My little cul de sac street is populated with a network of families with kids who have all lived here for generations. The parents gather by committee to choose the best school for their children and to make collective decisions for the street.

They also decide who is a danger to the kids. Recently, much to my surprise, I was put on the banishment list...the same list that includes the neighbourhood thief and pedophile. I discovered that I was on this list because the girl who usually plays with my daughter has been ignoring me. When people on my street choose to ignore you, they really turn it into an artform. This girl not only didn't respond to my greetings, but she immediately turned around went inside and shut the garage door. After she behaved this way for the third time, I realized that it wasn't my imagination.

I'm not passive-agressive. I think it's childish. So, after the latest incident of being ignored, I marched over to this girl's house and politely asked her in front of her family what was going on. Silence, muttering, denials! A sure sign of conspiracy. The father just sat there stunned that I was actually asking about it.

Finally, I found out from my wife that our neighbourhood 5 yr. old Dennis The Menace, you know the type of kid who is constantly pestering his neighbours with questions and excessive friendliness, had thrown a terrified fit when I innocently teased him the previous day.

He had told me that his father broke into my car. I, of course, knew that this was a playful story, but it was also a serious statement. So, I teased him by pretending to call the police. Before I had a chance to stop him, he ran inside crying to our neighbour, his surrogate Grandma. I thought for sure this Grandma would calm him down, and all would be cool with the world.

Little did I know, this boy's estranged mother was a drug-user, and was often carted away by the police. So, it was a very sensitive subject, and it took him a while to calm down. He was so upset that they had to call his Dad at work, so that his Dad could explain that I wasn't serious and to chill him out.

I knew nothing about this post-teasing chaos, but once it was explained to me, I immediately apologized to the boy, and to his father. Then, his father told me that Grandma was furious with me, and she was the one who called the neighbours to tell them how horrible I am.

I was only on the banishment list for two days, but it felt awful. It didn't make any sense to me, and it obviously could have been hurtful to my daughter, who was also ignored.

In the end, I have mixed emotions about this reaction from my neighbours. Part of me is embarassed that I made a kid cry. Another part of me is upset that my neighbours would teach their children that the best way to handle conflict is to completely ignore the person. That type of behavior is extremely hurtful at school, and it happens all the time.

The lesson is that you should always be careful who you tease. Even if it's playful, it might get you banished by your neighbourhood. And that's never good.