Neighborhood Work for Children
When children do odd jobs for neighbors, everyone benefits
Happy New Year, everyone!
I hope your resolutions are all going strong! I have a few that are just beginning to settle into place; but that’s a topic for another day.
For today, I’d like to raise a question to you: Are you satisfied socially with your neighborhood? Do you know your neighbors and feel like you would help each other in a pinch?
I’m over at the Institute for Family Studies blog today sharing proposal for how families can begin improving things right where they are.
Read it here:
“When Kids Work the Neighborhood, Everyone Benefits”
What do you think?
Does your family interact in this way with your community?
Do you yourself have social interactions with neighbors, whether children or adults?
If you think this would not work in your neighborhood, why not?
What about in your church, school, extended family, or other social group setting?
One last note:
Do you need a reset in 2025 — or perhaps even a once-in-a-lifetime adventure? You might consider joining me, Ruth Gaskovski, and
on a Camino Pilgrimage in Spain from June 14-24. Read about the trip here and then download the brochure here to learn more and reserve your spot. We would love for you to join us as we ground ourselves spiritually, historically, and communally through this age-old journey!
Have a splendid day!
Dixie
I'm curious if your kids are competing with adults for these jobs, and how you navigate that. We live, I think, in the same town you do, but not a walkable neighborhood. We pay an (adult) neighbor with a zero-turn mower to take care of our lawn, and he & his older teenage son will plow our driveway with their ATV tomorrow. Our neighborhood is full of adults advertising their dogsitting, lawn mowing, and "odd job" services but I only know of one teen (whom I have contacted) offering babysitting.
Incidentally I grew up in this town as well, and my parents were very picky about which neighbors I was familiar with (for good reason)–did you vet all the neighbors before your kids wander over and introduce themselves? Do you go with them the first time they make such an overture?
We are blessed with some preteen/young teen girls across the street who are the oldest in their family. They've mothers-helpered for us a few times and we were their first actual babysitting gig. (They come in a pair.) Because they lived across the street, we knew there would be competent adults in easy reach if there were any problems. From their parents' perspective, I imagine it's scary sending your daughters out to be in charge away from home! And I'm sure they felt good about the proximity, too -- if anything went wrong, they could come over (or their daughters could come get them) very easily. Those same girls mowed for us twice when kind of abruptly we needed the lawn mowed and couldn't do it ourselves. We don't hang out with the parents very often but we're friendly, generally like-minded, chat when we see each other outside, porch-drop things when needed, etc.