Learn More About Getting to Know Other Parents
Not a lot people know their neighbors, which is itself unfortunate. But the case for meeting your neighbors becomes even stronger when you have kids.
Playdates and Friends
Your kids need to have friends, whether they are at school, at extracurricular activities after school, or in the neighborhood. Neighborhood friends, in particular, offer the ideal opportunity for kids to get out of the house and have a good time with other kids their age.
When your children start to spend time with other kids, it’s just a good idea to get to know the other children’s parents. Most of the time, you can be pretty confident that those parents are just like you, doing their best to raise their kids safely and thoughtfully. But it’s still a good idea to get to know them better, so you can be completely certain.
A Sense of Community
Knowing your neighbors in general instills a sense of community that can be genuinely amazing to experience. It’s a kind of community that has largely fallen by the wayside in today’s hustle-bustle society, but that doesn’t mean you have to completely abandon it. It can feel like a lost skill, but if you’re willing to put just a little bit of work into it, you can connect with your neighbors again.
This sense of community is a great way to ensure that your kids have a good experience in your neighborhood, as well. Kids are very intuitive and can sense the way people feel toward each other in a sometimes shocking way. If you’re integrated into your community and you know the people nearby, your children are much more likely to feel at home.
Sharing Parenting Duties and Responsibilities
You’ve heard that it takes a village to raise a child, and in some ways, that’s genuinely true. It’s hard for just one person or couple to effectively look after their children all the time. If you meet up with other parents and you truly trust those parents, you can share that parenting responsibility and make things easier for one another.
This also helps your two families bond a little more closely. Your kids can end up with very close friends that they really love hanging out with, and you can end up with another couple or individual with whom you have great chemistry. That’s a win-win all around.
Is It Safe to Trust Other Parents Around My Kids?
Especially if you’re not used to engaging in this type of community, you may find it nerve-wracking to allow your children to spend time with other parents without you being there. How do you make sure that’s safe?
Every Parent Is Different
Remember that just because you trust one set of parents, it doesn’t mean you have to give that same trust to every set of parents you meet. You’re going to meet parents throughout the years that you just don’t like. Whether that’s for a genuine reason or just because you think they have bad taste in movies, it’s okay to have differing opinions.
This also goes the other way. Just because you had a bad experience with a set of parents in your old neighborhood doesn’t mean you have to stay away from all other parents in this new neighborhood. Don’t let a bad “break-up” sour you on all future parental friendships. Leave yourself open to making new connections.
General Conduct Is Just as Important as Parenting Style
People judge each other on a number of different points, and that can be especially true when it comes to other parents. Remember that if you don’t like or trust someone based on how they act as a person, you don’t have to reevaluate that on a parent level as well. You’re caring for a child who’s just learning how to act as a person, and you want that child to have good role models.
This applies to criminal behavior as well. Even if you don’t see it in the parenting style that you regularly observe, a violent criminal background is definitely cause for alarm. If you perform a comprehensive report through PeopleFinders and you see violent marks in recent years, you can definitely decide to stay away from that individual.
It’s Possible to Have Both Trust and Suspicion
You don’t just have to completely trust another set of parents or completely stay on your guard for anything that might possibly go wrong. There’s a middle ground there, and it’s possible to effectively toe the line. A healthy level of suspicion is good, even if you feel like you’re being unfair. On the other hand, you don’t need to be paranoid, either.
Performing a criminal records check through PeopleFinders, for example, can help you confirm your suspicions or put them away, since it may allow you to see an individual’s criminal history quickly. That being said, if you see a minor shoplifting charge from 20 years ago, you probably don’t need to use that as evidence for never allowing your children to play over at the other parents’ house anymore. You can definitely strike a balance.
How Can I Make Sure Other Parents Are Safe?
There is a way to make sure that your kids stay safe with other parents. Try these methods to keep yourself and your children safe:
Follow Your Gut but Back Things Up With Hard Evidence
Your sense of intuition is a very strong thing. Surprisingly, people can pick up on nonverbal cues and other very tiny behaviors to “sense” that something isn’t right. If you get a strange feeling when you’re around another set of parents and their kids, you might want to follow that strange feeling. It’s probably there for some reason.
At the same time, gut feelings aren’t always 100% accurate. You can obviously choose to stay away from another family for any reason. But if you never see anything that backs up the gut feeling, it might just be paranoia or anxiousness. Take that gut feeling and use it to try and figure out what’s wrong, rather than just blindly believing that something is wrong.
Use an Online People Search
A good way to find that hard evidence is through PeopleFinders. You can use PeopleFinders to perform a comprehensive report on other parents in the neighborhood to see if any of these gut feelings are based on something genuine. If you don’t find absolutely anything, it may mean that you’re just being overly protective.
You don’t have to perform a comprehensive report only once you’re suspicious, either. In fact, acting preemptively can actually improve your safety in other areas of daily life, not just this one. Check people with a criminal records search any time you know that person is going to be around your children.
Maintain Your Family’s Safety With PeopleFinders
These tools are extremely useful for checking on other parents in your neighborhood, but that’s definitely not where the usefulness ends. In fact, PeopleFinders tools work great in a number of scenarios, including other neighborhood issues that you may find yourself concerned about. When you move into a new neighborhood, use the address lookup tool to check around the neighborhood for any signs of criminal activity or other problems so you can feel more comfortable in your new home.
PeopleFinders has an unparalleled place in the online public records industry. With billions of records on millions of American adults, our database is second to none. No matter what you’re doing to try and establish your family’s safety, the tools at PeopleFinders will help back you up.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can peoplefinders.com help parents?
PeopleFinders can help parents find out more about adults who may be around their children, such as other parents or nearby neighbors.
Can I research parents for free on peoplefinders.com?
You can find remedial information about people for free. But in order to access deeper public information like criminal records or sex offender status, you will need to pay.
How can I do research on parents online?
You can look up other parents by simply searching for their name via a general web search and seeing what comes up. You could also check them out on social media.
How do public records help parents stay informed?
Neighbors and friends may come and go. Continual access to public records can help you stay on top of any new adults in your and your childrens' lives.
Where else can I go to get information about other parents?
Try talking to them directly. A simple conversation can help you get a real feel for them and help you back up any instincts you may have.