Got Quads?

When I was growing up it was common to greet new neighbors as they moved in. You at least went over and said hi, introduced yourself, maybe brought some cookies. I knew all my neighbors by name and they knew me. Even the older neighbors who didn’t get out much would wave as I walked to school. What happened to our neighborhoods?

When Hubby and I bought our first house we lived in a realtively new (and still underconstruction) subdivision. When the house next to us was finished and the neighbors moved in, we went over to introduce ourselves. The parents weren’t home, so we asked the kids to tell them we stopped by. I think we finally met them four months later. I chalked it up to living in a neighborhood where everyone had about an acre of land. When you went outside you didn’t feel like you were in your neighbor’s yard. We were all somewhat isolated and everyone kept to themselves.

Now we live in a neighborhood where you can practically spread your arms out and touch your house and the neighbors. I see my neighbors on a daily basis and I swear they’re avoiding me. No one made an effort to welcome us to the neighborhood when we moved in… not even the board members of our homeowners association, which surprised me. The neighbors on one side of us won’t even look at us when we’re outside. I, of course, say hi and force them to acknowledge me. Strangely enough, they have no problem letting their 7-year-old daughter come play on our swingset when we’re in the back yard. When I take my daughters out for walks people only say hi when we say it first. It is a strange feeling. For all I know there are some really friendly people in this neighborhood… I just haven’t found them, yet.