My kids don't have any neighborhood friends

[Anonymous]

We live in close-knit DC neighborhood, my kids go to neighborhood school and they never want to join the neighborhood kids playing outside. So, don't worry and don't assume that if you had stayed local it would be any different.

[Anonymous]

I have kids in DC Public and DC Private Schools. One of the great things about the DC public school is that our kids have so many neighborhood friends who are also their classmates. Our DC at a DC private -- friends and classmates are scattered all over DC, MD, VA. That DC has just two classmates within our vicinity, whereas our DCs who go to DC public have dozens, literally. Honestly, I think our DC public kids are in a better place socially because of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in the same situation in Fairfax. We live on a cul-de-sak of empty nesters and my kids are in immersion, so not at the base school.

Yes, there are days I wish they could just go outside and find a kid to play with, but honestly there are most likely only 3-4 weekends a year where that happens.

My 7th grader has travel sports and texts his friends. My grader schooler could use some bodies in the neighborhood.

Are you sure you have kids in your neighborhood? We don't (OK, I'm sure we do, but after living there for 17 years, I know the folks in walking distance. I know there are kids in the sub-division, but who's to say they would be friends...)

We live on a cul-de-sac of emty nesters and when two houses came up on the market, guess who moved in? More empty nesters! Meanwhile, the kids our kids age live on the busy streets. Go figure!

[Anonymous]

If there are kids near by, bring some cookies and go over and introduce yourselves and ask if they want to come over to play in your backyard. Even if they already have "best friends" at school, it's always nice to have a friend that's on the same street or in walking distance, for all those times that your mom doesn't want to drive you to your best friend's house.
My kids play with the other kids on the street all the time, even though they are in different grades so aren't really their "best" friends -- they are their closest friends, and there's value in that.