It's been a few weeks since we started traveling. Long enough to form basic impressions, but not long enough to gain confident insight into what this means for our family. Still, I think the basic impressions are worth recording, even if future changes or reversals may surprise us someday.
The first thing that strikes you about living here in Budapest is the almost universal respect for public spaces: public schools, parks, public transport. The cleanliness and accessibility of all these areas gives us a basic sense of ease in daily life here that doesn't exist in America.
Like the boiled frog, I think I've become accustomed to certain experiences in American public spaces and come to think of them as inevitable and “part” of life in big cities. Masu.
My eldest son had his (first) school day here in Budapest. It is a public school formed on the basic Montessori philosophy, meaning the schedule is almost entirely play-based. When children enter school, they put on their “shoes,” wash their hands, and say good morning to their teachers. They are taught to play outside, then inside the house, and to put away their toys when they are done playing.
They garden, make arts and crafts, and provide nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day. This costs less than $15 a month. The teachers are kind and helpful. During the first few weeks, parents can stay as long as necessary to get their children used to the environment, and children are free to take a “mom's day” off from school and stay with their families instead. .
Parents are welcome to pick up their children any time after lunch. Ideological activities related to gender and sexuality are punishable by law, but those involved may not even think about it in the first place. As far as I know, these provisions were enacted preemptively by conservative Hungarians in Congress who see America and other Western countries as petri dishes of self-destructive mind viruses.
The high quality and low cost of early childhood education programs is truly amazing. Beyond schools, these exist in all museums, operas and other arts hubs. The playground situation is equally astonishing. Almost every block has a well-maintained, safe, enclosed and well-lit play area with sections for different age groups. Vagrancy and criminal activity exist, but are relatively rare. I have yet to meet a mentally ill person who is violent towards other pedestrians. It's not uncommon for families to gather on playgrounds after dark, but it's basically unthinkable in America.
You can basically go to the zoo, playground, museum, or wherever you want to go seamlessly. Public transportation is similarly clean, shady, and easily accessible. Trams, buses and metros almost always have disabled or stroller-accessible doors, and space for large strollers.
The people of Budapest are as family-friendly as their infrastructure. It is not uncommon to see an elderly woman sitting patiently with a stranger's child on the tram, smiling. I haven't received any harsh stares from passersby. I really feel the spirit of understanding and patience towards the children. they can eat at the restaurant and be a child without fear of reprimand.
Like the boiled frog, I think I've become accustomed to certain experiences in American public spaces and come to think of them as an unavoidable “part” of life in big cities. . Disgusting and anti-social behavior contributes to an underlying sense of anxiety, anger, and feeling trapped at home, especially as a mother of young children, and can lead to feelings of being accosted or followed by vagrants. After that, my husband and I basically stopped going downtown for date nights. in our car on one unfortunate anniversary.
Legal and technical freedoms may be specified in our founding documents. But no city in America today can boast that its citizens can walk freely through the night without fear of violence. Over the past few years, major cities across the United States have seen a significant increase in violent crime, as well as a significant increase in deaths from traffic accidents. reckless.
i felt it charlotte before we leave. Despite increased police enforcement, police departments saw an 8% increase in violent crimes in 2024. This includes murder (+36%), aggravated assault (+9%), and juvenile property crimes (+19%). . Violent crime has also skyrocketed in Washington, D.C., where I used to set foot. almost 40%mainly murder, armed robbery, carjacking, many of them Also raped by a child.
This most fundamental characteristic of freedom is not a legal repetition, but a mode of existence in the world. make daily life better Seems like a pretty obvious point. Highlighted by the irony of comparison with countries ruled by communist dictatorships in recent history. Of course, the contours of crime in America are third rail, politicized beyond the scope of polite conversation. This too is a tragedy. Especially because our thoughtless delay in plain justice has only left our children with the problem. An object in motion continues to move.
Although it has not been that long, we feel that living here in Budapest, a more peaceful life is possible for ourselves and our descendants.
