Barrie Petersen
Trusting Yourself
As a mom of a 21 and 23-year-old, I’ve learned a lot about myself and parenting as I watched my kids grow. When they were young, I strived for perfection. With this, I became overwhelmed and felt that I was not well equipped to be a parent. As I tried to see things more through their eyes and let go of perfection, I was able to create some of my fondest memories with them. Now that they’re both grown and out of the house, I’ve realized that everything turned out pretty great.
The Big Picture
Before becoming a mom, my husband and I decided to buy a house in Long Beach. When we first started looking, we were most concerned with looking at what appealed to us in the moment. For us, that meant the architecture of the home. 24 years later, I’ve come to realize that this was a buyer’s mistake. I now find it crucial to look at the neighborhood and other aspects that are out of your control, more than the house itself. You can always make the house bigger, or change the style, but you can’t change the neighborhood. When looking for homes, make sure to look at schools and the quality of life that different neighborhoods will bring to you and your family to ensure a sense of comfort where you live.
Growing Your Home
When I first bought my home, I didn’t think it was perfect by any means. I had no idea how much I’d grow to love this home and the neighborhood itself. It was a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom home that we shared as a family of four. Once we outgrew the house physically, we decided to expand because we loved our neighbors and the memories we had created there more than anything. Our house became perfect because we made it perfect for us. Over the years, the home grew to us and we grew into it. Loving your home is more important than ever. As long as you’re in love with the aspects that you cannot change, there is always a way to make your home perfect for you.
Unique Neighborhoods
I’m going to be transparent, Long Beach is an expensive place to live. But there is definitely a place for everyone at every budget, depending on your goals and priorities. With vast cultural and ethnic diversity, each neighborhood in Long Beach offers a different element of culture that will benefit every person.
Let’s Talk Schools
Every educational and school experience will greatly differ for each family. There is so much to gain from being a part of such a diverse community of learning, no matter where you go. We are so lucky to have a school district that is listening to the demands of parents and the needs of children. No matter where you live in Long Beach, every child has the opportunity for a good public education, as well as various private options.
When thinking long-term about neighborhood schools, it’s important to recognize that LBUSD is working hard to meet the ever-growing needs of our students and parents. Most recently, they’ve added a second dual immersion program into Bixby Elementary. They’ve also added a second high-achieving high school, Sato Academy, where kids can opt to take college courses. The district offers work-based learning, career-based pathways based on industry themes, and so much more. One of the huge benefits of being in the Long Beach public school system is that there are many different pathways offered in high school that allows kids to choose where they want to go and what they want to achieve. This gives them a big insight into adulthood. It’s also important to know that any child that graduates from an LBUSD high school can attend Long Beach City College for free for two years.
Being a Long Beach Mom
From the time our kids were in kindergarten, I always found the time to make my way into the classroom to benefit the teachers and kids, and surprisingly even myself. Over my years as a parent, some of my fondest memories have been of helping out in the classroom. Having this opportunity makes me feel so lucky to call myself a Long Beach mom.
My team also has recent personal experience going through the Long Beach public schools from K-12 and has connections to LBUSD that keep us updated on all things school-related in the LBC.
If you want to chat real estate or just connect for any of your school or other questions, reach out to me anytime!
Barrie Petersen
Compass Long Beach
Instagram: @lovetoliveinlongbeach
