What's going on?

I have curious neighbor children. They have known me as their neighbor their entire lives. They play with my Captain in the yard, ride their bikes in my driveway and have hurled countless misguided balls over my fence. Little Vanessa is the most inquisitive, asking about my life and what I do and where I am going. When people come over, she is standing on the front walk with the other kids, appearing like a grouping of meerkats staring with big eyes, watching to see what event is happening at my house. Yesterday, I had a reunion gathering of work friends. They filtered in one by one, all of varying ages and nationalities. We had a lovely dinner, reminisced, caught up on our families and then, as expected they left. (departure time duly noted by Vanessa).

Now, its 8 a.m. I've retrieved the paper, and Vanessa is ready with questions. ( Does the child and her posse ever go indoors?) "Who were all of those ladies going into your house? Why are they all different looking? What were you doing in there? They stayed late. Did you listen to music? I didn't hear music in your back yard. Did you dance? Did you eat cake? Is there any left? Are they coming again today.?"

Vanessa and her 3 companions plus brother,  always seems surprised that people would want to go into my house and stay there willingly. I always answer her questions but its disconcerting to be watched so closely. Then, I remember myself at her age, intruding into my neighbors lives, asking a zillion questions, ignoring the eye rolling and attempts to escape my interrogation. Some days my curiosity overtook common sense and I would be bold enough to just knock on the door of a relative stranger to get my question answered or just "see" what was inside that front door. Apparently mother didn't instill enough fear and caution about child molesters and criminal elements into my child rearing.  Its human nature to be inquisitive, but its more acceptable if you do it in spy mode. I would write the important stuff down like "Harriet the Spy", but mostly, I'd keep the best tid- bits pocketed in my head. My "idyllic" cul-de-sac wasn't so perfect, nor the outer 4 blocks,  and I learned discretion at a very young age.

Yes Vanessa, I have friends that want to come in and have some food and fun. Yes to all your questions, and yes, we even jiggled around enough to constitute a dance. Yes, you are curious, and I hope you stay that way. I could use some back-up with my neighborhood watch activities. . . (I'm lookin' at you lookin' at me Mrs. W!!!  )  Come on over ! Lets eat cake and jiggle together!