Update on people/kids downstairs

Well I held off on allowing Noah to get involved with the kids downstairs. I mean we don't know the couple and their kids are only 3 and 1 year olds. However, that would not normally even be a problem for Noah as when he wants to he can play with smaller kids.

To make a long story short, yesterday we had the windows open and I kept smelling something. At first it smelled like incense. I wondered about that and wondered if someone was doing something to try to DISGUISE the smell of something else as in a lot of cases (though not all) incense can be used for that purpose. Now don't get me wrong. I like incense though it is a bit too smokey for me!

Anyway...later on I kept smelling a smell and it got stronger and stronger. I walked out to our balcony door and man.....the smell was overpowering! Someone downstairs was smoking POT. YEAH...POT.

We are so familiar with the smell as we had problems with that kind of crap when we lived at the apartment complex. Now while I know we cannot control everyone in the world or even our own little world or those immediately living around us, we do live in a so-called "controlled community" which means even obnoxious smells of ANY kind let alone against the law kinds, are forbidden.

Not sure what if anything can be done about this. I have already sent an email to the HOA to notify them to contact the owner about his problem. These people are the same ones who had not been here 2 weeks and the landlord/owner had to come out to try to collect rent as they were behind over 2 weeks in paying their first full month's rent there. Maybe they won't be here long which is what I was suspecting from day one, which was another reason I did not want to allow Noah to get too attached to playmates as if they up and left he would be devastated.

SO this just goes to show you....once again...I guess you never really know about others in the world. You don't always know who your kids's friends are and what their families are like do you? Unless the person is a relative (and even then you don't always know I guess).....anyone your kid sees could pose a dangerous situation. I think most times you can pretty much tell about people. But we hear horror stories all the time at the hospital about kids getting their heads blown off because they went to someone else's house to play and there was a gun they found and played with and it went off. OR the parents are doped up and/or drinking and/or BOTH and are oblivious to what is really going on in their home. Or the kids find drugs and OD on them or kill themselves inadvertently because they have no idea what they are messing with.

SO I am thankful we did not allow Noah to go downstairs to play with those kids. I mean I don't want him around that kind of lifestyle or be exposed to it if I can help it. That was one reason we moved from the apartment. I don't want him to be around someone who is not watching him and cannot guarantee they can keep him safe as they cannot apparently even keep themselves safe as their own senses are dulled because of POT or alcohol.

So that is the update on that situation. I choose to go to a neutral place such as a park to allow Noah to meet and play with friends. I have no desire to now or ever allow him to go to someone else's house as long as he cannot make good judgements on his own. If he never has that ability he will always have to have someone with him to help him make good decisions. I hope and pray he will be very smart in this area as time goes on and instinctively KNOW things about other people and situations he may be in. However, many autistics struggle with that their entire lives.

So this was an FYI.