https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 20 May 2026 21:18:05 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-248007 Sat, 04 Aug 2012 12:34:08 +0000 chrispygal 248007@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Absolutely. I have a few good friends and we always say we want to build a compound where we have neighboring houses. We could share a pool, create a huge play area, and let our kids run freely between our houses. We would all love it. Financially though it would be really tough to afford that much land and to build our houses. That and the chances of us all being able to afford to move at the same time is slim to none. If one of us ever won the lottery though, the compound will happen! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-247933 Sat, 04 Aug 2012 10:36:34 +0000 Pink Champagne 247933@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've become pretty good friends with our neighbors- they always talk about how we should put a gate between our backyard fences so that we can go back and forth! They have a little 2 year old and one on the way, so I'm sure once our babies are born we'll spend more time with them. Right now, we just chat whenever we see one another outside. But they're super nice, they know our garage code, they help us move heavy furniture- I love them! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-247849 Sat, 04 Aug 2012 08:39:42 +0000 eeh 247849@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I love our neighborhood for this exact reason. We are really close with next door neighbor and we take turns taking care of the dogs. We know each others garage codes and will just walk in whenever. I'll be sitting in my living room and she'll walk in with dinner or something. Or, our a/c broke and I went over to her house and took a nap on her couch while she was gone. Several times a week I take her leftovers or something I've baked and she does most of our landscaping. </p> <p>We also have good friends that live 2 houses down and are looking forward to swapping babysitting with them. We're always walking down to each others houses for dinner or just to hang out in the drive way and chat. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-247802 Sat, 04 Aug 2012 07:27:16 +0000 autumnlove 247802@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't like it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-247753 Sat, 04 Aug 2012 00:31:08 +0000 BoogieBea 247753@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Alternating baby sitting would be pretty cool. We used to share a brownstone with my BIL (separate apartments) and we've always talked about doing nanny share when we have kids. But we ended up moving away before my first was born. Overall, we loved living below him but sometimes he'd have these late parties and we'll hear thumping of shoes back and forth all night long. And he's a food pusher. He loves making these gourmet dishes late at night and forcing us to go up and eat. It was great for our tummies but not so much for our waistline. Ah the good old days. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-247745 Fri, 03 Aug 2012 23:35:33 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 247745@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hellz no. I like my current neighbors: we don't even wave when we check our mailboxes. I love it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246927 Fri, 03 Aug 2012 10:21:24 +0000 ladyfingers 246927@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>That does sound fun! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246604 Fri, 03 Aug 2012 06:10:51 +0000 heffalump 246604@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't think I like anyone that much. I like my privacy and me/family time.</p> <p>I have a friend who was looking at a house down the street which I was excited about, next door id even love. But id want to keep our fence up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246579 Fri, 03 Aug 2012 03:23:18 +0000 Sweet T 246579@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would love to have great friends as neighbors. We move into our house next week and I am so hoping that our neighbors are nice and that they have a kid around DS's age. My dad was in the Army when I was a kid and we had some awesome relationships with the families we lived near. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246576 Fri, 03 Aug 2012 03:04:09 +0000 sunny 246576@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My friends and I used to joke that we should build a commune and all live in little cottages on the commune. We'd each have our own space but we'd be close enough to have impromptu fun gatherings! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246567 Fri, 03 Aug 2012 02:19:59 +0000 looch 246567@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would like to in theory, but on some nights I just want to be alone, and what happens when we're having a disagreement? I like my privacy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246541 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 23:45:17 +0000 Mrs. Hula Hoop 246541@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well, this kind of exists for us and our dog, with our neighbors in our condo building. We have pretty much that relationship you described where we have dropped off dogs with one another to take care of/hang out with while traveling or going out. That sounds like an awesome setup for babies and children, too! Why not? :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246497 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:50:18 +0000 Mrs. Superhero 246497@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would, we are great friends with our neighbours here and I love it. I would be happy to live like that with my brother and his family. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246491 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:46:10 +0000 Maysprout 246491@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't mind with one of my sisters but only because I also don't mind telling them to bug off if they're irritating me. But I usually like hanging out with them and I would love to have a babysitter without worrying about cost all the time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246437 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:09:52 +0000 erwoo 246437@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't mind but I think after a while I would like my privacy and be antisocial for a bit. Haha! Also, what if our kids got bored of each other or got into a big fight. What then? :\ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246433 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:06:56 +0000 Red 246433@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't mind living next to our best couple friends and hanging out a lot together but I'd prefer to keep the fence up. I think shared babysitting duties and shared dinners 4 nights a week would be cool. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246416 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 21:53:58 +0000 mrs. bird 246416@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DH &amp; I have talked about how much we'd like to live in a dirt of sister wives situation, minus the polygamy! Only I get to touch him:D I'd love for our LOs to be raised with lots of other LOs and to have other women in it with me. I'd want our own private space to retreat to though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246410 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 21:49:26 +0000 Mrs. Sunglasses 246410@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It would be cool, but we wouldn't do it. It would just cause issues in the long run (for us) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246396 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 21:41:22 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 246396@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our best friends live across the street. It's great that we can see each other outside and decide on impromptu dinner or walk or playdate. We'll be bummed if we move, even if it's only a few blocks away! It helps that our 2 year olds are the same age and that we both have transracial adoptees :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246386 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 21:38:31 +0000 Minnie_Girl 246386@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm in the "good fences make good neighbors" camp. I might be able to do something like that with my siblings, but even then it would be a stretch! DH and I are private/homebody types. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246334 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 21:13:19 +0000 Mrs. Pickle 246334@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>That sounds pretty cool! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246319 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 21:05:56 +0000 DigAPony 246319@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I like my privacy and go through spells where I prefer to act like a hermit, so I don't think this type of thing would work for me! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246305 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 21:02:01 +0000 Honeybee 246305@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We specifically chose the neighborhood we now live in because our best friends live here. We ended up buying a house a block down the street from them! I think this is the perfect distance since we see each other all the time (sometimes daily) but we also have a little bit of distance in case we need/want some privacy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246295 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:59:31 +0000 photojane 246295@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>my best friend and i had an elaborate plan like this in high school. when we "grew up" and got married, we'd have houses in the country next to each other with one big white picket fence. i'd have the pool, she'd have the trampoline and swingset! i'd LOVE it. my husband's super private, so i don't think he'd have as much fun. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246293 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:59:03 +0000 MamaMoose 246293@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope. When you share so much of your lives like that you are basically married to two more people. I think it would be exhausting to maintain so many relationships at that level and impossible to keep everyone happy because so much compromise would be necessary. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246289 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:57:08 +0000 Mrs. Cowgirl 246289@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>totally. we've talked about this with two different couples that are our very good friends. in fact, during snowmaggedon in 2010, we camped at their place for the week while DC shut down and had a blast. we made meals together, played lots of settlers of catan and just had a blast. i think it'd be so fun! and so great for the other reasons you mentioned, too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246281 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:54:23 +0000 mrbee 246281@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sweetchic: That's good though. Guarantees no cheating haha! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246280 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:53:42 +0000 Meridian 246280@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We talk about that with our friends too! If anything, it would be with DH's best friend and his wife. Although he (DH's BFF) can drive me nuuuts sometimes. Not sure I would actually be able to stand it long term though, Hana </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/would-you-ever-live-next-door-to-another-family-with-kids-and-share-your-lives-together#post-246272 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:50:13 +0000 mrbee 246272@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd love to live in a brownstone next door to another family that we're really close with... we'd tear down the fence in the backyard, and have BBQs and hangout together. We'd all get along with each other and get along with each others' kids, so that one couple could go on a date while the other couple stayed home and made sure the kids stayed asleep.</p> <p>This setup exists only in my imagination, or possibly on Sesame Street. But how great would it be?! We could run a carpool, divvy up the grocery shopping and even eat dinner all together now and then. I think it'd be a lot of fun and really convenient. Kind of like Sister Wives, but without the need for polygamy.</p> <p>Would you ever live next door to really good friends and share your lives like that? Or is that unrealistic/just too intimate and fraught with risk? </p>