Thank you all for your input

[RhondaH]

I'll not only be BC survivor, but a MOM survivor. He's a good boy, but sadly one of our neighbors who's son is HORRIBLE to Tony (he is 3 years older than Tony) is making Tony out to be the bad one. Because of the stone throwing incident (she is ALSO the neighborhood gossip) SHE told Tony that she was "this close to never letting him play with her kids again" (she ALSO has a child with Downs syndrome who is 7 and Tony is the ONLY kid in the neighborhood who likes to play with him) AND said she should spank him until his bottom was purple (the day before I JUST told her how we do not spank in our house as our pediatrician says not to and he is the TOP ped in our area...only takes kids as newborns...and I trust him as well until a week ago she NEVER disciplined her kids, but she just read a book...oh my goodness) and here he had done NOTHING to them or her. THEN the next day he came in from riding his bike and said Mrs. Cornetett told him to tell me to fix the boards on her play house so I called her to find out what was going on (I was STEAMING over the "this close" and "spanking" incident and hadn't spoken to her since). She ACTUALLY told me that she didn't tell him she was going to spank his bottom purple, but her own boys (how could he confuse this when he was playing outside and SHE called him into her house...didn't even tell him what it was for) AND that because of the stone incident felt that she should tell me that she saw Tony a MONTH ago pull a board off a 50yo collapsing, rotted play house in the ravine between her's and my house, but the play house is on their property...Tony said it was loose and WHY did she wait a month to say something? I told her to tell me the cost and I will pay her (better NOT be more than $20 or I'm going to court), but I am taking pictures of it in my defense in case THEY want to have it replaced (her husband owns an insurance agency and I am an insurance underwriter, so we BOTH know how things work) I have an INTERESTING neighbor to say the least. I'm glad you all are my friends as the people in my world are weird Take care and God bless.

Rhonda

[mke]

Oh Lordy the psycho mother/neighbor situation. That's a tough one to deal with. My parents had it but I mostly avoided it. You are being sensible - many if not all kids are going to do some silly things. All we can ask of them is to own up to it and help them deal the fall-out. The less than sensible parents think that their little darlings could never do anything silly, it must be the other kid's fault. Fools.

Can Tony be encouraged to play with other children? Maybe he was wrong about what she said about purple bottoms, sounds like she is at least backtracking, but maybe he wasn't. Honestly, it's too bad about the Down's Syndrome child but they sound like a good family to be avoided.

[Jeanette]

Rhonda, there seems to be one of these neighbours in every neighbourhood. When I used to travel with my husband who was career Navy we met all sorts of people and it was hard at times finding the right kids for your children to play with. People are basicly good, but there is always that one. We used to have Fathers come to our door saying my son called his son a name and he did not like it. Sometimes I think the parents are worse than the children. You hang in there, Jeanette

[Mary Jo]

Hi Rhonda,

I think I'd avoid that neighbor like the plaque. Unfortunately, there always seems to be someone like that around.

Good luck - motherhood is tough, isn't it? Haha! I raised 2 sons. Thankfully, I made it. They are now 28 and 25 and I'm a grandma. Grandmahood is WAY better.

Consider yourself hugged Rhonda,

Mary Jo

[juanita]

We live next door to my in-laws. When the kids were younger my nephew liked to pick on my youngest son. But my sister-in-law got mad and had a talk with my kids one day about them ganging up on my nephew when he picked on my son. He was a pain.