Nothing good really happens at 2 a.m., does it? Well, for one Redditor this couldn’t be more true. Imagine finally drifting off to dreamland, only to be yanked back into reality by the blood-curdling screams of an 8-year-old who sounds like she’s auditioning for a horror movie.
I don’t know about you, but I’d probably be hiding under the covers at this point. And so did our Redditor when her flatmate’s kid started banging on her door in the middle of the night.
More info: Reddit
Living in a shared house can feel like you’re in a reality show, but sometimes it’s less like “Big Brother” and more like “Survivor”
Image credits: Pixabay / Pexels (not the actual photo)
One woman was peacefully sleeping in her room when she was woken up in the middle of the night by her flatmate’s kid, screaming at her door
Image credits: Artem Podrez / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The 22-year-old woman, who lives in a shared house, called the police after her flatmate’s 8-year-old started screaming and banging on her door at 2 a.m.
Image credits: MART PRODUCTION / Pexels (not the actual photo)
When the police and paramedics arrived, they had to sedate the child, who'd had a nightmare, and take her to the station, since she was home alone
Image credits: Iwontopenmydoor
The mother, who was at work and left the daughter home alone, is furious at the woman because she didn’t calm down her daughter who was having a nightmare
See, the OP (original poster), a 22-year-old woman, wasn’t just renting any regular place – she shared her humble abode with quite a cast: her landlord and his 2 sons, plus a woman with an 8-year-old daughter. But on that fateful night, the landlord and his boys were away, and the OP’s flatmate, the mom, was working her usual intense schedule.
So, the stage was set: the OP, the only adult left in the house, was blissfully asleep until the nightmare began—the little girl’s nightmare, not the OP’s. At least not yet.
Can you imagine waking up to someone screaming at full volume? Well, that’s what happened to the OP, so she put on her headphones, because hey, maybe it’d stop soon, right? But the shrieks didn’t just stop at “loud background noise” and, within seconds, they escalated to pounding on her door. The kid was banging like her life depended on it.
Now, if you’re the OP, you’re thinking, “Could it be a fire? An intruder?” Her solution was not to jump into hero mode, but to quietly lock herself in the bathroom and call emergency services. Smart and cautious. Honestly, who wouldn’t panic in that situation? I know I would.
The police heard the child’s screams through the phone, so they sped over like superheroes. But, it turns out the kid was home alone and just having a nightmare. Yep, an honest-to-goodness bad dream, but one that needed the paramedics to help calm her down, so the police took the 8-year-old to the station. But not before interrogating the OP about the whole situation.
The next morning, the OP was in for a rude awakening once again. Her flatmate was back and was not pleased. Imagine a furious mother banging on your door at sunrise, accusing you of blowing things out of proportion. She claimed the OP was a massive jerk for “overreacting” and calling the cops over a nightmare, saying she should’ve just calmed the kid down like a decent human being.
But the OP didn’t feel responsible for anything and she let Mom know exactly how she felt. She didn’t sign up to be a nanny and she didn’t even know the mom was not at home. And, in her view, busting open a door to a terrified kid at 2 a.m. could’ve been dangerous. What if it was an emergency beyond a nightmare?
Image credits: Liza Summer / Pexels (not the actual photo)
It’s normal for people to default to fight-or-flight mode when suddenly woken up in a stressful environment. This is not just survival lingo for running from bears; it’s a natural response to anything that feels threatening, whether it’s a grizzly or just a shocking noise in the middle of the night.
When faced with unexpected danger, or even a screaming kid at 2 a.m., our brains hit panic mode, often defaulting to one of these three instincts. The pros say that these responses are hardwired to keep us safe—and which one we choose often depends on past experiences and our sense of control over the situation.
However, if you’re not the one who’s dealing with the situation, it’s easy to accuse someone of being selfish for looking after themselves. Just ask the OP, she knows this all too well.
After getting an earful from the kid’s mom, the OP checked in with her own mom, who had a more community-minded take. Mom’s advice? In a shared house, a bit of support wouldn’t have hurt her, especially with a kid around. But was it fair to expect OP to jump in, especially since the little girl wasn’t her responsibility? She was just a resident in the same house, not a paid nanny.
Living in a shared house definitely comes with some challenges, as each person has their own experiences, habits, and expectations, which can sometimes lead to conflict. Living in harmony with housemates pretty much comes down to solid communication and clear expectations.
Experts say the trick is to start with a conversation about responsibilities and boundaries, like who’s handling what chores and what everyone’s okay with doing in shared spaces.
In our story, the OP had no idea the kid was home alone. Plus, the mom never asked her to keep an eye on her daughter while she was at work.
So, was the OP justified in calling for backup, or was it an over-the-top response to a sleepy-time scare? Would you have opened the door to a terrified kid at 2 a.m., or would you have hit up the authorities, too? Let us know in the comments below.
Netizens were divided on this one, with some saying the child was not the woman’s responsibility and others arguing that she should have checked on the kid
