Keeping up with the Joneses

Wow! We experienced a real life version of this phenomenon at a recent visit to a friend's house for a Memorial Day barbecue party. See, the neighbor to her rear was cool with her family. They took her son to the park when my friend would take out her kids. My friend's husband helped the woman win a spot as president of the home owners' association. All was cool until my friend purchased a mega wooden swing set for their kids as a Christmas gift. It was the durable all wooden kind. They got it used from a family in Pennsylvania. It was built by the Armish. They traveled to pick it up and her husband spent weeks to put it up.

No sooner than the neighbor saw that did she start purchasing bit by bit her own playground equipment for her son. She purchased him a trampoline (a bit dangerous for a 7 year old, but whatever, I digress). Then my friend started doing additions to their home. The very next day, the neighbor hired a contractor and started to try to add to her home. Next thing you know, the neighbor stops speaking to my friend and stops letting her little boy play with my friend's kids.

It is sad because the boy has no siblings and peers over the fence looking lonely when my friend's kids and their cousins play in the backyard.

I was like "wow". The closest thing I've experienced to that was in law school when the competing high achieving socialites and wanna be socialites would compete over who'd get engaged first, who's ring was bigger. They were all friends and seemingly nice to one another, but you could clearly tell there were jealous issues there and lots of competition.

When I've enrolled my kids in various activities, I've discovered that the parents too are competitive and high achieving and in this one Kindermusik class JBoy was enrolled in, the parents were talking over each other bragging about what the latest accomplishment their little girl had. It was so obvious the parents were in competition that it was funny to sit back and watch. We were new to the class so we didn't have time for them to get to know us and throw us in the mix. Thank God. Lord knows I am underachiveing, though I try.

A friend of mine told me the story about her friend who is very mean hearted and never happy about hearing of the accomplishment of her kids. It's so interesting to me but then when I see stuff like the Real Housewives of Atlanta, Orange county, New York and New Jersey, I want to judge them as being catty and unrealistic, but then I realize, "Wait! I've lived with folks like that!"

And now the news is out that there will be a "Real Housewives of DC" filming this summer

And maybe it's the O (Obama, not Oprah) factor that there are a slew of reality shows airing and filming in DC! Boo on them for not realizing how cool our town and folks are until a popular president comes into office. Im not as pessimistic as some people are about the idea of reality shows featuring our town as a backdrop. I think it can mean tourism and money to our local economy and showcase our town in a positive light. Lord knows Prince George's county always get a bump rap locally and nationally in the local news and tv shows like "Commander in Chief" which distort the rich diversity, wealth and beauty of the county.

Im sure the Housewives DC will have a cast of characters I've seen, but I highly doubt it will include wives of politicians as one would think but instead wives of pro players, building developers, lawyers and lobbyists maybe. I don't make room for TV in my life these days, but these shows focusing on DC should be interesting to DVR, at the least.

In any event...I am humored by the "joneses" mentality and will try to stay prayerful and away from it all...it is fun to Watch though! HA!