interacting with neighbor kids

I was talking to an online acquaintance last night when the topic of neighborhood kids came up. It seems I forgot to write about and incident that happened just before we left for CA. As it seems that my blog is not as boring as I thought, and people are actually interested in my ramblings. Who knew? So for those few that know of this and want a laugh, I better share. What other way is there to let someone in closer to my strange little corner of the world.

I have neighbors diagonal from me that I really don't see much of. That in itself is not strange, I don't see or talk to about 5 of them. What's strange to me is that these neighbors have children and I see them out and about a few times a week, and the children are usually unattended.

Goof tends to think the mother has depression issues, since she's usually hiding in the house. I do know that when I see her, she's on the phone. I've seen her sit in her car to talk on the phone. Granted, I've done that myself when the house is too noisy or my phone is dying and I need to charge it while talking. Yea yea, we won't go into that.

So 3 little kids. Girl age 8, named after a famous country singer, boy age 5 named after a rapper, and baby boy age 2.5 or 3 also named after an r&b singer. All in all okay kids. They just don't have a concept of boundaries. First time I met the girl, we had just closed on the house. Goof was napping after moving in furniture, and she was playing with Stinky. Well she's really too young to play with Stinky, but she had a cheeseburger in hand. It was a cheeseburger that Goof had bought. Seems she got hungry and asked Stinky for something to eat! Huh? I don't know you, and I'm moving in, what the hell are you doing asking me for food?

About a week later, we are unpacked for the most part, and as a way to meet our neighbors, I bake a few cookies. So with paper plates neatly wrapped consisting of several cookie selections off we go. Dropped the cookies off at doorstops or met the neighbor. When we get to their house it gets strange. Ring the doorbell and wait a minute. The door opens and the 3 children are there. Middle boy takes the plate of cookies and disappears, leaving the baby to watch us at the door with an empty pack of Newports in his hand. We stand there for about 5 minutes before the dad comes to the door. That was an awkward wait. He comes to the door we introduce ourselves and then we leave. Goof made the comment as we got back in the house, that he wasn't quite sure what to make of that, and at the most he thought the kid was gonna offer him a smoke.

Obviously not a good first impression. So for the next few months they pile around the cul de sac playing and what not. They don't follow rules well. No playing on my japanese maple. It's too young to be climbed on. Branches thinner than your wrist do not count as climbing trees. Took many scolds before that took hold. They all three as one like to play on my porch. I have no idea why, besides the fact that we have a nice one. Their house doesn't. Problem is that my porch needs to be sanded and repainted. We also found a railing that's not as secure as we would like it. Most likely from them hanging off our railing. The little girl also keeps ringing my doorbell asking for my son to play. No, and to come in, NO! Why the hell would I let you in my house? You haven't offered to let me in your house. Also asking for food. What the hell? The one time was a fluke! Stinky didn't know better in that situation. Maybe it's because his friends in CA, were taught better than that? Now remember this usually happens when there is no parent supervision. Oh and just to make it clear they have a small front porch area with chairs outside that the mother uses occasionally to sit in and talk on the phone.

A week before we left Goof and Stinky let off some fireworks. Small bottle rockets. Kiosk man had come over to investigate. He didn't realize it was Goof letting them off. Whatever, let's not go there. So we are on the deck enjoying ourselves when the girl comes into our backyard on her bike! What the hell? You are riding your bike on my grass! Haven't you heard? We put grass over people! Seems she wanted to know who was setting off the fireworks. Goof and Stinky play it off, and proceed to fart to make her go away. Goof was trying to be kind, but he's in shock this kid rode her bike up on our backyard. Again no boundaries.

Two days before we leave. I see the kids on my front lawn, running around with practice golf balls. They are throwing our balls at each other. I go out to tell them no. Lucy slips out behind me and wants to investigate. The two boys start freaking out! They are scared of dogs because of enabler's dogs charging them. Screaming and waving their arms, running in circles. This aggravates Lucy. She starts running around the baby. Which causes him to scream even more and freak Lucy out. She grabs him by the back of the diaper and pulls him down! 8lb Lucy took down a 20 odd lb boy! All this time, I'm speaking in a clear loud tone to stop yelling and running around. I pick up the boy take the golf ball out of his hand and tell him no yelling, or throwing my balls. Don't play on my porch, I've said it before it's not safe. I grab Lucy and take her inside. I put the ball away and I look out my front door. Again they are on my porch! Hanging off my railings! I come out and again Lucy slips behind me. This time the middle boy who is to my left on the porch starts screaming! Again Lucy freaks out. He runs screaming past Lucy and me to my right and starts climbing on the railing! This is the weakened railing! Lucy is there at his feet bouncing up and down. I grab kid off the railing and tell him again. Don't play on the porch it's not safe. Finally they get it and they go home. Where are their parents? On their front steps talking on the phone watching it all! And they do nothing. Granted there is nothing they can do it's my property, their kids were running around on my grass throwing my balls they took from my backyard. Their kids that decided after I took the balls away and my dog to come up on my porch! When do you get the idea to take your kids off my porch? Got no leg to stand on if your kid gets hurt on my property when they are doing wrong. These are the same kids that block residents in the middle of the street staring at them while they sit on their bikes. No common sense at all. So what is Goof doing while all this is going on? He's closed the front windows and gone to the bathroom to laugh! You gotta admit it was a funny sight to see a little kid running in circles like a chicken avoiding a farmer's knife, while Lucy is circling and acting like a sight hound of ancient times going for the hunt!

As far as I know those kids did not play on our porch while we were gone. But another strange thing happened with the baby boy. I gather he is in the toilet training stage now. Goof watched one day as the kids were playing and for some reason the boy needed to go potty, he dropped his pants and proceeded to pee and SHIT on a car! This car belongs to the boyfriend of Fred's aunt. He's not a great guy, so we don't really care. The 3 kids go on as if it wasn't their sibling that did this. Climbing Enabler's tree and sitting on it and pondering the shit on the street. Goof was completely flabbergasted! We obviously don't care for that household, but OH MY GOD! SHIT in the STREET! However some time later, I guess one of them told their parents, and they cleaned it up. I don't think it was Enabler as she and her family have no issues with leaving human diapers their dogs chew up in the trash. I'm sure they view it as the originating household's issue to deal with.

I think we moved into the wrong neighborhood. Too bad the house wasn't in another one. It's not like the house was a steal, but I think we bought too high with what neighbors we have. Ugh, a few more years and it won't matter.