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    The 7 Stages of Having Neighborhood Kids Over

    By | Parenting – Mon, Jul 23, 2012 3:51 PM EDT

    Photo by: Shutterstock
    Stage I: Tension
    I've lived in my house now for five years without ever associating with my neighbors. Now that my kids have made friends with the neighborhood kids, I'm faced ... more 
    Photo by: Shutterstock
    Stage I: Tension
    I've lived in my house now for five years without ever associating with my neighbors. Now that my kids have made friends with the neighborhood kids, I'm faced with the awkwardness that comes from living here for so long without ever having made a formal introduction and it's too weird to do it now.
    Related: 11 annoying parenting habits we're all guilty of

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    Mon, Jul 23, 2012 3:52 PM EDT
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    As the mom of a nine-year-old boy, I realize it's odd that I'm only now learning what it's like to have neighborhood kids over. This late development is because my son is a pretty shy kid when it comes to making new friends, but I'm ecstatic to report he's made friends with a neighborhood kid three doors down.



    As much as I'm struggling working from home with my two boys this summer, adding a third child into the mix is helping ease their summer boredom. "Neighborhood Kid" (as he shall be named) seems to diffuse the sibling rivalry between my kids, and his novel presence in our home has become a perfectly adequate substitution for my undivided attention.



    While I'm thankful for Neighborhood Kid's ability to keep my kids occupied and bring my oldest son out of his shell, I'm learning things about the strangeness of our household that I never realized. Here are the 7 stages I've gone through to deal with having neighborhood kids over:



    - By Lori Garcia


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