In fact, it is a wonder that children even get home alive.

The streets are filled with danger, but the entire environment of New York is a terrible place for children. There are few open spaces, and parks are hard to get to and unsafe. The air quality is horrible, and children suffer from asthma all over the city. On top of that, the noise pollution in the city is so stressful that no child can get a good night’s sleep. Finally, diseases are everywhere, coming from crowded subways, pooping pigeons, and rats crawling through the garbage.

Worst of all, the cost of living in New York is so high that only a millionaire can afford to live here. Rents are ridiculously expensive, and food prices are astronomical. Generally, both parents have to work in order to make ends meet, which leaves little time to spend with their kids.

Without doubt, parents would have to be crazy to subject their children to such a horrible place. On top of everything that is wrong with living in New York, it is a known terrorist target. The dangers of living in New York are both present and future, so my advice to parents is for them to raise their kids far way from this urban nightmare.

[341 words]

[eslprof.com/handouts/Comp/NYCIsABadPlaceToRaiseKids.doc]