[MomMom]

Originally Posted by jaada

for my 2 cents i think vegas is no place to raise a family, it is dirty, it does have porn mags on the strip for free, that kids can grab, they are usually flying around the streets on the ground where people have thrown them. yes the strip is still part of vegas. my sister lived there she didnt stay there, lots of work she said. but vegas is too big too crowded. we went to go see my sister 4 yrs ago there and my kids saw their first real dead guy laying in the street cars just driving around him like he wasnt even there. sad

First of all, what are your kids doing on the Strip? It's for adults, not kids. That's what adults WANT when they come to Las Vegas!

And I've been here 30 years now, never saw no dead people.

But, anyways, I found your point of view interesting... thanks for your input..

[jaada]

Originally Posted by kimba01

Oh, c'mon. Really. It is sad and devastating to see children ruin their lives anywhere-and they do it anywhere. Of course you feel it more when you see it firsthand, but I bet in every ER there are horror stories of "when good kids go bad". This does not always go hand in hand with where they live, their economics, their parents...sometimes kids just act like idiots. And they do not fear their mortality. This has been going on since the beginning of time.

Lower income areas just breed different kinds of criminals. Crackheads, meth addicts...as opposed to prescription drugs, alcohol, cocaine in the higher income areas. Or guns, gang wars as opposed to the businessman that beats his wife or constantly belittles her, cheats on her...it is just more hidden.

This is a ridiculous argument and it seems that the Vegas forum bears the brunt of it because of the Strip. It is stupid. You are a flight away from the Strip whereever you live and there are many casinos, prostitution, drugs, gangs elsewhere in this world for kids to get into if they so choose.

Difference between raising them here and there is that the ones raised here may most likely choose to live elsewhere, whereas the ones raised elsewhere may be dying to live here.

yes kids ruin their lives everywhere, there are drugs and gangs and bad seeds and everywhere. cant stop it, but you can reduce the amount of garbage your kids are exposed to. you dont have to move them to a city that is based on prostitution, gambling, sex , gangs etc. vegas has a bad rap.you can move them to a smaller town or one that doesnt have porn flyers on the streets. and its stupid to say the strip isnt a factor when moving there because it is. its there, the all night partying is there, its what you kids are going to grow up seeing as the norm.

[MomMom]

We don't have any pornographic material on our streets where we live and in my surrounding neighborhood areas, and we never had.

Unless of course, I exposed my kids to it on purpose because I WANTED to visit those touristy areas....

My kids grew up ( and I have a couple of adopted ones, still growing up) with their friends and neighbors, playing football, baseball, soccer, joining band, going to church, holding charity events, going to their proms, homecoming, going to dances, backyard BBQ'S, being in choir, Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts, attending practice, going to Sunday school, trying out for various sports teams, music lessons, volunteering at charitable organizations, joining the YMCA, attending UNLV and CSN and graduating to become productive, clean, decent, moral Las Vegans.

[kimba01]

Originally Posted by jaada

yes kids ruin their lives everywhere, there are drugs and gangs and bad seeds and everywhere. cant stop it, but you can reduce the amount of garbage your kids are exposed to. you dont have to move them to a city that is based on prostitution, gambling, sex , gangs etc. vegas has a bad rap.you can move them to a smaller town or one that doesnt have porn flyers on the streets. and its stupid to say the strip isnt a factor when moving there because it is. its there, the all night partying is there, its what you kids are going to grow up seeing as the norm.

Maybe it will work, maybe it won't. Whether it does or not is not always the city's fault. That is my point. There are many more factors that come in to play. Parenting, peer pressure, tv, and internet, to name a few. What kids may see on the strip (and I have been many times and have not gotten involved in anything there but a few drinks and some slot play) they can and will check out online or hear it from their friends or see it on tv. Most likely they will see less on the strip then they will there. And you don't have to take them to the strip-EVER-if you don't want to.

Growing up and raising children outside Detroit (you know-that scary, nasty high drug, murder, prostitution, casino ridden city) neither they or I have walked over a dead person. I have only taken my children ONE time to the city for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. That was 20 yrs ago. My two youngest have never been and they are 18 and 14. Not because I am afraid or afraid for them, but because the suburbs have all their own things to offer. It can be done. You don't have to take them to the strip.

Now, did my kids go to Detroit when they could drive? Yep. Did I worry? Of course, but I worry whenever my kids go out. Couple of my daughter's friends even became strippers!! In Detroit!

So, to many people the allure of the strip is far greater in other locations then it is in Las Vegas. Are there better places for children? I am sure. Are there worse? I am also sure about that. But they can be raised here and they can become successful adults that don't all end up sliding around on a pole, snorting drugs, joining gangs...just because it is Las Vegas.

[lvkewlkid]

if you have a problem with your kids seeing porn mags on the street, then i wonder what will happen when you catch them seeing it in the bookstore, on TV, or online...

[guinnessjim]

wait...there is porn online?

why was i not informed? if anyone wants me, i will be in my bunk....

[MomMom]

Just watch MTV for a little bit and you'll be

[jrice]

I think, and its only an opinion, as far as kids--actually more geared towards teens, is that the only thing that makes Vegas different from a comparable sized city is that sex, drugs, and alcohol are more available and to a degree accepted here. Teens are for the most part going to experiment wherever they live but its just alittle more avail in Vegas. Parenting does go a long way but eventually teens are going to start experimenting--whether its sexual, drinking, etc.

As far as the billboards being outrageous, they are slightly more risque than your other comparable sized cities but those are more centered around the strip (which I think most locals avoid), and are worse while going through Pahrump where almost every billboard is for a brothel.

Vegas is what you make of it--some people like the south western atmosphere and attitude and some dont

[shaydie]

Originally Posted by ewoodwor

Can anyone with young kids make me feel better about Vegas?

My daughter is 11 and we've done okay. I grew up here in the 70s and it's much more kid friendly now that it was back then. I live on the outskirts of Summerlin and there are some cool parks around here.

I haven't lived anywhere else (although I'm moving to Seattle soon) so it's hard for me to compare, but I think it's probably different in a lot of ways growing up in Las Vegas. Since I was a little girl, I was in and out of casinos, to go eat, to see a movie, all sorts of reasons. My daughter still has to be dragged though casinos quite a bit, but at least they're more avoidable these days. When I was growing up, my friend's moms were usually cocktail waitresses, strippers, hotel maids, etc and it seems like there is an outside community now so my daughter's friends' moms have more "normal" jobs.

I don't feel like the social programs here are good for kids. I think if one didn't have insurance or needed any sort of help, they would be pretty much out of luck. But if you're okay financially, you can make a nice life for your kids here.

I think the most important thing in Las Vegas is to help your kids see past the glitter and not be materialistic. Seems like there are so many big-shots here and it's easy to get caught up in who has the best house, car, clothes... it's easy for them to get caught up in it.

[MomMom]

Originally Posted by shaydie

My daughter is 11 and we've done okay. I grew up here in the 70s and it's much more kid friendly now that it was back then. I live on the outskirts of Summerlin and there are some cool parks around here.

I haven't lived anywhere else (although I'm moving to Seattle soon) so it's hard for me to compare, but I think it's probably different in a lot of ways growing up in Las Vegas. Since I was a little girl, I was in and out of casinos, to go eat, to see a movie, all sorts of reasons. My daughter still has to be dragged though casinos quite a bit, but at least they're more avoidable these days. When I was growing up, my friend's moms were usually cocktail waitresses, strippers, hotel maids, etc and it seems like there is an outside community now so my daughter's friends' moms have more "normal" jobs.

I don't feel like the social programs here are good for kids. I think if one didn't have insurance or needed any sort of help, they would be pretty much out of luck. But if you're okay financially, you can make a nice life for your kids here.

I think the most important thing in Las Vegas is to help your kids see past the glitter and not be materialistic. Seems like there are so many big-shots here and it's easy to get caught up in who has the best house, car, clothes... it's easy for them to get caught up in it.

Great post and thank you! However, in this day and age, in the modern Las Vegas..THERE IS NO REASON FOR YOU to drag your kids through a smoky casino! There are plenty of restaurants, not located in hotels, that you can go to!

Bowling alley's and movie theaters located in the local casino's have outside entrances near these places...so you don't have to drag kids through the entire casino.

And there are a couple of movie complexes not located in casinos at all.

I find it hard to understand why people insist that they HAVE to "expose" their children to the casino floors, when with a little research, it is completely avoidable...

Much good luck to you and your family in Seattle!