Ironically, the moment I set up a blog, I found myself too busy to write. Good news, the busyness has been all fun. We have new neighbors for a bit. They have 3 boys, and our little area has become the "happening" spot with 6 kids running around constantly. It was not too much of a surprise when management stopped by to ask for some clean up of our area. I saw that coming when it was just our family. We have been having a really good time.
We know this is a rare moment. A moment to savor with our kids. While there are many families out there "living the dream," I don't anticipate having them as neighbors very often.
Shortly before we received the gift of a kid family as neighbors, there was a couple that pulled up next to us with a dog that was not kid friendly. We were warned immediately about the dog. Coincidentally, I had just read a post in a popular RV group about how inconsiderate it was for parents to let their children throw tantrums around other "campers." I was now faced with the problem of sharing a space with a couple that was obviously going to find my children annoying. I would be lying if the post on the RV group did not already have me hypersensitive to my kids and their behavior.
While I believe that neighbors in any situation (RV park or neighborhood) are going to have to compromise and figure out how to keep the harmony regardless of differences, I knew that if given the opportunity to move that I would have. However, moving was not an option. Therefore, I decided for the safety of my children and to allow a few days of vacation for the couple, the kids and I would just find things to do outside of the campground. We had enjoyed our spot with little incident for many weeks, and this couple should be allowed a few days to enjoy it themselves (they were just as guarded and uncomfortable when the kids and the dog were outside at the same time).
The unfriendly dog situation gave me a bit of understanding of how I am affecting someone else's time, whether they have a brief vacation or making a stop on their full time RV adventure. Having to limit when and where my children could play outside certainly caused me some anxiety. It was no one's fault, just an unlikely and uncomfortable match.
After my second long outing the next day, the neighbors did decide to cut their vacation short and head home early. Perfect timing to make room for our current family friendly neighbors.
Making the best of a situation that I could not control or change worked out for the best. Really, better than I could have ever imagined.
Living Out of Bounds...
I loved your attitude towards the "not so great neighbor" and how you appreciated that they should enjoy their vacation too.
ReplyDeleteVery encouraging to find good people everywhere.