Buying a house in Westgate

Sewsew_mom

Mon, Jul 08 2024, 9:55 pm

amother Seafoam wrote:

There is a problem with Jewish juvenile delinquents.
https://lakewoodalerts.com/man.....ideo/

https://nj1015.com/teens-terro.....ossi/

This. Do Your research.
I know first hand of kids struggling specifically in this neighborhood. Be aware of the cons as well as the pros. They are also so important.
Anyone who hush hushes what's going on with the teens there is in denial.

amother

Mauve

Mon, Jul 08 2024, 9:59 pm

Sewsew_mom wrote:

I live here. It’s gotten way better recently. Also not all those teens are from Westgate, but they come here to hang out, and they’ve done a better job of making it less of a hangout place.

Sewsew_mom

Mon, Jul 08 2024, 10:11 pm

amother Mauve wrote:

I live here. It’s gotten way better recently. Also not all those teens are from Westgate, but they come here to hang out, and they’ve done a better job of making it less of a hangout place.

I do personally know families that live there. That struggle immensely with their teens getting involved in wrong groups. In the shops. In the shuls.
Maybe it got better at hiding stuff?
But loads of struggling children there.

amother

Stone

Mon, Jul 08 2024, 10:25 pm

Sewsew_mom wrote:

not more than anywhere else
Ppl like hyping this up it’s completely exaggerated. There are struggling teens in every neighborhood unfortunately and Westgate is just bigger

Sewsew_mom

Mon, Jul 08 2024, 10:48 pm

amother Stone wrote:

not more than anywhere else
Ppl like hyping this up it’s completely exaggerated. There are struggling teens in every neighborhood unfortunately and Westgate is just bigger

I hear.
They are starting at a much younger age in westgate. And there is much more non structured freedom in Westgate. And because it's so large and everything is so accessible - really easy to fall into the trap of someone is or isn't looking.

amother

Caramel

Mon, Jul 08 2024, 11:10 pm

I have a struggling teen on the other side of Lakewood. Don’t judge. You can’t imagine the pain that the parents feel when this happens to their own child. Most of the time the teen is acting out because he is unhappy inside. He’s in his own kind of pain. I promise you that most struggling teens will come back if people are nice to them and treat them with some sort of respect. It’s hard to respect a struggling teen but you should know that they are crying out for respect and acknowledgement. They suffered at some point and this is how they are reacting to what they went through. They just want to be acknowledged no matter what they look like now.
Behind every struggling teen is a family. Usually it’s an ordinary and simple family who just want their teen to come back.
Don’t stay away from us. Reach out and you will realize that we have big hearts behind our tears.
I’m not in westgate but when I go I sometimes feel like I’m in a city in Eretz Yisroel. Simple, nice and warm families with sweet children who are raised with yiras shamayim.
There will always be some black sheep but they are far from the majority and IyH they will come back soon.

amother

Stone

Mon, Jul 08 2024, 11:34 pm

Sewsew_mom wrote:

Why would there be more non structured freedom? That depends on the parents I would say not on the location of their house
I grew up there and know many ppl there

Sewsew_mom

Mon, Jul 08 2024, 11:50 pm

amother Caramel wrote:

I'm Sorry if I came across as judgy. That was not my intention.
My intention was to let OP know that without visiting and finding out what's the pros and cons she may overlook things that are important to her.

I have a struggling spouse. I understand the pain they are in as children. I wish you a lot of strength to be there for your child with love.

I am saying that Westgate is easier accessible for kids at a younger age.

And also.. Looks can be deceiving. There are erlicher families everywhere. Westgate has some just like anywhere else. And they have many struggling families like anywhere else.
When it's more condensed it's more.

Sewsew_mom

Mon, Jul 08 2024, 11:51 pm

amother Stone wrote:

Why would there be more non structured freedom? That depends on the parents I would say not on the location of their house
I grew up there and know many ppl there

Parents send their kids to the store at a young age. And the pizza shop. I've been there. While it could be beautiful... It's also more hefker. Parents don't always know where the kids are.

amother

Khaki

Tue, Jul 09 2024, 12:21 am

amother Caramel wrote:

I also have a struggling teen. I don't live in Westgate but I do live nearby. There are many struggling kids in Westgate. Many of them don't live there, but they do hang out there a lot. This is not about the struggling teens, it's about the parents who live there and are scared because their young impressionable kids are more exposed to the "cool" struggling kids than if they would live elsewhere in Lakewood.

If you speak to parents who live there, they will tell you about it. I've heard it first hand from westgate parents. Even though I have a struggling teen I don't find it insulting that other parents don't want their kids exposed to groups of struggling teens. It's perfectly reasonable and their responsibility as a parent to keep their kids safe.