When grieving the loss of a loved one, everything becomes a hundred times harder. Getting out of bed in the morning, taking a shower and finding the energy to grocery shop can leave you feeling drained. So when you also have to deal with divvying up a relative’s possessions, the last thing you want is a stranger on your doorstep, poking around and inserting himself into family matters.
One woman who unfortunately had to deal with an entitled and nosy neighbor after losing her grandmother recently shared her experience on Reddit. Below, you’ll find the full story, as well as a conversation with the OP herself, and some of the replies invested readers left her.
After inheriting her grandmother’s house, this woman was surprised to receive a visit from her former neighbor
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
But she was even more shocked to hear that the neighbor felt entitled to some of Grandma's possessions
Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk (not the actual photo)
Later, the woman shared even more about the situation and the neighbor
Image credits: u/hazelnuddy
She also clarified a few details readers were curious about
"I didn't really grasp just how ludicrous the situation was until I began writing it out"
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
We reached out to the woman who shared this story on Reddit, and lucky for us, she was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. Although this encounter took place over a decade ago, Hazelnuddy shared that she hadn’t posted it online until now because she’s relatively new to Reddit. “And I didn't really grasp just how ludicrous the situation was until I began writing it out and started reading the comments,” she noted.
We asked the homeowner if she might be able to shine some light on why Todd would have felt so entitled to her grandmother’s things, and she mentioned that he was certainly an interesting personality. “He felt very bitter about his house foreclosing, and I can't help but wonder if he thought there would be some windfall from my Grandma when she passed,” she told Bored Panda. “But he was entitled in other ways, too, as my other posts indicate. He just felt like the world owed him something, I guess.”
The OP also said that the responses to her post made her day. “I loved reading through them. There was such a variety,” Hazelnuddy shared. “Most of them were pretty funny and entertaining. Quite a few were heartfelt condolences, and I was surprised at how much those touched me. I was shocked at how much attention the post got.”
"I was lucky to move into a neighborhood of really fantastic people"
Image credits: Lisa Fotios (not the actual photo)
The homeowner added that she wishes she’d had the “gall and wherewithal to say even half the things that were suggested” to Todd at the time. She explained that she was just too confused and caught off guard at first. “[But] once I felt solid ground under me again, I got much better at dealing with him. His son had a shady reputation, so I did my best not to be outright rude, but I was able to shut him down a few times," she added. "Todd liked to tell the poor, helpless single me what I was doing wrong and how he could help me do it better, for a price, of course.”
Hazelnuddy went on to note that reading posts about entitled neighbors “and the havoc they wreak” on Reddit often leaves her flabbergasted. “It's so hard to know how to deal with some of them,” she noted. “I was lucky, Todd was pretty harmless and just needed to be put in his place. But had I been a little more gullible, I'm sure he would have taken advantage of my uncertainty in a myriad of ways.”
Thankfully, however, the OP has had positive experiences with neighbors as well. “I was lucky to move into a neighborhood of really fantastic people and a couple of oddballs that kept things interesting,” she shared. “The neighbors looked out for me, and we all looked out for each other. They helped me understand Todd a little better, and they definitely made me feel a whole lot less vulnerable knowing they were keeping an eye on things.”
Grieving individuals need support and kindness, not entitled strangers making demands
Image credits: Stanley Morales (not the actual photo)
Grieving the loss of a loved one is never easy, and it can be a difficult situation for anyone to navigate. But the last thing those in mourning need is someone making demands or making their life more complicated. If you want to provide support to a grieving friend, check in on them, listen when they need to talk or cry, spend time with them when they need a distraction, cook them meals or deliver them groceries, help them out with household chores, and be incredibly patient with them. Examples of behaviors that are not helpful are trying to fix your grieving loved one, diminishing their grief, making inappropriate comparisons to your own experiences, judging them for their feelings, pushing your own faith on them, commenting on their appearance, and sharing cliché platitudes.
Aside from being insensitive, Todd clearly didn’t understand how to read the room (or neighborhood) when speaking to this woman. We would love to hear your thoughts on this story in the comments below, pandas. Have you ever had to deal with a similarly entitled neighbor of your own? What would you have done in this woman’s shoes? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing entitled neighbors, we recommend checking out this one next!
Many readers shared their disgust for the neighbor's behavior, and some shared similar stories of their own
