I was at a school reunion a couple of years ago. The typical conversation went like this:
‘Yaas, we’ve just moved to Bayswater, how about you?’
‘We’re living in a small village in Worcestershire. Where do you live VW?’
‘We’re in Wolverhampton’
Eyebrows head upwards, jaws drop and I feel I have to justify myself.
Out of that environment I am so happy to be here: in a place where people are real and I’m not goaded into competitive parenting by all the afterschool activities and academic achievements of my children’s peers.
I can work out what I really want for my family. One of the fantastic things about being in the inner city is that there’s no pressure from alpha mums. I feel I can concentrate on what’s important without feeling guilty about not signing my kids up to all the classes going.
The Vicar's Wife 
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