Yes, just Wednesday, if you recall, I blogged about our families being the frumpy, old-fartsy family of the neighborhood.
Well, in just a few short days I have additional events that will further ostracize our family from those other, not as cool, extremely jealous families.
#1: The Basketball Scrimmage Vs Our Car(s)
This is not the first incident my parents have had with the neighbors that live directly to our left. Just months ago, their basketball hoop fell over and knocked one of the side mirrors fresh off my mother’s car, which was parked in the turn around of our driveway. We aren’t sure how or when the hoop fell, but regardless it did, and it broke the mirror. Unfortunately, there is no other place for us to park our cars, but that is beside the fact, as we are parking in our own driveway. See picture below for clarity.
Note that this picture doesn't do the situation justice, but it was a picture I already had saved in my crackberry.
Anyway, our neighbor’s solution? Turn the hoop so that it no longer faces our cars? No, no, they decided just to put rocks on top of the base so that the chances of it falling over are less. It is also a particularly smart solution when their children enjoy taking the rocks off the base of the hoop, essentially undoing their ingenious solution. I am not bitter. Moving on.
Flash forward to last evening and we have our next round of neighborly basketball encounters. What’s wrong this time? Well, our little neighbors have taken up the fine sport of basketball. Since our young neighbors are no Larry Bird, they mostly miss the basketball hoop, but instead are very good at aiming for our cars, parked in said round about in our driveway. So while the first time it was only a hoop falling on our cars once, now our precious cars are being pelted by basketballs repetitively. Sigh. Older Teenage Boy Smith and Older Teenage Boy Smith’s friend went outside and moved the cars, effectively making our driveway a functioning tandem parking lot. He also had his first verbal interaction with said kids which was simple and to the point: if you want to play basketball, come tell me and I will move my car. My mom, Mrs. Smith also went out and talked to the kids, explaining why its okay for them to ring our doorbell. She is very good at kid speak/
Where are the parents and why haven’t they stepped in to inform the children that pelting the neighbor’s cars with basketballs could be slightly expensive for Mommy and Daddy? Excellent question, one that I asked myself as well. The parents were too busy parked in lawn chairs gossiping and drinking in our other neighbor’s driveway. They were far too busy raging to be concerned about their small coup of children wreaking havoc on the neighbor’s cars.
Disclaimer: back in the day, our neighborhood families used to gather for an occasional Sunday funday and we would too be little neighhorhood menaces, but if we ever did anything like that, our parents would have cut our hands off so that we weren’t able to play basketball…period.
Next Match up:
#2: Girls At Bus Stop Vs My Car
Remember how I mentioned how I only wave at the kids I like when I drive by the bus stop? Well from now on, I won’t waving ever. Why? Because I will be too busy with both hands on the wheel scanning the road for children who literally run out in front of my car.
Explanation? Sure thing. When approaching the bus stop, I saw three of the [very cute, old favorite] girls standing on the curb. I notice as they each run back and forth across the street, not looking for traffic. This seems smart. As they see my car approaching, rather than clearly moving to the side and waiting for me to pass by, they stand there and stare, and once I get closer pretend to start running across, causing me to need to suddenly brake in order to avoid hitting them. Then after I begin to crawl by them in my car again, they do it again. Its like a giant, lethal game of chicken that I do not want to be apart of, especially at 7:45 AM the morning after a long weekend.
Where are the parents while their children are playing in traffic? Oh, they are standing there watching them do this, no doubt hungover from their neighborhood rager yesterday, when their children were throwing basketballs at our car. They are literally standing there watching, talking and drinking coffee. They don’t have the energy to tell their children to stop repetitively running in front of my car, but the somehow muster up the energy to all smile and wave and me after I pass by them.
I am now fighting with all the neighborhood moms. This is going to be a long school year.
Stay tuned for the continuation which I bet will feature:
#3: Neighborhoods who don’t Listen Vs. Mr. Angry Smith
#4: Our Family and Friends Vs. Incompetent Parents
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