COUNSELING AND CONSULTATION ASSOCIATES, INC.COUNSELING AND CONSULTATION ASSOCIATES, INC.
Phillip L. Blansett, Ph.D.
1621 Eagle Trace Drive
Mount Juliet, Tennessee 37122-7428
(615) 758-7568
Website: http://DrBlansett.com
Email: DrBlansett@DrBlansett.com
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Neighbors Helping Neighbors in Parenting
by
Phillip L. Blansett, Ph.D.
There is nothing like having a grandchild to bring back memories of one's own childhood. I was blessed to have a mother and a father who were married to each other before having children, and who remained married until parted by death. I took it for granted that it was not only the way it should be, but that it was the way it always was, everywhere in America. The neighborhood I grew up in throughout my infancy and twelve years of public school, all in the same house with the same was just a normal Southern neighborhood. It wasn't "Socially engineered", it held pretty much a cross section of America. There were three really fine two story homes and there were houses of all sorts in between. We lived in one of the smaller homes, but not the smallest. Ours was a one bathroom, two bedroom home, but it was home. One of our neighbors lived as a renter in the studio apartment above the two car garage across the street. A bachelor, just starting his leather hobby store, Charles Tandy, went on to establish Tandy Enterprises and Radio Shack. But when he lived in our neighborhood he wasn't able to see into the future and know how successful he would become. He just knew he had discovered something he enjoyed, and set about sharing it with America. I remember a lot from that neighborhood, and I regret that many, alas most, children in America today aren't able to have the same experiences. There was Mrs. K. who, with her husband and three sons, lived across the street to the left. I knew that if she saw me doing anything of which my parents would (or in her mind, should) disapprove, she'd let them know. She'd also let them know of any rumors of my misbehavior brought home by her sons. She wasn't concerned about "getting to the bottom of it". She believed that should be my parent's business. She didn't worry about being seen as a "busy body", she was concerned about me. I loved, and love, Mrs. K. To the right of our house lived Mrs. N. and Mrs. L. both who had children who were older than me by a year or so. I couldn't go in either direction and have any sense of finding a place unobserved. There was security in knowing that. They are all dead now, their children having moved away. The neighborhood continues with a new cast of players. Was it an enigma? Was it an American Resource that has been lost, and if so, can it be recovered? As I gaze on the peaceful countenance of my granddaughter I am reminded that there is more to life than 40 minutes each way on a school bus or commute to work. A lot more.
Next week we'll continue to examine how neighbors can help neighbors in parenting.
Dr. Phillip Blansett is a psychotherapist in private practice in Nashville and West Wilson County.
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