Yesterday, we were out front and Rylee was playing with my neighbors DD. We live on a coldesac, so cars sometimes drive to the end to turn around. This blue van drives to the end of our street, and looks at the girls. She then drove away. I wish cars didn't do that. About 2 mnutes later, the van came back and this lady rolled down her window and said that her DD was turning 4 and they just moved to the area so they don't know too many people. She was having a birthday party for her next weekend and saw the girls and thought that they would like to go. I am sure that she meant well, but in this day in age, you don't do that. She knows nothing about us. We are sweet people, but she doesn't know that. I just thought it was really weird. We aren't going.

By Sandysmom on Monday, December 4, 2006 - 11:16 am:

That is weird. I'm sure she was just checking out the neighborhood to see if her dd had someone her age to play with.
Some people just aren't good at approaching others. She probably felt awkward afterwards. I kind of feel bad for her dd if she did that to everyone she passed by! Poor girl will have a hard time with friends.
I'm not sure I would go either, but if you change your mind, make sure your DH goes along.

By Bellajoe on Monday, December 4, 2006 - 01:05 pm:

I would be weirded out by that too. Very strange. I understand that she wants her dd to make friends in the new neighborhood, but that seems a bit pushy and to forward to me.

By Bemerry84 on Monday, December 4, 2006 - 01:50 pm:

I actually did something similar when we moved to our neighborhood 15 years ago, only I was looking for a babysitter. I scoped out all the teenagers waiting for the bus every morning and when I found one that always carried a backpack and wasn't smoking or acting weird, I stopped my car, introduced myself and asked her to come over and meet us and my son and she did. She was 13 at the time and she sat for us for over 10 years. If you are interested I would set up a play date in a park or something and just talk with her. Maybe they even moved there from out of state and are tired of being lonely. Think how nervous she may have been, I know I was.

By Mommmie on Monday, December 4, 2006 - 01:51 pm:

Birthday parties have just gotten so totally out of hand if you have to troll for guests. I had that happen to me once, too. A drive by, new neighbor a street over, an invite to a preschool age party. I said we'd have to pass.

Here's another incident I experienced. My son was in full time daycare, age 4. A mom signs up her kid but he rarely attends. A week later birthday invitations go out for a party a week later. Party happens. My son goes although he has no desire to. The mom says she just signed up the kid for daycare to find kids to invite to this party. She says they travel all over the world. Party over. Kid never showed up again at the daycare. He was signed up for just the 2 weeks prior to the party.

I know many of y'all compassionate folks think this is okay as it may be the start of a lovely friendship, but I felt used.

By Mom2three1968 on Monday, December 4, 2006 - 04:43 pm:

I understand your hesitation and your being nervous. Ten years ago my dh and I were stationed in Germany and I had just had my youngest son, we lived in these apartment buildings, and there were six of them going up a hill, we lived in the very bottom one. Anyway we had been there for four months and I really had no friends to speak of, my eldest ds was ten, my dd was almost four and my youngest ds was a month old, well there was a peach tree up the hill at the top where the sixth apartment building stood, I told my little dd that we would walk up to pick some of the peaches, as we were walking up the hill when we got to the third apartment building I saw another mom with a little boy that looked to be my dd's age, well I don't know if it was that I was so lonely and was tired of not having a friend, and that my dd didn't have anyone to play with or what it was, but the woman saw us and said hello, well that was all if took for me to launch into an introduction and started immediately gabbing and talking her ear off, we laugh about it today because she will be the first to admit it and say I thought you were a wierdo or something!! Are families are the best of friends now and when my dh retired from the military and moved here to Illinois and they retired in Missouri and live two hours from us, we visit each other two or three times a year with weekend visits and they are very dear to us. But I guess that sort of thing doesn't happen to everyone!! But i can see other peoples points of view too...

By Dandjmom on Tuesday, December 5, 2006 - 02:20 pm:

I honestly can't say that I think there is something wrong with it or that it is right? I mean in some sort of way aren't we only doing what we tell our kids to do when they move to a new neighborhood or start a new school. To greet and be the first to talk to someone to make friends. Yes I'm a grown woman but it's all right to have friends I do need them too,(although I don't have any here that I can talk to face to face at the moment) I do have you all wonderful ladies( hope that wasn't too direct, assuming, or I sound like a weirdo.

But like someone mentioned you will going to the party with her and if needed ask Chris to tag alone. Or better yet tell her that you can't make the party but you would like to set up a play date at a park or (chuckie cheese type place) and then you can really see if Raylee likes this little girl because they will have more one on one interaction)

By Dana on Wednesday, December 6, 2006 - 09:36 am:

She could also be from a small town where this type of interaction is not out the norm. You just never know.

Personally, I wouldn't go to the party, but I would try to find the time for a playdate.