"I don't know if the 'stern' came out or if I yelled," I explained to my neighbor of six doors away, "so I wanted to let you know. And if you catch my girls doing something out of bounds..."
I'm trying to navigate my first neighborhood parent-to-parent relationship. My two Monkeys, age 5 and 7, have discovered that two little girls age 6 and 8, live a few houses away, same side of the street. The four of them run back and forth, playing in our front yards. People I do not know. Everyone else my Monkeys hang out with I know the parents either from our church's Mothers' Rosary Group or from school, meeting and talking with them, and seeing them discipline their children, almost daily on the playground.
I had just caught the girls looking in the letter slot of our shared-wall neighbors' house. The neighbors who think my Monkeys are cute, but do not have children. They would probably not find the faces peering through their letter slot into their living room so cute.
Who am I kidding?
I yelled. At my Monkeys, who were on the front walk, and at the other girls, J&J, who were on the front step.
Though when I told my neighbor the mother of J&J, I cast it that all four were involved in the peeping. (If I saw some doing it, chances are they probably all were.) She was mortified and assured me that she would absolutely tell me if she caught my kids doing anything. Though she did say that Monkey1 especially was respectful and minded. (That was good to hear, and I praised Monkey1 for this when talking to my Monkeys later.)
I'm trying to navigate my first neighborhood parent-to-parent relationship. My two Monkeys, age 5 and 7, have discovered that two little girls age 6 and 8, live a few houses away, same side of the street. The four of them run back and forth, playing in our front yards. People I do not know. Everyone else my Monkeys hang out with I know the parents either from our church's Mothers' Rosary Group or from school, meeting and talking with them, and seeing them discipline their children, almost daily on the playground.
I had just caught the girls looking in the letter slot of our shared-wall neighbors' house. The neighbors who think my Monkeys are cute, but do not have children. They would probably not find the faces peering through their letter slot into their living room so cute.
Who am I kidding?
I yelled. At my Monkeys, who were on the front walk, and at the other girls, J&J, who were on the front step.
Though when I told my neighbor the mother of J&J, I cast it that all four were involved in the peeping. (If I saw some doing it, chances are they probably all were.) She was mortified and assured me that she would absolutely tell me if she caught my kids doing anything. Though she did say that Monkey1 especially was respectful and minded. (That was good to hear, and I praised Monkey1 for this when talking to my Monkeys later.)
We've been in this neighborhood four years now, so I guess it is time to meet get to know people more than just to nod in recognition.
No comments:
Post a Comment