Won’t You Be My Neighbors?

A house right down the street from us just added a “for sale” sign in the yard. It looks like we’re in the market for some new neighbors. 

These neighbors were — in pretty much all senses of the word — GREAT neighbors. Their kids were older than mine, but they never hesitated to welcome my young ones into whatever game was the day’s favorite on our cul-de-sac. They looked out for the little ones, were incredibly respectful, and would always stop to chat. I’m going to miss them. A lot. 

We threw a little going away party for them, complete with lawn chairs, ice cream sundaes and our summer favorite: water balloons. And I couldn’t help but wonder to myself,

Why haven’t we done this before? Why did we wait until they are about to move to get together like this?

It was so refreshing to just stand in the driveway and watch the kids chase each other with water balloons — until they hatched a plan to bombard all of the parents!   

The Summer of Neighbors

Actually, this summer has been the summer of neighbors. Maybe it’s that my kids are a little bit older. Or maybe our toys got magically cooler (I don’t think so!). But pretty much every day, at some point or another, I can count on finding one or two or five neighbor kids having a blast either upstairs or in our front yard. 

And it’s been awesome. That’s exactly how I grew up. We played every day, all day with our neighbors. Someone’s mom would feed us lunch and we knew that dusk was our cue to get home. 

We invented games on the trampoline and built forts. We fought, and we made up. There was blood, sweat and tears, and it was glorious. 

The thing about neighbors is, you can’t really get away from them. They’re going to be there tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. So, you’ve got to learn to get along. 

And one more thing that I love about neighbors, as a mom: I can send them home whenever I want! 

Come on Over

And so, before the summer winds all the way down, I’m so glad that the neighborhood kids keep knocking on our door. I’m so glad that they love on all of my kids, even the little ones who always ruin their lego towers and interrupt their nerf wars and knock down their carefully set army men. 

Did I mention there’s a house for sale on my street? 

Won’t you be my neighbors?