Loving Your Neighbor During COVID19

Story from one of our editors // Names changed for privacy

We are neighborhood people. For our son’s 3rd birthday in September, we sent out an invitation inviting the neighborhood kids to meet us in the cul-de-sac for bicycle races and games. We laughed and picnicked together. Elderly neighbors even set out their lawn chairs and cheered on the kids.

But today, in the face of COVID19, being a neighbor looks very different. Daily, we are trying to teach a kid who loves high-fives and playing red-light-green-light that being a neighbor means staying 6 feet away. He rode his bike around our cul-de-sac playing mailman, delivering notes to folks that might need help getting groceries. But it’s been hard to understand this new version of “neighbor.”

On warm afternoons, we also have taken walks, waved at neighbors, and tried to coach kids that although they are buddies, they’ve got to have bike races further apart right now. But it doesn’t always work. 

Just two days ago, we came outside to see a little boy playing in the creek that runs along our yard. We waved and smiled, and he immediately came over to us. His mom was in the street on the phone, and when she saw him, she immediately began her own coaching, “Sam, don’t forget to stay 6 feet away!” 

We got close enough to talk, still 6 ft apart, mind you, and I quickly learned that she and her son had recently moved into her mother’s house down the street from us while Sam was out of school. She is trying to run video counseling sessions, and doing so would have been impossible in their one-bedroom apartment. 

My son was SO excited to see a friend, and her son looked genuinely excited too. I could not imagine what it would be like to move to a grandparent’s home, bringing very few of your belongings with you. So, we decided to walk down to our cul-de-sac, and her son Sam decided to follow along. He was bouncing a ball, my son was riding a scooter, and I was staying close by trying to casually remind them to stay apart.

Sam’s mom and I began to talk again, and the moment we turned our heads, the boys had switched toys. Sam was now riding my son’s scooter and my son was now bouncing Sam’s ball. Immediately, all we could both think was GERMS. We tried to solve the issue by getting Sam a toy to ride on too, but keeping them apart proved very difficult. Not to mention, if anyone had germs to share, they’d already been passed along.

After our cul-de-sac encounter, we decided the best we could do is leave a bicycle and a helmet at the end of the driveway so Sam has something to play with during his stay in our neighborhood. We’ve talked about drawing a 6 ft line with sidewalk chalk to help them understand, but who knows if that will get the point across.

Everything about this cultural moment feels like the opposite of what I want to teach my son. I love that he easily shared his beloved scooter with a boy he’d just met. I love that he was excited to befriend someone that seemed lonely. But sadly, today I had to explain that loving his new friend meant giving him some space.

And as an organization that deeply values both community and neighborhood, we are grieving normalcy with you. Whatever you are experiencing in this season whether it is a loss of relationships or income or something else, we wanted to say we feel it too. Here’s a window into our new normal, and we care about yours too.

Even though we are writing from our basements and juggling our children who are out of school, we still care about your neighborhood and your school situation. When this storm blows over, we will be waiting and ready to help your neighborhood and school flourish. 

So, hi neighbor. You’re not really alone. You’re being a good neighbor by staying in. Thanks for doing that. And be encouraged!