I know none of my neighbors. But I know most of people who live on the street where I nanny. I've been in their homes asking for Girl Scout cookie purchases, I've used their bathrooms, I've petted their dogs, I've chatted with parents, I've sent off my kids to play with theirs. I've also become friendly with the people who work at after school care, and I've had lovely conversations with the moms of Anju and Ketan's friends. I text them and set up plans and use emoticons. I'm on a first name basis with piano teachers and Kumon instructors. I'm part of this little society, where I fit into Dallas and have this life where I'm in charge of kids and have things in common with adults and parents.
It's very weird, especially when I go from that to my anonymous neighborhood.
I have a problem in my circle that when I meet a lot of parents because of kids, I only know the kids' names, and not the parents' names. It becomes inconvenient. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to ponder how many different culture groups there are here in the US. You are in one of them, the young kids/parents major group with many, many subgroups. Just documenting and analyzing your own reaction to this group you are now involved with should be worth at least a master's thesis. Life is always fascinating, all we have to do is open our eyes and see. You have good eyes, Tricia.
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