Being neighborly means being respectful and considerate towards other people in the area you live in, establishing good relationships with them, and fostering a sense of community together. But that’s often easier said than done.
A few days ago, Reddit user QueenPotat-the1st shared a story about a guy on their mother’s block — he couldn’t stand the kids making a racket on the street and supposedly complained to the local alternative of the Homeowner’s Association (HOA) in an attempt to shut them up.
But the kids’ parents, including QueenPotat-the1st’s mom, thought that he was being a hypocrite since the guy would often host late-night parties himself, and decided to award the fella with even more noise instead.
Children's behavior can be a real nuisance to their neighbors
Image credits: DragonImages (not the actual photo)
But after one guy complained about the noise this group of friends were causing, their parents instructed the little ones to act even louder instead
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Gustavo Fring (not the actual photo)
After the story went viral, its author released a few follow-up statements
Image credits: u/QueenPotat-the1st
We managed to get in contact with QueenPotat-the1st and they were kind enough to have a little chat with us. "As far as I know, this guy's more of a hermit," the Redditor told Bored Panda. "No one really knows what he does for a living (only that he works from home sometimes), and his aunt doesn't really elaborate."
"As I mentioned in a comment, the houses are made of concrete and you can't hear that much noise unless you're at the front door," they added. "I know this because the kids usually play outside my mum's house. When she does get complaints about the kids, they usually wind down, but it hasn't happened that many times. I do think this guy was just being a [jerk]."
"Someone in the comments said that one shouldn't throw rocks in glass houses, and in my country, we have a saying that goes 'light on the streets, dark at home', I think people should keep that in mind."
According to QueenPotat-the1st, after reading the story, most Redditors said horrible things about their family and "forgot the fact that the neighbor was disrupting the whole neighborhood."
"Also, I am a believer that dialogue can solve anything, so instead of being petty and hiding, you may want to talk to the other involved. If they don't compromise or change, then, go ahead and be as petty as you may within reason," they said.
According to a study by Find Law, a popular legal information website, 42% of Americans say they have had a dispute with their neighbors.
But loud noise and kids are two of the most common reasons for these disagreements. The top looks like this:
- Noise 48%;
- Pets and animals 29%;
- Children’s behavior 21%;
- Visual nuisance, property appearance, trash, etc. 18%;
- Property boundaries 17%;
- Suspected criminal behavior 8%;
- Health or building code violations 4%;
- Parking 1%.
86% of people who had disputes said they took some kind of action, usually in the form of discussing the issue directly with the neighbor or sending them a note or email. Only fourteen percent of people with a dispute took no action at all:
- Discussed issue personally with neighbor 49%;
- Called police 27%;
- Notified neighborhood or owners’ association 15%;
- Sent letter, note, or email 11%;
- Went to court 4%;
- Went to mediation 4%;
- Other actions 4%;
- Took no action 14%.
You could argue that the parents have gone too far. Or that they aren't really winning anything here. Psychologists Kevin M. Carlsmith, Timothy D. Wilson, and Daniel T. Gilbert noted people tend to believe that retribution of some kind effectively releases the tension and anger someone feels toward the transgressor and their action, and that payback helps to assuage negative emotions, supplanting them with positive ones. But, in their own studies, while participants thought they'd feel better after exacting revenge, the researchers found the very opposite.
Either way, QueenPotat-the1st was hurt to see anti-kids people in the comments. "I myself am child-free but I'll always defend kids' or anyone's rights. I get that some kids are a nightmare and bratty, but that's on the parents."
"Kids, unfortunately, don't know better until they're like 12 and even then, need proper guidance and parenting," they said. "Just because they don't know better doesn't give you a free pass to be mean to them. You can ignore them. I think that if my post were a similar story but without the kids, people would have reacted differently."
"Just remember, ... if you weren't [a loud kid], that's fine, but it doesn't mean that you're better than anyone. Be respectful. Just because kids can't defend themselves doesn't mean adults can mistreat or insult them."
People in the comments were divided about the revenge; some said it was well-earned
But others thought it was too much
