Do you know your neighbours?

[MoonsAndJunes]

We have lived here for decades & I know the names of 3 people but rarely see them to talk to.
We are surrounded by houses and I haven't a clue who lives there.
Is it just me?
DCs go to school out of area, we commute.
It's very peaceful & quiet despite being an area with hundreds of homes.
AIBU to think I'm missing out? Neighbourly Bbqs and the like - or am I lucky?

10 properties in our cul de sac, know all of them, two well enough to share bottle of wine bbq on warm evenings. One house at the top the police took the husband away this morning for the second time, for beating his wife up again. He is 84 married three times, remortgaged the house cut up her credit cards, locked her up in the bathroom at xmas, her family found her. He is banned from Tesco and other shops for being abusive. He has alzheimers I hope he is never allowed back.

Those of you who give keys to neighbours are extremely trusting! I can’t think of any other circumstance where you’d give a set of house keys to people you didn’t know very well. I can see it’s more common than I thought, but I’m very surprised.

Yes, I know the names of 7 out of 9.

Walking Funnily enough I don’t think I’m particularly trusting (neighbors have our keys), but I choose to believe that most people are decent and would seek to help you rather than help you. It always makes me feel good to know I’ve helped someone put. Now, of course compared to the Strange World of Mumsnet, I probably am something of an anomaly. I talk to people I don’t know, enjoy seeing/hearing the neighbor kids and even answer the door when I’m not expecting anyone !

Help you rather than harm you, that should read!

Lived in previous house for 9 years, learned one neighbour's name in that time.

Moved two years ago to what we intend to be our "forever" home, determined to do better. But we didn't get around to going around and introducing ourselves for long enough that it reached the point where it would feel awkward to do so, and nobody came and introduced themselves to us either. So, after two years, we've met a whopping one neighbouring family. A bit sad.

An exbf and I once had an argument in a supermarket because apparently I’ll talk to anyone So yes, we know our neighbours but superficially... About four doors down on one side, and six doors down on the other side, plus others dotted around our estate. We have a small green behind us, and a larger green out front, so often get chatting to the dog walkers, and our two cats attract lots of attention from the little ones. DH is a tradie, so often gets knocks on the door to ask if he would mind having a ‘quick look’. Also there was a large-ish EU community in our estate (dwindling slightly in the last 18mths as they’ve returned home), and DH is from the same country, so also knew quite a few through that.
We know their names, the kids names (apart from one, know two of the three kids names of that family, and after three years, too damned late to ask now), where they’re from if not local, etc For all that, while we go through almost 20lb of sweets at Halloween, we don’t socialise with our neighbours. We both work f/t and I’m also a student plus have anxiety issues. The one exception has now moved away but we’re godoarents to her two children, and they’ll be staying with us for ten days in September.

walking one neighbour has a house key but not the alarm code. TBH if I misplaced the key, I’d probably call my cat sitter but nice just in case...

I've lived here five years and we talk almost daily and have taken time to know each other. It's not like I moved in and posted a key through. I married someone I knew less than 3 years.

You could be missing out, it depends upon where you live. My kids went to a different school away from the area but because we were in a semi rural area, they could play outside and climb trees so knew all the other children. We got to know the parents, so there would always be people looking out for them. We also had a good supply of baby sitters, so had nights out and people looking after the house, looking after keys etc. Everyone was really like family but not intrusive or forcing us to do social things. I really miss it. I had to move for work, was in an area which was not too bad and made friends with 2 neighbours who I could trust to look after the house when I was away and vice versa and also went to events and socialised with them. I am now in a worse part of the city and do not know anyone, they tend to be renters and migratory, so dump stuff in the street and do not care. I have become like you and would not want to socialise or trust them. They let their kids run riot and I often find evidence of drugs in my front garden.

I avoid my neighbours. They have serious marriage issues and anger management problems.