Building the Community You Want to Live In

by: Kristen Mason The truth is we don't all live in on tree-lined streets with white picket fences.  These are the types of communities that movies portray as perfect and safe.

Most of us live in garage-door communities.  We come in and out of our garages with little or no interaction with one another.  Maybe this is why our kids are living in the "most protected generation ever."

What type of community do you want to live in?  I assume it's one where you know your neighbors or it's similar to the type you grew up in.

I gleaned ideas from some of my  friends to see what they're doing to bring the community they want to their neighborhood.  I love how intentional each of these women are!

Laura invited over the bus stop crew for pancakes on the last day of school.

Kerry coordinated a community yard sale and bake sale to raise funds for a family in need.

Stacy invited rising Kindergarten parents in her neighborhood over to her house for a potluck dinner.  This was after a meet-up at the school playground (neutral territory).

Amy is working with two other neighborhood moms to host an end of the school year bash.

Casey hosted a Fourth of July celebration last year with a bike parade (loved it!)  This year she's projecting movies on her garage door.

My parent's neighborhood has a monthly Trike Night and Halloween Parade (we crashed it last year!)

We invited our neighbors over for an Easter Egg Hunt.  The boys planned it, had a budget, and I made a cake.  Fun and simple.

What are you doing in your neighborhood to promote community?

 

 

Kristen Mason lives in Northern Virginia and blogs at Busy Kids = Happy Mom!  She teaches part time in an elementary school, is involved in MOMSnext, and loves all things crafty!  She is married and has 2 sons.