I remember when we were kids, most of us used to hang out in each other’s houses playing video games, listening to music, and overall just chilling. My band of rejects all lived on the same block, our parents knew each other, and we were always together. So it wasn’t a rare thing to have us all together like that.
My son also has his “squad” of homies he hangs out with, similar to how we did too. But in his case, they all live in different neighborhoods which are relatively far from each other, the parents don’t know each other, and for the most part, I don’t know any of them. He’s asked my permission to bring some of his friends over a few times and I’ve been cool with it. I mean, why not? I trust my son’s judgment in choosing friends, and I expect he’d be really smart about who he allows into our home.
Things are different, and since I don’t know the kids or the families myself, the way our parents knew us, I’m not entirely comfortable with it. But I allow it, because this is what kids do. The last time, my boy had about 4 of his homies over. He told me, “Yo pops, this is the designated hang out spot now.” I was all like, “WHAT!!!” LOL. Reminds of mom number two and how she used to always ask us, “Ustedes no tienen casa?” Which means, “Don’t you guys have your own homes?” We were always in my man Stef’s house, that was the designated hang out spot for us.
It’s all good, at least I know my kid is safe, and like I said, I have to trust his judgement that the people he is bringing into my home are trustworthy. You never know when allowing strangers into your home, but so far so good. I’ll trust them until they give me a reason not to.
So what are your thoughts on allowing your kid’s friends to come to your house?
Just a life long New Yorker sharing the journey through my lens. Please take note of a post’s date. The views I express here are subject to change and evolving as I grow and learn.
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