Raising Kids in Idaho Leaves Much Wanting

Idaho is considered middling.  I saw a story on The Washington Post's website.  I’m not sure if it’s behind the paywall (I subscribe), but here’s the link if it’s available for free.  No promises.  It provided interactive maps, allowing you to view the country, county by county.  The places ranked the best were all in suburban Washington, D.C., where most people who work at the Post live!  Go figure.

Why Don't We Score Higher?

The story has a series of maps and explains the criteria used in making the judgment.  Idaho is considered a relatively safe place, but apparently, we don’t have enough in the way of an education bureaucracy (that’s subjective, isn’t it?)  Overall, the state looks to be about in the middle of the best places considered by the research.  I’m not sold, and I’ll explain.

My sister teaches school in an impoverished county in southwestern New York State.  She raised a daughter in our quiet, small town, where crime is rare.  Because there’s not much to steal!  I guess that allows a good ranking, but most of the kids who grow up there usually need to move away for opportunities, some of them far away.

The Survey May Miss One Important Factor

Ultimately, the quality of where you raise your kids is determined by you.  What kind of parent are you?  My parents demanded we be home before sunset when we were little, and we couldn’t even cross the street without permission.  I was in high school before I could stay awake beyond 9:00 p.m.  My mother went to work early and woke us before 6:00 a.m. to ensure we couldn’t claim we overslept and missed school.  Oh, and there was a list of chores before school.  None of us ever did any jail time.