I think it is very easy (especially for people who live in nicer houses/households with higher median income) to make quick judgements about the trailers in my neighborhood. Since new ownership, many old broken down trailers have been removed from the subdivision. But before, there were many that were just left to rot. I am sure they became a place for young kids to explore/break into. I usually hung out with the three girls that lived behind me and another girl that lived a street over. My parents were very protective and did not want me going too far without an adult. I wasn’t really allowed to start leaving the street without a parent until I was in middle school. I always wanted to go to the park as a kid, but again I could never go alone. I don’t think things were as bad or dangerous as my parents made it out to be where we live, but I definitely understand their concerns now that I am older. I spent most of my time as a child on my street and the one behind me.
I loved riding bikes and playing with chalk. I remember as a kid playing house with my friends. All of our parents smoked cigarettes. Although we knew how bad cigarettes were and how everyone told us to never smoke, we used to pretend our crayons were cigarettes and that we were adults. I remember making a pact with my friends that we would never ever smoke cigarettes. I broke that pact (although I was never a serious cigarette smoker and have been 9 months free of nicotine) and I wonder if they did too. Looking back on that now, I can’t tell if that was a normal thing to do as a child. One thing I think people underestimate about my community is how much we work together. There are several Facebook groups for our community where people post lost pets, household items for sale, excess food they are giving away, or asking for help with food, rides, tasks etc.
Of course, there are cold/rude people everywhere, but I feel that every time I look at the group there are always a few people willing to help. For example, there is a handyman in my neighborhood who has done work in my and many other houses for low/no cost. We have even exchanged food for services with him before, which I think can be more valuable than money in some situations. It’s kind hearts like that that make living in a struggling community better. But then, you have the crazy neighbors who everyone avoids because they always want to start problems. I used to have neighbors that I never spoke to, but saw every once in a while. There was one night where (they must have been drinking or on some drugs) they got naked and started running around the street.
I feel like you can find every kind of person in my neighborhood. There are a lot of kids playing on my street. Although I joke that I hate kids and they’re annoying, it makes me glad to see them get outside and interact with each other. Some kids are almost famous in my neighborhood for causing problems, and their parents are known for not caring. I try to keep an eye out for any kids that I can see.
