10 Signs You Have Found the Holy Grail of Neighbors

Over the last 10 years, my husband and I have lived in 8 different neighborhoods. Some were fancy, others modest; some were bustling, others quiet; some were friendly, others… not so much. But when the right neighborhood and, more importantly, the right neighbors came along, we stayed.

How To Know If You’ve Hit The Jackpot With Your Neighbors

  1. They make you feel special :: Feeling sick? They’ll bring you soup. It’s your birthday? They’ll buy you flowers. Had a baby? They will take your tiny, hollering human off your hands while you rest for just a second or two… zzzzzzz.
  2. They’ve got your back :: They see the creepiest guy evah loitering by your front door and alert you, the neighborhood, and the local police before you’ve had a chance to tell them it’s actually your brother. Thanks for looking out!
  3. They are your in-case-of-emergency people :: When your kid gets the brilliant idea to cannonball off the roof into the pool and inevitably breaks his arm, they will be the first at the scene {since they probably witnessed the whole thing go down}.
  4. They double as babysitters :: One kid is napping, and the other needs to be picked up from school; your family is visiting, and you totally forgot to buy booze; both of your kids are mid-conniption, and you are late for a doctor’s appointment. Don’t fret. Your neighbor will be there faster than you can say, “Save meeeeeeee!”
  5. They genuinely care about your kids :: They buy magazine subscriptions, wrapping paper, coupon books, and other nonsense odds and ends from your kids every.single.year.
  6. They are your therapists :: Having a tough day? They will totally meet you on your driveway with their portable loungers and a bottle of wine and let you unload your verbal diarrhea.
  7. They help make your vacations possible :: Whenever you go out of town, they take in your garbage cans, packages, and newspapers. Heck, they’ll even dog-sit your curmudgeonly schnauzer if you ask them to.
  8. Their kids occupy your kids :: When you feel like a mombie {a.k.a. mom-zombie} and your offspring have successfully destroyed every surface of your home, their kids can be counted on to get yours outside into the sunshine and out of your hair.
  9. They can be trusted :: Oh man, you locked yourself out again? No worries. Your neighbor to the rescue. She’s taken possession of your spare house key, car key, mail key, and garage door opener because momnesia has taken over your life.
  10. They are your family away from family :: They will bend over backwards for you and your family, welcome you to their holiday celebrations, and loan you the shirts off their backs because, goshdarnit, they are your neighbors and that’s what neighbors do.

Lauren L.About Lauren L.

Originally from Southern California, Lauren moved to The Woodlands three years ago with her husband Dan and their two daughters, Emily {2012) and Holley {2014}. Before becoming a stay-at-home mom and a freelance writer, she taught writing and literature classes at the college level. Lauren earned her Bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and her Master’s degree from CSUF. Her favorite part of this whole parenting gig is watching her little babies become little girls — with strong opinions and big personalities. Writing about all of their various shenanigans gives Lauren so much joy because kids say and do the darndest things. In her downtime, Lauren enjoys cuddling with her husband {sans children}, reading science fiction books, and drinking bubbly champagne. You can read more about her parenting adventures atMommyOwl.com, and on Facebook and Twitter too.

6 COMMENTS

  1. In addition to all of the above, ours are also our storm shelter. They have a basement and we don’t. We have an open invitation during bad weather. I can’t imagine life without them.

  2. Yuk. Who wants your neighbors in you business all the time like that? No privacy, and the whole block a gossip factory? “Oh, I noticed you were tanning in your yard, I thought OMG I’d better bring some sunscreen. And you really should put better blinds in your bedroom, the whole town saw you guys last night, hubba hubba!” These are what my wife and I refer to as ‘Hoodies.

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