When you own a home, you get to decide exactly what kind of neighbor you want to be. Will you bake brownies for every new family that moves onto your street? Or will you shout at children who step foot on your lawn and spray dogs that pass by with a hose? The vast majority of us don’t want any drama with fellow residents of our neighborhoods, but it can be hard to keep quiet when kids are causing chaos.
One woman recently posted on the Petty Revenge subreddit detailing how she turned into a tattle tale after catching a child making an absurd amount of noise at her house. Below, you’ll find the full story, as well as a conversation with the homeowner and some of the replies amused readers shared.
After hearing loud banging in her home for months, this woman was determined to find the cause
Image credits: mstaken1976 / envato (not the actual photo)
And when she finally found the young culprit, she didn't hesitate to seek justice
Image credits: globalnews.ca (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Juan Pablo Serrano / pexels (not the actual photo)
Later, the woman revealed that the boy must have been participating in a viral trend
Image credits: srslymeowing
"I’m glad we could all have a good laugh about this"
To find out more about this situation, we reached out to the Reddit user who shared this story, Srslymeowing, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. First, we wanted to know if the issue had been resolved. "So far the kicking has stopped, and I haven’t heard anything from the family, so I’ll take it as a win," the author shared.
We were also curious if the OP had any idea why the boy chose her home to start kicking. "I think our house might have been targeted because we have loud dogs, so it definitely caused a commotion any time we would have an incident," she supposed.
Srslymeowing also shared that she's not bitter about the experience or the TikTok trend. "Genuinely, it’s kind of a funny trend that’s happening. I know it’s just kids being kids, so I hope no one gets hurt because people can be crazy about their houses (I have no room to talk as I chased a kid down the street)."
And as far as what she thought of the replies to her post, the author says, "The responses were super nice overall - everyone has a story about a [crappy] neighbor kid. I’m glad we could all have a good laugh about this."
Unfortunately, it’s common to have conflicts with neighbors
Depending on where you live, you might be best friends with your neighbors, or you may avoid them at all costs. If you currently reside in an apartment building, it’s likely that you ignore your neighbors or give a polite smile when you pass them in the stairwell. But when you own a home in a suburban neighborhood, you could end up living next to the same families for decades. So it might be worth it to get to know them.
According to a study from the Pew Research Center, 57% of Americans report knowing some of their neighbors, while only 26% say that they know most of the people who live around them. But sometimes, it’s best not to know everyone, because you might not have much in common anyway.
A survey from LendingTree found that about a quarter of Americans report disliking at least one neighbor. And it’s not always easy to ignore annoying neighbors, as 19% of people in the U.S. admit that they’ve actually moved to get away from obnoxious neighbors in the past.
When it comes to what creates issues between residents, the most common complaints stem from neighbors being rude or unfriendly, making too much noise, being too nosy, personal incidents, having unruly pets, not maintaining their homes and lawns, having kids who are out of control, ignoring parking rules and trespassing.
This door kicking challenge has been circulating online since 2021
Image credits: cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)
Although three quarters of us are able to contain our frustrations with neighbors before issues escalate, 17% of Americans admit that they’ve been in a verbal altercation with a neighbor. 7% have even been in physical fights with those living nearby. I wonder what Mr. Rogers would think about that…
In this story, the boy wasn’t targeting this woman’s home because he was out to get her or because his family hated hers. But instead, he was simply following a TikTok trend that could easily have gotten him into more trouble than this. According to Distractify, this door kicking challenge first appeared online in 2021, but it hasn’t disappeared entirely yet.
Apparently, the trend involves “kicking someone's door twice to the beat of ‘Die Young’ by Kesha and running away." And while the goal is not supposed to be breaking and entering, some people have managed to actually kick doors open. And once property has been damaged, kids participating in this trend might be met with criminal charges.
In fact, 5 teens in Franklin, Indiana faced criminal charges in March, 2024 after police were called to a neighborhood where multiple residents reported doors being kicked and beaten. To deter other kids from participating in the trend, the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office put out a statement warning how dangerous door kicking could become.
Police have warned kids and teens that this viral trend can quickly become dangerous
Image credits: Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
First, they noted that “a prank like this could result in death or serious injury to the perpetrators” if homeowners assume that someone has broken into their house. Terrified residents might grab guns or other weapons to protect themselves. Another potential issue is banging on the home of a “medically-fragile person.” Loud, terrifying noises like this could cause a heart attack.
Police in Texas gave a similar warning in January 2024 after a Houston resident had to spend $2,500 repairing her door after being targeted by teens participating in the door kick challenge.
“This is a very dangerous game, very dangerous game,” Fort Bend County Constable Precinct 3 Chief Deputy Jimmy Evans said. “I’m afraid a homeowner may think someone is trying to burglarize their residence and some innocent kid can get shot or killed.”
Thankfully, no one was harmed in this story, but it’s a good thing that this woman put a stop to the door kicking in her neighborhood before it escalated any further. We would love to hear your thoughts on this story in the comments below, pandas. Then, if you’re interested in checking out another piece featuring petty revenge between neighbors, look no further than right here!
Amused readers shared their reactions, along with similar stories of their own
