The Suburbs Rock

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON YODELINGMAMAS.COM
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As an advertising ‘creative’—which is what I am in the business world—being a suburban mom isn’t exactly considered cool. How can I be sampling the hippest wine bar’s best when there are baths to be given and stories to be read? And while I’ll never try to convince anybody that I’m cool, I’ve learned that living in the ‘burbs actually is.

When my husband and I moved into our neighborhood as newlyweds, we were honestly a bit freaked out. It was like going back in time—people showed up at our door with brownies, tarts and welcome baskets. We joked that there was a neighborhood webcam watching our every move.

But as soon as our first son was born, we gained a whole new appreciation for our neighbors. A couple nights a week for the first month or so, a home-cooked meal arrived at 6pm—most from people we’d never even met—courtesy of the neighborhood mom’s club. Since then we’ve been well fed as we welcomed another little boy, strutted our stuff in multiple 4th of July and Halloween parades, gathered goodies at yearly Easter egg hunts, danced til dark at the annual Street Dance, celebrated being named one of Dreyer’s Neighborhood Salute honorees, and so much more.

I am so grateful for the life lessons that my kids are learning living in our neighborhood. They’re learning about generosity. That people share their time, food, toys, and even humidifiers to make someone else’s day a bit easier. They’re learning that there’s always something to celebrate—new babies, birthdays, holidays, Fridays—and that celebration is all the more special when you’re surrounded by friends. They’re learning that every family makes their own choices, has different beliefs and finds happiness in a variety of ways. They’re learning that a smile and a wave (particularly if it comes from a dog’s tail) can make your day. And if you ask me, that’s pretty cool.