Watch your words because there may be backlash later.
Years ago my neighbors bought a basketball stand and net. We disliked it very much. Why, you ask? Because they parked it in the street in the gutter. Our streets are prone to flooding and add a basketball hoop to the mix and it is a disaster even in a sprinkle. The water could not drain down to the sewer. They were oblivious.
So for years we put up with teenagers in the street playing hoops. Not that bad, you say. Try teenagers in the street that refuse to move when you drive down the street. Add to this, teenagers when they do decide to move , decide to stand in front of your driveway while you are sitting there in your car with your signal on unable to park because they just cant comprehend that it is your driveway.
It was awesome as he grew older the basketball hoop was moved to the backyard, neglected. Well until Wednesday....... My nephew and his buddy were playing football in our front yard. I heard them talking to our neighbor. I then heard louder noise and went to the door to see that stupid basketball stand and hoop being moved to my driveway. I was stunned.
I went out to find out what happened and to somewhat be polite and fake excited. I thought maybe he let them borrow it, oh no I then found out that the conversation was the following:
Neighbor: "You guys like basketball."
Boys: "Yeah."
Neighbor : "Do you want a basketball stand and hoop?"
Boys: " YEAH."
Neighbor: " Great, you can have ours."
So what went wrong in this scenario. Were we asked? No. Do we want it? NO. Nothing to do but be polite . So now we have an eyesore of a basketball stand right in our front yard. OH BOY!
You know the same one we disliked for so many years. Oh my, backlash.
2 comments:
I can understand your frustration about it. We have our own basketball stand story. When we moved last May, son was friends with a homeless guy (still friends, but guy lives 100 miles away from us now). Anyway, the guy's ex-girlfriend was getting rid of her basketball hoop thingy and wondered if son/friend wanted it. Son asked if he could take it and put it across the street since across the street from us is a hilly area with no houses. We said sure as long as it wouldn't cause any problems having it there. I told my husband that he/his friends would never play basketball with it, though that was his intent in getting it. (and I was right). But kids in the neighborhood would come and ask if they could play on it and we always said yes. Fast forward a few months later and the city was out doing inspections and said the net thingy had to be removed since it was on city land and if we didn't, we would be fined $100. We had no place to put it where it wouldn't be sticking out and an eyesore. However, son went down to neighbor's house who had young kids who always played on it and asked if they wanted it. Mom said sure. He wheeled it down. They LOVE IT. They wheel it up and down where they want to play with it while they play with it. Their young boy is out there playing with dad or shooting hoops by himself or with friends. The other day I saw they had gotten a new net for it. Good Christian family who probably couldn't have afforded this but are benefitting from getting one in this way. Amazing how God works.
So you just never know.............
betty
One of these days a real basketball star may emerge from your own front yard. Be patient, my Friend. Wouldn't you want these kids playing ball in your front yard as opposed to doing drugs or alcohol at someone else's house? They don't stay young nearly long enough. Like your neighbor, nephew will outgrow it, but in the meantime, he's building memories.
Of course, you have to know it's easy for me to say, they ain't in my front yard. Heheh
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