As I mentioned in my first entry, I've been dubbed The Neighborhood Ambassador. This position, while right up my alley and affords many opportunities to engage in adult conversation throughout my day, also has its challenging bits.
For instance, the lady (Ms. Lessie) who lives right next door to me (who tried pinning me down to watch her kids this summer), might actually be certifiable. I'd say her filter is broken, but I'm pretty sure it's just plain GONE. It's also not even a filter issue all the time. We'll be having a conversation (or, worse yet, I'll be having a conversation with someone else, and she'll just break in with something totally off topic by way of introducing her arrival) and she'll behave as though I haven't said anything. Like.. at all. This is a one-sided conversation. I've learned to do a lot of smiling and nodding--but not too much nodding, I wouldn't want to be agreeing to do something I don't want to. Nearly every conversation begins with how she's tired, she just got off work (with a "*I *just got off work, what have *you *been doing..?" comment when I agree to being tired as well) and how much she's dreading her girls becoming teens. Watching the family interact makes me sad--the parents don't follow through on their corrections, the girls in turn push their "boundaries", the parents blow up because the girls don't take them seriously, and then they complain to me about how their kids behave. Don't get me wrong--I understand being tired and giving in once in awhile (live to fight the battle another day), but when it's consistently your default position to give in..? Those girls have learned not to respect you or your instructions. It's a viscous cycle, and it's hard to be around. All I can do is listen, encourage and present lots of positive parenting and follow through with my own kids.
I get to babysit the nine month old from across the street. The mama (Ms. Kaylie) is young (same age as I was when I had Laureli!) and is a sweetheart. I enjoy her company. Mama and dad are getting married in October--we've been invited to join them, but I'm not sure we'd be able to do it, as it is in a location several hours away. We'll see. Mama just landed a new job, which she starts on Monday. I think I'll be babysitting more when that happens.
Another family a few houses down is also enjoyable company. The couple (Ms. Emilee and Mr. Jeff) will be getting married soon as well. I text regularly with Emilee and often chit chat with Jeff in the afternoons, as he's off from work early and gets his kid from his first relationship every afternoon. The boy is sweet and I encourage my kids to play with him.
Ms. Magnolia is a sweet old lady who lives between Lessie and Emilee. We see her nearly daily, as she likes to come down to "check on her babies". She's declared that I'm her daughter, Justin is her SIL and the kids are her grandbabies. Works for me. She doesn't get around very well, but uses her walker to come on down to visit us if we don't get to her first.
Then there's Daphne and her ten year old, Kayleigh. Loulou (my 9yo) goes down there just about every afternoon. They live right behind the nice park that's a block away from here, which is how the girls met. Daphne is such an encouragement to me and I always look forward to going down of an evening to gather Loulou, just so I can chat with her.
We've got new neighbors moving in next door. The house has been vacant since about two weeks after we moved in. They're from "back East" as the father of the lady described it. Not sure if that means New England, or what. Praying they will be friendly, as there are three kiddos in the family, fairly close in age to my own.
Alright, I suppose that's it for now. I've got more stuff I need to do. Like shower. Showering would be a good thing. My 5yo (Layna) just took her first ever by-herself-shower this morning. She was quite proud of herself.
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