A mum has been left fearing for her child after she learned of her neighbour's plans to build a swimming pool in their garden.
The woman pleaded with her neighbour's not to build the pool believing it could be a "death trap" for her 15-year-old son with special needs. But her neighbours have chosen to ignore her warning.
The mum explained that her son regularly wanders from their house despite being under close supervision most of the day. Her terrifying dilemma came to light when her neighbour took to Reddit to share their side of the story, the Mirror reports.
In a post to the Am I the A**hole forum, the neighbour claimed: "My partner and I are building a pool in our backyard. We do not have any kids (by choice) I have a neighbor whos husband is in gone out of town alot for work, they have two kids. We've had small chit chat here and there but aren't close by any means.
"She had noticed we were working with some developers in the backyard and casually asked what it was about and told her we were getting a pool.
"Then she looked like she saw a ghost, and proceeded to explain to me (I've never met her kids) that her 15 year old son has special needs and has a tendency to wander (I don't know exactly what his needs are I didn't ask as it's none of my business), that she tries her best to keep track of him but 'all I have to do is turn my back for a second and he's gone in a split second.'"
The post continued: "She said she had to call the police a few times to find him, then proceeded to beg me not to put a pool in the yard because it would be dangerous for her son and she can't guarantee he won't wander and want to go in the pool, that despite her best efforts he still gets out sometimes.
"I told her we are complying with all insurance requirements (building a fence around pool, putting a tarp on when not in use etc).
"She explained that he is able to unlock doors and fences and the pool will be a 'death trap' for him. That he's 'fast' and 'strong' and (once again) 'it only takes a second and he's gone.'"
But the neighbour did not want to change their plans. The post's writer concluded the exchange by telling the mum they "sympathize with her plight but she has absolutely no right to tell us what we can and cannot have on our own property, and it is her responsibility to make provisions to safeguard her son."
And people were quick to take to the comments to offer advice, with many agreeing the couple were not at fault but should take further safeguarding measures.
One person wrote: "She is responsible for her son and not you. She needs to look into better ways of containing him and not dictating what others do on their own property."
But another implored commenters to "try to have a heart".
She said: "My son has autism, he escaped twice last year and we had to call the police. We watch him from the second he wakes up between 07.00 and 08.00 until he sleeps at 23.15 - 01.00. We have to be hyper vigilant every second.
"Our house is like a super max facility now, and yet we have to win every day. He only needs to win occasionally to put himself in extreme danger."
Several others also sympathised with the mum, offering suggestions the pool owners could use.
"'Good fences make good neighbors' make it a very tall fence and everyone's happy," read one reply.
Another added: "Please do absolutely everything to safeguard your pool. Have a lockable gate. Make sure it is incredibly difficult to get in. A little bit of extra protection is worth it."
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