The brats

Last night, I went ballistic on a neighborhood girl for feeding Orren part of her popsicle over the fence of our backyard. I went inside for two seconds to stir the soup, came back, and his face was covered in it. I had three thoughts. First of all, how does this little brat know he's not allergic? Secondly, how do we know she's not sick? (Because seriously, even when I was a kid, licking other people's ice cream disgusted me. It's just gross.) And finally, IS NOTHING SACRED?!! My kids were in MY yard, behind a locked gate, and this little bitch still managed to horn her way into my family the second I turned my back. What the hell, people?!! Where I come from, we just don't roll that way. So I went BALLISTIC on her. When someone who already does not like other people's children even when they're being relatively good has actual cause to yell at one, it gets very interesting. She ran away crying, of course. We felt bad later, and apologized for yelling, but it was as if she forgot the whole thing by then anyhow. It upset me worse than her. Figures.

Me and Thak were talking about it later that night, and he was saying how he just doesn't see why I don't like neighborhood kids. All I could get it to was that it's just not what seems normal to me. Like, when I was a kid, if someone was coming over, they called, then they came over when we agreed upon. I was never allowed to just inflict myself on people as a kid, and people didn't just inflict themselves upon us on a daily basis. It just seems very strange that when I walk outside my door, I'm expected to deal with a bunch of children. Why should I? I mean, I'm not being paid for this. I would never accept a job that required me to deal with this many children on a daily basis. Why would I accept this prospect in my own home, where I'm supposed to be able to live my way? Thak grew up on an Air Force base. This is what kids did there. It's all very normal to him.

This morning, I feel drastically less bad for yelling at the kid yesterday. This morning at a ridiculously early hour.... I'm talking about even Orren was still asleep (WAS) before this.... the popsicle brat's brother came knocking at our door, then ringing our doorbell. Thak went and looked through the peephole because it woke Erin up, and he goes, "Just ignore it. He'll go away." I thought to myself "Yeah, right" because I knew this kid would just bang and ring until someone answered because he's done it to me before and made me burn dinner like that. Thak came back to bed, though. Sure enough.... "BANG BANG BANG BANG RING RING RING RING RING RING RING RING RING BANG RING BANG BANG BANG RING RING RING RING!!!!!" Then Orren "Waaaahhhhh!!!!" I told Thak, "Go get rid of him." Thak goes out there, and told the kid to get lost. It's just so rude. Where are the parents? We told Erin not to bang on people's doors or ring doorbells because if the kids are allowed to come out and play, they'll come out on their own. I don't let my kid drive other families nuts. Why do people let their kids make us completely miserable? It's not cool. Be a parent. Don't assume everyone wants to deal with your kid for you. News flash: Most of us don't.

What we figured out is that this neighborhood thing is a bad idea for me. My idea of what a good life includes, is not random other children I had no say in being there. It's not easy to live like this. It's very stressful. I don't know how so many people do it. We have decided that when we move, and it will be no more than five years from now, we're moving somewhere that's not in a city, not in a neighborhood. We need to for my sanity. I can't just keep dealing with these kids. It's hell.