My neighbors think I'm strange
I let my children do things that other parents just don't let their kids do these days. Like run around with the sticks that are their pretend guns. Or create a homemade waterpark out of their swingset.
Today, Frances and Thomas asked me if they could play in the rain. And it was coming down in buckets. I thought to myself, "Do I have a reason to tell them not to?" No lightning, no thunder. It was 80-something degrees outside so they weren't likely to catch a cold. The only thing that held me back was the realization that my neighbors would see the spectacle. What kind of mother would they deem me to be if I allow my children to run around like maniacs in a torrential downpour?
Then it occurred to me: They already think I'm crazy. I'm 29 years old with 4 children under five years old and I've never indicated that "I'm done" having children. We live on one income and I never talk about starting a career of my own. To top it off,I've mentioned that I will be homeschooling and we have a bumper sticker on our car that reads something like "Centuries of Tradition: Traditional Latin Mass, Annunciation Catholic Church". And they've never heard me express dissatisfaction with my life. Would letting my kids run around in the rain really make that much difference in their estimation of me?
Needless to say, the kids had the time of their life.
15 comments:
very awsome.
loan cash
Thanks to the owner of this blog. Ive enjoyed reading this topic.
This topic have a tendency to become boring but with your creativeness its great.
It could challenge the ideas of the people who visit your blog.
I could give my own opinion with your topic that is not boring for me.
It could challenge the ideas of the people who visit your blog.
Thanks to the blog owner. What a blog! nice idea.
I didn't realize how common it is for Catholics to homeschool until recently. In the past year I've met a ton of Catholics that do. Maybe it's b/c I didn't grow up in Texas where it is more common. I'd always assumed that the default for Catholics would be a Catholic school. But lately I'm beginning to wonder if homeshooling should be promoted more strongly amongst Cathlics since the parents are the primary educators of their children. I'd be curious to hear your take on this.
You know what is strangely sad - when I walk my dogs in my neighborhood, I rarely see children in the yard playing. Let the kiddos play!
btw, I'm 28 and recently made a homemade waterpark out of 3 tarps, a hose, and Palmolive. I'll email you pics ;-)
The letting them play in the rain thing sounds very fun. Lucky kids!
Sarah,
that reminds me, I need to make y'all a "Papist" bumper sticker, that ought to send the neighbors over the edge ;)
Matt
My neighbor came over to my house and yelled at me over my dog!
I have a dog that I can't keep in my yard. I have tried everything and she always finds a way out. Anyway, this lady comes to my home, knocks on my door and when i open the door she points her finger at me and yells obscenities at me. Apparently my dog was in HER neighbors garbage and then pooped on HER NEIGHBORS LAWN! Why didn't she come and talk to me like a civil human being? Why was she a vicious monster attacking me at my door? I calmly went over to HER NEIGHBORS house where the garbage was and picked up every piece, and the dog poop. I agree that I have that responsibility to clean up after my dog. The one thing I don't agree upon is someone coming to my house and screaming in my face about something I didn't know about. Is anyone out there been blessed with a psyco-neighbor?
I don't think anyone remembers the golden rule...Do unto others as you would want done unto you!
I sent them a lovely card from this site I found...www.URAJerk.com
So much fun to be a kid and play on the rain, nothing like getting wet. You are one lucky mom. I don't think your neighbors care anymore, you are too far gone for them :-)
Teyra
Is anyone out there been blessed with a psyco-neighbor?
There was a Pearls Before Swine comic in the paper not too long ago, where the goat asked the rat how he liked his neighbors, and the rat replied that he loved his neighbors. So the goat asked about them, and rat replied that he didn't know a thing about them. So the goat, perplexed, asked why he liked them so much, and the rat replied "The best neighbors are the ones you never see."
I had a similar encounter recently when I was smoking my pipe on my front steps, and our local nosy psycho neighbor came over to yell at me because I might start a wild fire. First it had rained in the morning, and my sprinklers had just finished, and secondly my father in law is a retired fire fighter, so I am regularly treated to fire education, and could point out that the clearance was sufficient for our pine trees that a fire could not start. Then of course I was smoking in the same location where my son was crawling, so this made me positively evil, so I had to point out that I was in the open air, and that I don't smoke inside. (she made it sound like I was breathing smoke into his nostrils) She just kept coming up with things to complain about or yell about. I almost wished I had a beer I probably would have found out she was a teetotaler.
I was in a bind, I could have told her to mind her own business and go away, but it was so much more amusing to refute every nonsensical point she had to say and watch her huff and puff trying to find something to come back with.
There is another golden rule, mind your own business, and don't butt in where one is not wanted! But these are all sins against the virtue of modesty (classically understood), which has evaporated in all forms in our culture.
What is sad is when said nosy neighbor sees your kids playing on school days and calls the truant officer.
Hey next time invite me over as i would love to be a kid again and play in the rain!
Post a Comment