The Mad Housewife Returns
For years I wrote for Preston Hollow People – until I went into overdrive as a mom and took some time off.
Since 2015, I have hovered, smothered, and managed our kids’ lives. At a recent family dinner that felt more like an intervention, they suggested I start writing again.
Since my last column, we moved from one Preston Hollow home to another.
In both neighborhoods, we enjoy walking, but on streets without sidewalks, it’s a challenge.
When we first moved to Preston Hollow, our real estate agent pitched that roads sans cement walkways make the area exclusive, like a village in New England. Dallas is no village, and over the years, we have realized that dodging rain puddles and texting drivers is no picnic.
While our current home was under construction, we rented a place in University Park.
I had rarely ventured into the Park Cities except to shop at Mustang Donuts and only knew that my youngest referred to kids from that side of town as “Parkies,” like they are a different type of human. After living in Parkie World, I can honestly say – they are.
To begin with, the residents south of Northwest Highway are younger than those who live north of the great divide.
Parkies are also cuter, which is hard to believe because all my village people are adorable. Women looked like Gigi Hadid, and the men like Rory Mcilroy. Even the kids were adorable.
I felt like Ugly Betty.
What’s more, the Parkies were nice. They always said, “Hi,” as they bounced along with the little ones on their evening strolls to dinner. Yep, they walked to restaurants.
No self-respecting resident of Preston Hollow would ever walk to dinner – people might think you’re homeless.
Then one day, as I drove down a narrow, slalom-like University Park road, it dawned on me. The Park Cities aren’t so great. The streets are almost un-navigable.
Why? Because the Parkie city planners squeezed in sidewalks.
Which gets me back to where I started: I never expected to miss the puddled village roads of Preston Hollow or our evening ambles playing cat and mouse with teen drivers, but I did, and I am so glad to be back.
Michele Valdez, a slightly compulsive, mildly angry feminist, has been an attorney, volunteer, and The Mad Housewife columnist. She has four demanding adult children and a patient husband.
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