Weird situation with neighbors (parents, girls, children, schools)
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Hi all-
About a year ago, a family (a mom, a dad and 2 girls who are about 16 and 9.) moved into our neighborhood.
Sounds like a 'normal' family, but they are definitely not. The biggest thing is, they're never outside! It's one thing to be more of an "inside type" of family, but literally in the four years they've lived here, the only time I ever see any of them outside is when dad is mowing the lawn, they're shoveling the driveway or when they're pulling into the garage (the garage door is always closed, as well as the front door and the blinds). The people who moved out of their house left behind a wonderful outdoor area (firepit, awesome patio/pergola, etc.) which they never use. They also left behind a nice swingset, which was taken down and a new one was put up ON the patio (the backyards in our neighborhood are huge and the old swingset was at the bottom of the yard..too far away from the house apparently?).
At first, I just figured they weren't home a whole lot. But my kids/the other neighborhood kids knock on their door and ask them to come outside and hang out with them, and us adults of the neighborhood have also knocked on their door (their phone # is unlisted) asking if they'd be interested in coming to neighborhood bonfires, happy hours, etc. and we always get the "busy" excuse. Busy with what?!?
When they first moved in, we went over, introduced ourselves, brought them cookies, etc. We chatted for maybe five minutes but it seemed like they were in a big rush to get us to leave. Nice people I guess, but like I said, we got the sense that they didn't want us on their porch talking to them.
Am I being too nosy, or does anyone think there might actually be something else going on here? I understand some people don't like to participate in neighborhood events or their kids are shy and don't like to hang out with others, but this just takes it to the extreme. Do I keep wondering, or do I do something about it?
Do I keep wondering, or do I do something about it?
What would you do about it? There's nothing that can be done.
Unless you suspect the children are being abused in the house, what are you worried about? Maybe the parents are anti-social, maybe they are uncomfortable in group settings, maybe they are involved in things you don't know about, maybe the kids can't be out in the sun...but the bottom line is, they don't seem to want to spend time with the rest of the neighborhood--and that's okay!
I've lived in my neighborhood for 6+ months now, and I only know the names of my next door neighbors. No one here spends time outside. I've never thought it was abnormal. The neighborhoods I've lived in previously were similarly "keep to yourself" type places.
What would you do about it? There's nothing that can be done.
Unless you suspect the children are being abused in the house, what are you worried about? Maybe the parents are anti-social, maybe they are uncomfortable in group settings, maybe they are involved in things you don't know about, maybe the kids can't be out in the sun...but the bottom line is, they don't seem to want to spend time with the rest of the neighborhood--and that's okay!
I've lived in my neighborhood for 6+ months now, and I only know the names of my next door neighbors. No one here spends time outside. I've never thought it was abnormal. The neighborhoods I've lived in previously were similarly "keep to yourself" type places.
It is abnormal for Wisconsin, though. Extremely abnormal, I would even say.
However, I also agree there is nothing the OP can do. Who knows, they may even spend a lot time outdoors away from their house. They may be from an area like CaliTerp07. Maybe the youngest has a skin condition that causes her to be out of the sun at all cost. Who knows.
Part of me thinks you are being nosy. But the other part of me doesn't want to diminish your 6th sense. If you truly are worried, then I would suggest talking to the school counselor to tip her/him off. Certainly, if there was anything wrong, the school would be the first to see it. Granted, I wouldn't go in expecting action--there is absolutely nothing seriously detrimental in keeping chidlren indoors; instead go just to "inform" them of your concerns just in case they have any concerns.
Some people don't like to be outdoors, or they could do a lot of stuff away from their house. It's also possible that they are extremely religious and don't want to hang out with other people. I had neighbors like that before. As long as they aren't having a detrimental effect on your life I would just leave things alone.
Even if they are doing something sketchy, you can't do anything about it without some kind of proof. No one would come over to investigate if someone called to say "My neighbors never come outside!"
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
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Doesn't sound odd to me. Maybe they just keep to themselves. They DO go outside, they just don't seem to spend time in their yard or care to meet and interact with their neighbors. This is fairly common in some parts of the country. Maybe your neighbors aren't from Wisconsin.
It is abnormal for Wisconsin, though. Extremely abnormal, I would even say.
However, I also agree there is nothing the OP can do. Who knows, they may even spend a lot time outdoors away from their house. They may be from an area like CaliTerp07. Maybe the youngest has a skin condition that causes her to be out of the sun at all cost. Who knows.
Part of me thinks you are being nosy. But the other part of me doesn't want to diminish your 6th sense. If you truly are worried, then I would suggest talking to the school counselor to tip her/him off. Certainly, if there was anything wrong, the school would be the first to see it. Granted, I wouldn't go in expecting action--there is absolutely nothing seriously detrimental in keeping chidlren indoors; instead go just to "inform" them of your concerns just in case they have any concerns.
Yes, it is very abnormal, especially for our neighborhood.
And yes, I AM a very nosy person. I'm not going to say I'm not. But something about these people just doesn't seem right. Who knows. Maybe they have a good reason not to be outside.
And the kids are homeschooled, as far as I know. My kids go to the public schools and they say that the neighbor girls do not go to their school, or any of the schools in our district for that matter.
Thank you everyone for your replies. For now I guess I'll just leave it be and if anything comes up that seems like it's actually harmful to the kids, then I'll do something.
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