Living the suburban dream?

A friend said to me a few months back that there was no way she was going to end up a suburban cliché. The furthest she would live from the city was Camberwell. She's not one for housing estates and blossoming new suburbs. So whilst throwing imaginary darts at her head, I started thinking about my journey to becoming a suburban cliché.

I grew up in a small country town where property is measured in acres and pets have udders. When I finished high school and headed to Uni to begin a course I would later change four times, I was heading to the bright lights and fast pace of the city, not the safety of its suburbs. Over the years however, I moved house many times, each time I moved a little further out. It didn't matter that I started to earn more money because everything got more expensive (especially shoes). When it was eventually time to buy, we moved West where the land was plentiful and the houses were realistically priced. It was such a slow transition from struggling student to home owner that I barely noticed it.

We built the standard three bedroom home on an averaged sized block. We gradually began to replace our crappy furniture with adult pieces. We landscaped the front yard and planted drought resistant, low maintenance plants that can be found at every single house within the estate. It wasn't long before we got a dog to torture our cat. Then came the baby to torture the dog. Finally we bought a station wagon to carry the dog/baby/pram/my gigantic nappy bag. And here we are.

Our move to the West was not without sacrifice. The main challenge of living in any outer suburb is travel. Peak hour is a nightmare. Whether you are braving the Westgate Freeway or the train, you can expect problems. When I was five months pregnant, I was travelling into work by train and a man threw up on me. He actually vomited three times and then got off the train without saying a word. I had managed to survive morning sickness without throwing up on anyone (there was one out of the door incident which I'm trying to forget), I couldn't believe my bad luck. We also have a fair amount of travel to visit family and friends. Most have remained in the East or far North, so visiting requires planning and a small bank loan to cover the insane petrol costs.

What it comes down to though, is that I have chosen this suburban life and I prefer it to anything the city could offer. I like living in a new estate and watching young families moving into their first homes. I like the shiny new roads and facilities that continue to pop up around us. I like going to the local shops and knowing I can always get a free car park (and a pram park no less!). I like that our supermarket is new and clean and staff are friendly because they are not yet tainted by years of service. I love that prams are like handbags and no one leaves homes without one. Of course there is Target instead of David Jones, Jeans West instead of Calvin Klein and childcare centres instead of pubs, the town is catering to families. The suburb was built for families, what's wrong with that?

Am I a suburban cliché? Absolutely, and I have the Ugg boots to prove it.