Summers in the country.

gp2.0

Wed, Jul 08 2015, 5:52 pm

I've seen plenty of bungalows that are laid out in rows, or one semi-circle with a row behind it. I've seen bungalow colonies that are officially fenced but the gate is often open. I've seen bungalow colonies that are open to the road with a narrow brush line acting as a "gate." I've seen bungalow colonies with a gate on the road side, but fully open to the forest that goes on for miles on the other side. What's going to stop a couple of 7 year olds from exploring the forest "just a little?" Absolutely nothing. Their moms will think they're at each other's bungalows and will discover that they are missing hours later. (This actually happened.) It is so easy to get lost in a forest in just three minutes. You get turned around and that's it, you're headed in the opposite direction and you have no idea because it all looks the same.

Maya

Wed, Jul 08 2015, 5:58 pm

Sanguine wrote:

Do you know what a Bungalow colony looks like? A bunch of Bungalows in a semi circle with grass in the middle. The mothers all sit outside. There's nothing to do in the bungalow. (If there's anyone here who's in a bungalow, all those ladies much be having a blast reading about all these bungalow fears Very Happy

- Hi bungalow ladies Wave

watch out for the silos ). The pool isn't unattended. It's full of kids and mothers. They know the 7 year olds too and will stop one from going in he pool without their mother (and fully clothed).

S even year olds aren't trying to escape the bungalow colony. They're not sneaking out the gate.

You ladies really don't get it. A bungalow colony is full of little kids and their mothers. Everyone is outdoors all day (we even ate meals at a picnic table). Mothers aren't inside busy.They're all outside all day with all the kids.The little bit of housework that they have they do during daycamp.Everyone knows everyone else. Everyone knows everyone else's kids too. No kid wanders off alone. You're all making up what-if's that don't fit the bungalow scene

You think you're talking to women who've never seen a bungalow colony? We've all seen it, we've all spent summers in one, and we know exactly the lifestyle. Also, you are giving the other mothers - and your seven year old - way too much credit. I don't know about you, but if I'm busy with my family, I'm not going to notice what your kid is doing. And kids don't wander off alone or break the rules by trying to get out? You must all have little angels in there.

Like I said before, your description sounds nice. If only it were true.

MagentaYenta

Wed, Jul 08 2015, 6:03 pm

gp2.0 wrote:

There are black bears too. Sometimes spotted nosing around on the playground in the early morning hours around 6 a.m. or so.

There are grizzly bears and cougars in the catskills too but the black bears were spotted several times.

Sorry no grizzly bears in the Catskills, only black bears (ursus Americanus), there are black bears that appear brown so this is a common mistake. People live quite differently when there are grizzlys about.

If you do have black bears make sure food droppings are cleaned up and trash cans are secure. Some of these critters are used to humans and can be quite bold, so mind your manners. Know what their scat looks like too. It's a good way to learn their paths and destinations.

Talk to your local ranger station or Wildlife officers to see if there were cat sightings. In the country a cat sighting 4 miles away was taken very seriously. These same folks can tell you if the bear is a nuisance bear or aggressive. In the past NJ Fish and Wildlife used to tag bears and relocate the nuisance ones. Heck ask a Wildlife officer to come and speak at the colony. You can learn a lot about native species from these folks. Not about bears and cats but birds, bugs and grasses too. The kids and adults would love it.

Barbara

Wed, Jul 08 2015, 6:10 pm

Sanguine wrote:

- Hi bungalow ladies Wave

I'm a little confused.

I thought you hadn't been to a bungalow colony in 30 or 40 years. (BTW, I've only been to one once, about 16 years ago, to visit my FIL and his wife. It was not designed in a semi-circle with grass in the middle. And it looked like it was build in the Year of the Flood. Or at least that's when the last repairs were done.)

Also, I thought the selling point was that the kids were able to wander off and do their own thing, with little or no supervision. Now you're saying that they're in day camp -- supervised -- a substantial amount of time, and that the rest of the time, they're being watched constantly be adults, and are never permitted to wander off from the watchful eyes of adults.

So, if camp is a necessity, and constant supervision is a necessity, how is this any different from, say, townhouses in Brooklyn?

Mama Bear

Wed, Jul 08 2015, 7:26 pm

Sanguine wrote:

Bungalow people - Do they still have trucks that come once a week? (I went as a little kid, not a grown up) - Very few women had cars in the bungalow. No one had 2 cars then (45 years ago). My parents didn't drive at all then. I remember the bread truck that sold onion board (yum!!). I remember a pizza truck. And I remember my mother buying linens from a truck (not weekly). Maybe a milk truck.
.

Most colonies have grocery stores on premises by now. we do have the ice cream truck, library truck, refuah mobile, butcher truck....

Mama Bear

Wed, Jul 08 2015, 7:29 pm

Sanguine wrote:

3 year olds don't roam around but 7 year olds do with their friends. It's a gated community in which you know all the other families. cars don't drive through. The older kids know all the younger ones too.

When my 2 yr old 'roams', I'm outside with him. Andhe has so much space to try out different bikes and playground equipment. I can be outside my bungalow or on my screened porch for long stretches at a time to supervise him. I wouldnt be able to do that even in the suburbs.

amother

Pewter

Wed, Jul 08 2015, 8:32 pm

I live in a large development in lakewood. The houses and properties are large. There is lots of grass where one yard folds in to the next yard. There are swing sets, trampolines and some people even have pools. We dont have a pool but at the moment I am sitting here waiting for my kids to come home from a neighbors in ground heated pool. All the kids around here play together which is nice.

I do not want to go to the country. My home is comfortable (not fancy just easier to live in than a bungalow). I like my central air, laundry room and dishwasher. I do not want to sit outside and do a needlepoint!! I send my kids to day camp and I get in the car and do errands. I stock up at walmart and try on clothing in clothing stores which I can not do when my kids are home. I don't make a big deal about meals in the summer. Fresh bagels and scrambled eggs with a leben, cut up watermelon...

It is country like here only the temperature doesn't get as cool outside.

I am talking about living here as opposed to an old bungalow. I do believe that it is a different life style in the newer type summer homes which are not shabby at all and are equipped with all.

amother

Oak

Wed, Jul 08 2015, 8:45 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

In the suburbs people have backyards with swing sets and patios for bikes etc. that said I don't think I would let my 2 yo out alone I like to be a bit closer.

PinkFridge

Wed, Jul 08 2015, 9:14 pm

Sanguine wrote:

I asked if you ever went to a bungalow colony cause there are no men there during the week. There aren't even big boys (wonder if they even get a minyan during the week). No man blends in well during the week. I went to the bungalow till I was 9 and I knew every single person in my bungalow colony (40 families). The mothers are all outdoors all day.That's what you do in the bungalow. No man would wander around without being stopped by the ladies there.

They're not all strange men.

Leahh

Wed, Jul 08 2015, 11:58 pm

I enjoyed reading the thread and don't really have much to add.
But I do want to point out alot of the bungalow life Sanguine is referring to is the way it was way back when she went. Many colonies are different now, with fancier, roomier bungalows or even houses and that has changed bungalow life.
I believe that the colonies with the houses are the ones where parents are lax rather than relaxed because they may stay inside and let their toddler go play outside. In the colony Sanguine remembers no one ever stayed inside the bungalow so adults were always around and always watching.
ETA trucks (as was mentioned earlier) were not able to get onto the colony grounds. They stayed in the parking lot and the moms took turns going.

saw50st8

Thu, Jul 09 2015, 7:58 am

Maya wrote:

It comes in with those posters who say they allow their six and seven year olds to run around without keeping a constant eye on them, because they don't see what danger there is in them running around unsupervised. This discussion is not about a baby who plays in front of your bungalow while you watch him from inside.

At what age would you let your children play unsupervised?

the world's best mom

Thu, Jul 09 2015, 9:17 am

Leahh wrote:

There are still real bungalow colonies left. I go to one of them.

My in-laws have a summer home in a different colony, and they couldn't understand why I wanted to rent a bungalow instead of coming to their place. Theirs is a large house, with a road that goes through the whole colony. It's a huge place, and everyone else there allows their kids to run loose-even 2 year olds- but I wouldn't let any of my kids run free. It's big enough for kids to disappear and I wouldn't be able to find them. And the cars are a problem, and the stream running through the place. The ladies tend to spend their days inside, cleaning their mansions. Only the kids are out. Not my cup of tea.

A couple of 2 year olds once ended up on the main road outside the colony, and the police found them. They were worried about neglect, but all the people in this colony said of course it's not neglect- they just went out to play. Uh huh. Rolling Eyes

kitov

Thu, Jul 09 2015, 10:41 am

This thread reminds me of the notorious camp thread a few summers go. It all comes down to this: it's my way or the highway! You can yell your kishkas out, you can turn your gal bladder inside out, you can even wake the long dead bungalow colony caretaker from his grave to prove your point, but it wont do a thing.

the chevra are convinced each with their beliefs, so go hock a cheinik!

Leahh

Thu, Jul 09 2015, 8:17 pm

the world's best mom wrote:

As I wrote in my op MANY of the colonies have changed. I am aware that some are still the same but the ones that have changed pose a bigger danger than the older style ones as you point out in your post.