Today, I am loving my neighborhood. Three reasons why:
1.) With Mr. A’s help, M and L set up a lemonade stand. A variety of neighbors (all living within sight of our yard) walked over and bought the somewhat overpriced hand-squeezed lemonade. Even the somewhat hermit-ish neighbors who mow their yard so rarely the city has to mow it came over and bought two cups. I like that my neighbors are kind to my kids.
2.) This evening was the first of the weekly free Sunday concerts on our town green. This week’s entertainment was the local high school band, which is not my favorite kind of music at all. But I love, love, love seeing little kids dancing in the setting sun as their parents and hoardes of old folks sitting on lawn chairs watch. I like that no one leaves our town until they up and die, and dammit they will be watching concerts on the green until they are rolled away in a casket.
3.) When we were walking home from the concert, I saw a kid named Kevin (Kevin is not his real name) whose mom I know (he is a neighbor of ThatPatti) and another (hooligan!) friend walking the same direction in front of us. The hooligan kid threw a coke bottle down on the ground in someone’s yard. I yelled at him from about 1/2 a block away and told him to pick it up. He did. Then he walked a little farther and threw it down in the street (!!). So then, I yelled “Kevin, tell your friend to pick up that bottle! If you need a trash can, there is one in the park” . They both looked back at me startled, but they picked it up. I like that I a) recognized one of the kids, b) told them to behave and c) they listened…eventually. I hope that people make my kids behave when they aren’t with me and will tell on them if the don’t. It takes a village to keep kids in line. Isn’t that what community is all about?
Your neighborhood does sound lovely, I just hope you can find a house to buy in it! I think you did a great job reprimanding those boys. I also hope that neighbors and friends can also help me keep the boys in line as they grow.
As to #3… I love that about my neighborhood, too. Every mom on our street (and the next street over) has Correction Rights. I love that my Tongginator will be guided by more than just me. Because it’s simply not possible for me to watch her every second. And Lord knows she NEEDS to be watched every second. Heh.
love you! Worthington FTW! xoxo
I loved that about my neigborhood as a kid. Right now we don’t know many of the kids in my neighborhood, but I hope once we get into the elementary school next year we will know all or most of them. I think that’s what makes a neighborhood happy and safe; parents caring enough about eachother’s kids to say something to them when they need to hear it – and not getting offended when someone tells you something your own kid did – just as a heads up – not in a “my kid is better than yours” way.