Asking neighbours for a helping hand is commonplace, but there’s a fine line before it becomes an imposition.
Many of us have found ourselves in need of a little neighbourly assistance, whether it’s borrowing a cup of sugar or having someone feed the fish during a holiday.
Neighbourhoods often form tight-knit communities where, even if you’re not close friends with those next door, maintaining a friendly rapport can be beneficial.
However, one man has taken to Reddit to vent about his neighbour who seems to be pushing the boundaries of their relationship. He claims she persistently requests he and his wife care for her child, despite their full-time jobs and busy personal lives.
The man admits he barely knows the woman, who moved in last March, and feels uncomfortable with the idea of babysitting her child, leading him to repeatedly decline her requests.
Yet, the neighbour persists, recently asking him to watch her child so she could “sit on the couch and relax” and watch TV, even going as far as to call him “selfish” for his refusals.
The man penned: “If we had the time then yes we most probably would look after her child for a few hours but we are both extremely busy people. We usually work the same days so we get the same days off as each other and we want to relax when we get home, but the neighbour is knocking on the door asking for us to look after her child.
“Even on our days off, she keeps asking and asking and it’s getting so annoying now. Apparently, she has no one to look after her child but how is that our problem?
“Yesterday when she asked us to look after her child I actually said yes this time and told her I’ll do it just this once if you stop asking us.”
She agreed to this deal and I asked her what time she wanted me to come round, and said she wasn’t going out she just wanted to sit on the couch and relax… are you actually kidding me right now? I’m not looking after someone’s child so they can relax on the couch!”
Commenters on the post urged the man to put his foot down and refuse to look after his neighbour’s child if he doesn’t want to, as although he might want to be kind, he shouldn’t let the mum take advantage of him.
One person advised: “Being nice is always a positive trait to have, but it gives people like your neighbour an opportunity to abuse it. At some point you need to be assertive, you need to be rude.
“Tell her to her face to stop knocking on your door, stop asking you to babysit, it isn’t going to happen. Set clear boundaries. Good luck.”
Another added: “I wouldn’t answer the door for her anymore, she’ll get the hint eventually.”
