Turning a new page in parenting...

I was about 5 years old when I made my first best friend. Her name was Amie and she lived right next door to me. We did everything together from playing with dolls to climbing trees. She moved away when I was maybe 7 and then we moved a year or so after her. Needless to say, we did not stay in touch, but she has a special place in my childhood memories.

Last week the little boys who live next door came and asked if Remy could play outside with them. We have lived in our house for 5 years now, and though I am not an unfriendly person, I am also not the most neighborly. I've talked to my surrounding neighbors a handful of times, so I can't really say that I know much about any of them, aside from the fact that almost all of them have children. Anyway, so when the two little boys came over and asked if Remy could play I didn't really know what to say. I have never let Remy play outside unsupervised before. When Remy overheard the invitation he was so happy, that I just couldn't tell him no. However, I did explain the rules:

• He was not to go in their house
• He was not to cross the street for any reason
• Play nicely
• and if his asthma acted up at all he was to come home for a treatment

He said ok and out the door he ran (of course Bella tagged along to the edge of the fence) and I did my looking out the window and listening to them play. Bryan came home shortly after Remy went out and I told him that Rem was playing next door. Since I had to leave for work Bry asked what should he do and I said I didn't really know, that this was all new for me too, but that he should just keep an eye out and an ear open. Remy has only been five since January and he's my oldest so everything new that he does is a first for me too.

Ever since that first day he has asked to go next door to play or they have all end up playing at our house. There has been a little bit of a break because the weather has been so bad, but now that that sun has made an appearance they are all outside again. Though it is very new for me to let him play out of my sites (other than at school), I know that the older he gets the more he will want to do things away from us and as a parent I have to be willing to adapt to these new changes.