When you're a kid, it seems like that chapter of your life will last forever. You think you'll be playing kickball, making chalk masterpieces in the driveway, and having bake sales with your neighborhood besties for the rest of your life. Wouldn't that be so sweet? But alas, that time in our lives went by way too quickly — especially if you were lucky enough to have other kids in the neighborhood around your age. When you grow up in a neighborhood with a pretty rad group of kids, you're bound to become best friends with them. Time goes on, though, and friendships have the potential to fall apart. But, you and your childhood neighbors might still be as tight as ever. Because of that special bond, there are bound to be some things that are relatable AF to your crew.
Your childhood neighbors are your partners in crime since day one. I mean, who else would be better suited to be your lifelong BFFs? You know pretty much everything about each other. It's more than friendship at this point; you're basically family. You were there when they fell of their bikes and cried when they looked down at their scraped knees. You escaped giant bumble bees at the park together, and sprinted home giggling when rainy downpours put your capture the flag games on hold. These six things are just part of your friendship.
The thing about people who knew you way back when is that they know your past like the back of their hand — and they're never going to let you forget it. Seriously though, when you're together, how often do you bring up all of those hilarious shenanigans you got into as kids? Your childhood-neighbors-turned-BFFs love to call you out on the most embarrassing times of your life, like when you used to make, and eat, dirt pies, or that time when you were double dared to kiss your crush next door. Lucky for you, you can call them out on their stories, too.
When you're a kid, you never think that the house you're living in would ever become someone else's after you. If your parents move out of your childhood home, it's honestly heartbreaking. You never realized how attached you are to it up until it's time to pack up the boxes and leave. When you've got your crew of neighborhood BFFs, they've spent almost as much time in that house as you did, so they get all the feels, too.
When you grow up running around the same block of houses, building castles and kingdoms in each other's backyards, and staying out until the very last minute of dusk, you inevitably get to know all of the families in the neighborhood. Between snowed-in days having hot chocolate at each other's houses, enjoying family dinners together, babysitting nights, block parties, and so much more, you got to know all of the neighborhood families really well. At this point, your neighbors are part of your family, too.
You constantly left clothes and toys at your neighbors' houses — from mismatched shoes to your favorite sand bucket. Without a doubt, if you went into your neighbors' storage units or attics, you'd find some remnants of your own life chilling there. So that's where that fourth grade tee-ball participation trophy went.
If there's one experience that's probably universal to kids across age groups, it's gotta be this: You have at least one solid choreographed routine. Some kids start a band with their cousins, and some embrace their inner prima ballerinas with their sisters. And others, like you, acted out whole concerts with your neighborhood BFFs. If you're put on the spot and feelin' it, your crew can still execute it perfectly. I mean, you didn't put in all of those hours of work for nothing.
The best thing about staying close with your childhood neighbors means that they're always down to take a walk down memory lane with you. If you've all moved away, you're definitely down for annual reunions in your town to visit your old stomping grounds. Even if it's just planning a picnic in your favorite childhood park, it means so much to all of you.
