There's a group of neighbor boys that have been skating in my front yard off and on for the last couple of months. In the beginning there were two of them and I thought it was cool... but then two turned into 10 plus and some older guys started hanging out and smoking with the younger ones. I don't mind the skateboarding, but the trash they left behind, the smoking and the rudeness I'd get sometimes when I'd ask them to move, got on my nerves a little. Also, my neighbors behind me didn't like all the noise and they also have felt a little disrespected by these boys. But no matter what we'd say or ask... they'd always be back the minute we turned our backs. So lately I've just ignored it and don't say anything unless there's a lot of trash or stuff on my porch moved around. Maybe not the best thing, but I was out of ideas.
Tonight when I got home, it was so hot in my house that I decided to just sit outside. I usually sit outside during the day, but I rarely hang out and night, mostly because I'm busy. The boys were outside skateboarding. I saw the opportunity to try a different approach with them. I thought for sure when I brought my chair out they would leave because in their mind, I'm "the man" (the authority figure). To my surprise they immediately started talking with me and showing their tricks. I ended up sitting out there for 2 hours until it was dark. The boy that in the past was the hardest to deal with ended up being the one talking my ear off. It was amazing. Also while I was outside I got to talk to 5 different moms about our meeting on Monday and practiced my Spanish a little too.
All in all... a very productive night of hanging out in the neighborhood.
