A Menace Next Door

I'm starting to understand how Mr. Wilson felt about his neighbor, Dennis.  (You remember Dennis the Menace, right?)  Well, Mr. Wilson was just a law-abiding, minding-his-own business sort of guy who was constantly getting a migraine due to Dennis, the boy next door.  I'm learning that Dennises come in all shapes and sizes.  And now I have a whole family of Dennis-type children living next door.  Talk about your worst nightmare. 

We've had new neighbors for all of 1 week, and I've already been searching for a new house online.  I'm seriously conflicted.  I know that the good, Christian thing to do would be to love on and engage the new family next door.  But I'm really struggling with my attitude this week.  Maybe pregnancy is getting to me; maybe I'm an overly protective parent; or maybe I just believe that children should be taught manners.  Whatever it is, my head and my heart are really at war over this issue.

Let me just start be explaining that the family next door has 3 children--2 boys who are older than mine by a few years and a girl who can't be more than 4 years old.  For whatever reason, the parents of these 3 kids feel that it's acceptable to let one or all of their children play in the front yard, the street, the neighbors' yards, the neighbors' garages, or the grassy area in our cul-de-sac unattended.  (And I'm talking, the 4 year old girl is literally wandering by herself through peoples' yards during the day).  Despite the fact that I've never been introduced to the children or their parents, the children felt that it was acceptable to come talk to me the other day and to ask to get in my garage and play with my boys' motorized police car when we were not home.  (Seriously? My 2 year old is going to have to fend off a 7 year old in order to ride in his car?)  This family is such a nuisance that I've actually considered putting a lock on the inside of my fence to keep them out of my backyard.  Because clearly, this family has no boundaries.  (Yet, they, themselves do have a HUGE backyard to play in.)

Am I being ridiculous here?  Should I expect that a 10 year old child should know not to walk behind my car when I'm pulling out of the driveway?  Should I expect that a 7 year old knows not to talk to strangers?  Should I expect that a 4 year old girl is not going to be allowed to roam the neighborhood by herself during the day?

I have learned a huge lesson from this ordeal.  I've learned that my children are going to learn manners.  They are going to learn NOT to take what isn't theirs.  They are going to learn that in the interest of safety, they are never allowed out front without supervision.  And they are going to learn not to talk to strangers. 

And for those of you who might think that your quiet neighbors next door are being rude or unfriendly, just remember that sometimes being a good neighbor means minding your own business and watching your own children. Sometimes the best neighbors are the ones you never see...