This month’s is “Caring Neighborhood” which is defined as when a child experiences caring neighbors living nearby. When I think of this asset, I realize that we may all have a different view of what our “neighborhood” is. It makes me think of when I was a child growing up on Juniper Street in Quakertown.
My neighborhood was one block long and everyone knew each other. I remember that, if I did something wrong, my parents would find out sometimes before I had a chance to tell them. Our neighborhoods today are often different. They may be our street, our development or our entire small community. If we live in a very rural area, our neighbors may be some distance away.
The point of this asset is that young people need neighbors, no matter how far away they may be, to care about them. Sometimes parents are not enough. I would suggest making sure that we include our close relatives in our concept of our neighborhood. We can help our youth by getting to know the parents of their friends. Communication with these people who touch the lives of our children is important. Develop a list of the names and phone numbers of the other adults in your child’s life and stay in contact with them. Check to make sure that they are really home when your child is at their house. If they care about the well being of your child and theirs they will appreciate this.
