Have we lost our neighbourly manners?
When you move to a new area, your neighbours will become part of your life whether you like it or not, and how do your neighbours feel about you?
I remember moving into my first small house in UK and I remember carrying my huge stereo speakers in and the guy cross the street was looking on somewhat bemused at whether I was opening a disco or just moving in!
While bringing a token gift to meet a new neighbour may still occur in some areas, it’s very much a rare occurrence today. Why is that? Are we too busy? Do we care less than we used to?
Whatever happened to the notion of being neighbourly?
We have compiled a few tips to try to resurrect a dying tradition of welcoming new neighbours to your fold, and helping them to get by without becoming a hindrance:
A day or two after your new neighbours have actually arrived and found their kettle and their bed, pop by to introduce your family and answer any questions they may have. Be brief an don’t overstay your welcome.
After a week or so; consider hosting a casual welcome dinner party or barbecue with old neighbours and the new ones.
If you are dropping off some eatables try to be general, remember many people have allergies these days, so baked food, fruit or coffees and teas are a good idea.
If they have pets, try to be helpful and introduce them to other pet owners, or drop by a brochure from your local vet or let them know where the best parks are.
If they have children, and you do also, how cool are you as a neighbour that offers to take them off their busy hands for a few hours and get the kids out their hair and invite them to hang with your kids?
Important to know what the fine line between nosy and neighbourly is, if you have just invited your new neighbours to your swingers party and their eyeballs launch out their sockets it’s probably time to go!
Just a wave and a Hi makes us all live longer and feel part of our communities, if you look hard at it every human want the same things, love, harmony, prosperity, peace and friendship!
With everyone online these days you can use the internet to reach out to your neighbours and create an online society for the betterment of all in your very local community, Address starting a Facebook community is a great idea to connect with neighbours and bring together old nighbours who have moved away but still want to know what’s happening in their old haunt.