How well do you know your neighbors? It’s natural to be curious about the individuals who live in close proximity to you, but if you want to get to know them, you can always invite them over for coffee or drop by with some baked goods to start to build a relationship. Having neighbors who become close friends is a wonderful blessing, as you’ll always have someone to check on the house when you’re out of town, and making plans is quite convenient when all it requires is walking a few steps down the street.
But unfortunately, we don’t all have pleasant experiences and friendly relationships with our neighbors. Sometimes we end up with neighbors from hell who are nosy, judgmental and try to interfere with our children’s views…
One woman recently detailed an experience she had with her neighbors on the Petty Revenge subreddit, where she snapped back after being judged for being a single mom. Below, you can read the full story, as well as an interview with the single mother herself, and let us know in the comments how you feel about this mother’s scheme. Then, if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article featuring sweet, petty revenge, we recommend you read this story next!
After being shamed by her nosy and judgmental neighbors, this single mother decided to see if she could put a dent in their marriage
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: SiSoJones
The personal life of a neighbor is never anyone's business but their own, and how an individual chooses to parent is up to them as well. It is ridiculous for Sharon to use her daughter’s friend to try to get dirt on this mother or pressure the girl into going to church with them. Everyone has the right to practice their preferred religion, but using religion to justify being rude and judgmental is just wrong. Not everyone else holds the same beliefs, and being religious does not automatically make you a good person. In fact, in this case, I’m not so sure that this woman’s God would be proud of her for shaming a neighbor and trying to snoop about her personal life.
To gain some more insight into this situation, we reached out to the single mother herself, Reddit user SiSoJones. Surprisingly, she told Bored Panda that this was the first time she has had a conflict with this couple in the 3 years she has lived next to them. But since this event occurred, she hasn't heard a peep from them. "It's been frosty silence since Sharon left my house," she shared.
We also asked SiSoJones if she ever receives judgmental comments from others for being a single mom or if this was an isolated incident. "It’s definitely not uncommon, even a few comments on my post have that vibe," she told Bored Panda. "I’m a single mother by choice, both of my children were donor conceived. A lot of people take personal issue with that. But my kids are happy and healthy, I’m devoted to them, and they have plenty of other positive adults in their lives, so it’s not like they’re missing out on role models by only having one parent."
And when it comes to what this mother would like to say to anyone else who unfairly shames her life choices, she told us, "There is nothing to be gained by judging, except personal satisfaction. And if you’re gaining personal satisfaction from someone’s perceived struggle, what kind of person does that make you?"
SiSoJones also says she has no future plans to drag out this petty revenge. "A lot of people are suggesting in the comments that I go further with it, such as sending the screenshots to their church or a neighborhood group," she noted. "I won’t be doing that. Aside from the fact that they’re not worth any more of my time, I don’t want to put them in a position that could potentially cause damage to their daughter. My little act of revenge was enough for me."
The mother later responded to comments readers left, with some suggesting that she take her petty revenge even further
It’s absurd that being a single parent would be looked down upon, especially nowadays. According to Statista, in the United States in 2021, there were about 15.61 million children living with a single mother and about 3.57 million children living with a single father. Parents can be single for a variety of reasons, including divorce, the death of a spouse, leaving a partner due to abuse, or in the case of this mother, making the choice to be a single parent in the first place. It has absolutely nothing to do with “making poor life decisions”, and if Sharon is concerned that this single mother might be a bad influence on her daughter, she might want to look in a mirror and consider how her own judgmental behavior might be affecting her children.
It is also becoming increasingly common for women to choose to have kids on their own, such as the mother who shared this story, so Sharon better get on board with accepting these mothers, as she’s likely to encounter many more of them. There is even an organization, Single Mothers By Choice, that was started to connect and celebrate women who made the choice to become parents all on their own. As their website states, “Our members are a diverse group, including teachers, lawyers, doctors, bankers, nurses, business owners, and more. We are of all races, religions, ethnic groups, and lifestyles, and are from all over the United States and abroad. While many of us would prefer to raise a child with a loving partner, the main thing that we have in common is our belief that we can successfully raise a child on our own.”
Single Mothers By Choice notes that about 70% of their members conceived a child by donor insemination, and approximately 10% have adopted. People like Sharon tend to assume that all single parents ended up with children by accident or through divorce, but there are various ways parents receive the gift of children. And they’re all perfectly valid and do not deserve judgment. The requirements of a good parent are someone who loves their children unconditionally, looks out for them and takes care of them. Aside from that, nothing else matters. Having a partner does not make you a better person, and being religious does not guarantee that you’re a wonderful parent. We’re all just trying our best, so there’s no reason to judge anyone else’s journey.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation down below, pandas. Have you ever been judged about your parenting from a nosy neighbor? And would you have plotted such petty revenge if you had been in this mom’s situation? Let us know in the comments, and then if you’re looking to check out another tale of perfect, petty revenge, look no further than right here!
Many others responded calling out the neighbor and sharing some of their own similar experiences
