Housing Crisis (of Sorts)

As I have mentioned in many a blog post, living with five people in a one-bedroom condo can make us all feel awfully claustrophobic.  While Ethan and I have no immediate intentions to move, we occasionally take a look at houses on the market to get an idea of what's for sale for what in our area.  We have basically concluded that if we were to move, at some point, into a single-family home, it would only be if we found a place that succeeds in fitting within the limits of our expectations as well as the limits of what we are willing to spend.

In other words, unless we happen upon a house that is a) in our current town, b) in our current elementary school district, c) larger than the place in which we currently live, d) constructed with a minimum of 1.5 bathrooms, and e) WELL under the average price of houses in our area, we're happy to stay put where we are.

The kids apparently don't understand how remote the possibility of us moving in the near future is under our current limitations.  In fact, Ethan and I had not even intended to discuss this issue with the kids.  While the girls were watching a movie this weekend, I showed Ethan some pictures online of various houses for sale in our part of town.  This exercise was basically akin to me showing him pictures of resorts in Tahiti; it was a way to live vicariously, while thinking, "Someday, down the line, doing this would be nice." 

The movie ended while I was showing Ethan the last of the houses I'd found, one which is definitely out of our price range, but was by far the nicest of the homes we'd seen.  Before I knew it, the girls were crowding around us, hanging off our laps, trying to figure out what we were looking at on my computer.

Thus began the most ridiculous discussion ever, in which the girls failed to understand in any way how unlikely the event of our moving is.

JULIA: But Mom!  I don't WANT to go to another school!  I want to just keep living HERE!
ME: Well, Julia, Daddy and I were only looking at houses that are in the same school district.
JULIA: But Mom!  I just don't WANT to move!  I don't want to have ALL NEW kids in my class!
ME: Honey.  I just told you.  We were looking at houses in the SAME school district.
JULIA: But I just love living here.  I don't WANT to go to a different town!
ME: Julia.  We wouldn't move unless we stayed in the same town.  I mean, Daddy would be happy to move to a different town, but he knows that it's really important to me to stay here, so he's okay with that.

At this point, Madeleine joined the discussion.

MADELEINE: (face crumpling) But I don't WANT Daddy to move to another tooooown!  I want Daddy to live with US!

Sigh.

ME: Honey.  Daddy is NOT moving to another town.  I'm just saying that it's not as important to him that we stay in this town, but because it's important to ME, and to you girls, he's willing to stay here.  If we didn't care, Daddy would be okay with moving to another town, or even to another school district.
JULIA: But MOMMY!  I don't WANT to go to a different SCHOOL!

Again??

ME: Julia.  We would ONLY MOVE if we found a house in the SAME TOWN, in the SAME SCHOOL DISTRICT.
MADELEINE: But I would miss Lilly too much!
ME: You would STILL go to school with Lilly.  Girls.  This is ridiculous.  Daddy and I are NOT planning on moving any time soon.
JULIA: But I don't WANT to move.  I just feel USED to it here.
ME: Well, that's fine, because we're not planning on moving.  But you would get used to a new place if we ever did move.
JULIA: (starting to freak out) But I don't WANT to move!
ETHAN AND I: We're NOT MOVING.

I thought we had finally gotten through to the girls, but about ten minutes later, as I got Madeleine ready for bed, her face suddenly crumpled again.

MADELEINE: But Maaaamaaaaa!  I will miss Lilly TOO MUCH if we moooooovee!

Oh.  My.  God.  Clearly the children are just completely incapable of understanding a single thing I said in regards to moving.  Let's not pay the slightest attention to what Mommy is saying.  Let's just freak out about it!

Then, to prove just how clearly she gets it, Madeleine explained to me why she never wants to move.

ME: Honey, why are you getting so upset?
MADELEINE: Because I would be saaaaad.
ME: Why?
MADELEINE: Of Mommy and Daddy LEAVING.

Yup.  That's what we're gonna do.  Ethan and I are going to find our own house and move out and leave the kids alone here.  How does she not understand that we would ALL BE MOVING TOGETHER??

Sheesh kids.  Way to make a mountain out of a molehill!