Sometimes, you may have problems with your neighbours, but when it's the child of those next door giving you grief, it can be harder to deal with, as you don't know what to do, other than speak to their parents.
But if their parents don't do anything about their kid's behaviour, it can be really tough. Unless you keep mentioning it to them repeatedly, which can cause tensions.
One woman took to a Reddit forum to explain that the kid next door had been "making faces" towards her house, smacking her "private driveway sign."
But he'd been causing her trouble for years, and the homeowner felt like she needed to do something about it, despite the fact she didn't want to be a "Karen."
She wrote: "We put up a private driveway/do not enter sign a few weeks ago. I know it's been a thorn in the side of the neighbour next-door, and his kid.
"Tonight the 13-year-old kid and one of his friends were caught on my Ring doorbell walking up my driveway, then walked in front of my house on the road, and the one kid walked halfway up my sidewalk and made a face at my house.
"The 13-year-old walked back to his house and smacked my private driveway sign. A couple of years ago, this kid darted from behind a bush that's right next to my driveway and almost ran into my truck as I pulled into my driveway.
"Talked to the mother about it, and she said she would talk to the kid. But obviously, the kid does not respect boundaries. The same kid a couple of summers ago was trying to yank out the property markers that we had professionally placed several years ago.
"I hate the thought of reporting the kid, but…what would you do? Talking to the parents apparently does no good...I hate being a 'Karen', but I just feel like this is going to lead to problems."
Many people in the comments had the same idea, saying it's a foolproof way to get kids to leave your property alone.
One wrote: "Motion-activated sprinklers EVERYWHERE. Also, call the police and don't feel bad about it. He sounds like a little s*** and he'll grow up to be an a**hole if someone doesn't give him some consequences now."
"Sounds good! And motion-activated lights too. No one has time for anyone's foolishness", another added.
Someone defended the kid though, writing: "This sub is nuts. Call the police for walking on a driveway and putting a hand on a sign?", but a Redditor fumed: "It's about not respecting others, their property, and/or their boundaries. It'd be one thing if the original poster had never asked this kid and their parents to respect their property or if there was no posted sign that says 'private drive/no trespassing/etc.'
"But in this case, the clear boundaries have been established, the original poster has asked them to be respected, and they still aren’t being respected or even acknowledged it would seem."
What would you do in this situation? Let us know in the comments.
