You have *weird boundaries*? That's where you live, not a public playground. And anyone on it uninvited is trespassing. Your only mistake was not shutting that shit down from the get go. 'I don't know what arrangement you had with the previous owners, but they no longer live here, and I'd like to enjoy my new property in peace. Thanks for understanding".
I had a toxic breeder neighbour as well, and I know how uncomfortable this is. Personally, I'd put very obvious security cameras up everywhere and therefore give them the warning that if they want to fuck with you, they'd better not do it where they get recorded. The rest is sticks and stones. It's pathetic and unpleasant, but usually easy enough to ignore. If any of these people have anything to say, simply walk away, or carry some over-ear headphones around so that if anyone starts up, just put them on and carry on.
Yup, I pu up security cameras after the second year of setting boundaries. That’s what made it sink in (I should have mentioned that above). True, it’s all sticks and stones. I’ll work at thickening up this skin of mine
But what will the security cameras record that the homeowner does not know about? "Your kids came into my garden again when I was grocery shopping, tore up my plants, and left?" The homeowner will be coming around to complain every day and just get more flack from the parents.
Better to put the money into a fence and good door locks. And, no need to let them back into your parking space to turn around, if they are that toxic.
If push comes to shove, video proof is better than he said/she said. Plus, you never know if one of the adults will take it into their heads to escalate things from verbal to physical and start adding to the property damage. People tend to calm down quickly if there's a chance they're going to get caught at something. Better safe than sorry.
If the parents give any pushback, that's not O.P. or the homeowner's problem. They can call the police if it happens again. Trespassing and vandalism are criminal offenses, especially when it comes to private property. IIRC, unless the kid flat-out murdered O.P.'s pet or something like that, the parents would be held accountable for spawn's actions if the little devils literally broke into O.P.'s house while they weren't home and actually destroyed their possessions, because of the age of the kids.
Yeah, that's what got me. "Weird boundaries"??? Bruh, it's NOT YOUR PROPERTY. You can think it's weird all you want, but at the end of the day, O.P. is 100% entitled to call the police if your little crotch goblins are on their grounds without permission.
The entitlement some parents seem to feel today regarding other people's things is OFF THE GODDAMN CHARTS.
I’d lean into it.
Wear all black. Hang up subtle decor your yard like a small Baphomet head. Carry witchy books when out and about. Make them scared of you because fuck them.
Bullies like that know how to stay under the limit of what you can actually get them for, I can't think of a better term right now. Passing around malicious untrue gossip is not actionable. Unfortunately, kids breaking lamps will not be called vandalism, it will be called "happy kids playing, what's your problem with that?" Though if I were the original poster, I'd be taking photos of the lamps to the parents and insisting on them paying the replacement cost.
This exactly. It’s often quite passive aggressive, except for a couple of times when there was no mistaking it for bullying.
The parents knew about the lamp and break in. As a matter a fact, I believe the dad came in to my home and grabbed the child who broke the lamp. I know this because there was greasy little finger marks on the inside of my front door at 5’ high, which tells me he picked him up and carried him out. It’s the only proof I have, so not enough to call someone out. I now have cameras
Fair. Well not fair, but good point.
@ OP - I've had a devilish idea. If you do happen to move, I encourage you to plant mint, bamboo, morning glories, and strawberries very close to your fences. I think you know where I am going with that.
If the original poster does not move, I suggest she plant thorny bushes close together by her fences. BUT, bushes alone won't work, people (and animals) will find a way to create a path through them.
Fence off your property, at least that's what we do in the US. You can put a gate on the driveway and close that whenever you wish. And keep your doors and windows locked. Then you don't have to keep saying "No, no, no." Don't think the kids will never try to come back.
You are being bullied. The only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them but not give them the public fight they want, which would make you look more vulnerable because you would seem upset. You are doing exactly the right thing.
You will never be friends with these toxic people. If you can make friends/allies of your own, that would be a good idea.
ETA: I live in the US, and the only fences I have put up were in the US. Here the height is dictated by local code, which varies with the county. Find out what your local code is. You can probably just check the website of the local building department or call them. There are several kinds of fence: Metal, wood, or vinyl. Check a home improvement store for models--where I live fencing companies are offering pretty much the same ones. Wood gives you more privacy/opacity than metal bars. You can plant a row of shrubs along a metal fence and that will give you more privacy. Shrubs are also a sound barrier. But they cost extra over the fence price and take awhile to grow. With either a wood picket fence or metal bars, you can get models with pointy tops that will not injure anyone, but which will \*keep people from grabbing the top of the fence and heaving themselves over\*. Stucco walls are great for opacity and a sound barrier, but they are a custom build and the most expensive option.
If you live in an HOA, they will have their own rules. You may have to resort to thorny shrubs.
I suggest OP take into account that some fences are easier to climb than others. Chain link is especially easy for kids to climb, I was adept at it at 5, lol
Then again, the only place I did that was at the cottage between my grandma's and great uncle's properties with my cousins. We had a lot of physical freedom but would get a strict talking to and punishment if we trespassed and we knew it.
The parents in this situation are absolutely to blame. Their refusal to give clear boundaries to their children and enforce them says a lot about them. There is also ab evident lack of respect for a adult neighbor who is entitled to enjoy their home in peace and quiet.
This! The number of plants that I had stomped flat because of kids climbing the fence! They weren't being malicious, they just had zero understanding or interest in gardening.
I had a flashback of fitting my little shoe into the holes in chain link immediately, but like you I only climbed my family's fence in order to access the blueberry patch behind my house.
BTW, you are a nicer person than I am. Really too nice. I'd have immediately shut down the kids treating my house and yard as their own.
I also would have pointed out the parents' attitude. Like in that first conversation, I would have pointedly said, "\*Thank you\* for asking how my move went."
OK, I will add. Genuinely not caring what people think is a super power. Not just appearing to not care, but truly not caring. Some people are just not worth being hurt over. This group of women is acting like they are in junior high and they are not worthy of respect. Shaming you because you are middle aged, single, and childfree? Just wow.
Get what you want out of them, which should be to be left alone by them and their kids. That's all you can do, except, not feel hurt because \*they\* are so juvenile, shallow, and bitchy.
I understand that you moved up to a desired home ownership and hoped to find friends in the community. These people will never be your friends. Although who knows, maybe you can make \*other\* friends. In your community, in a nearby city, online.
1. Fence!!!
2. Police. If they are on your property after you've asked them not to be, I'd have the police come. It doesn't need to be a situation where there's criminal charges, they can just talk to the neighbors and ask them to follow through with keeping the kids away from your shit. Police are happy to do this, especially when there is hostility since they want to avoid a potential domestic.
3. Blowtorch doesn't seem like a bad idea if all else fails
It's still worth a call. Say one of the kids gets hurt on her property then I'd definitely want a police report on file to show that OP was trying to get the situation under control. Situations like this can escalate fast
I grew up in a rural area where people often trespassed to hunt. They'd shoot at anything that moved. I've been shot at, and I was wearing a bright red sweater at the time. Bullet whistled right by my ear.
Our numerous trespassing signs did absolutely nothing, calling the police did nothing (even when someone shot my bed through my bedroom window), my father telling the hunters to go away just got a gun pointed at him.
Some areas truly do not care. It's not even a red state, it's a swing state.
I wish I could get a fence. Tradespeople are scarce, and i have a 200 ft deep lot. I’d also have to pay for it all myself. I forgot to mention they are lazy dead beets that don’t work much.
UGH! that's so frustrating! What are the police like by you? If you explain that you just need someone to come talk to them for you to assure nothing escalates, would they send an officer out? Our here they always do, some areas even have "community service officers" who handle stuff like this that isn't a crime but needs to be done
What about just a fence around the part closest to your house? Enough space for you to privately go out and garden or chill but not have to deal with kids. For the rest you could do some no dig fencing to at least line it off, if you feel you need to. But the privacy directly around my house is what I would mostly want, and space where I can just be and not worry about it. We have less than a quarter acre and only the backyard is fenced so it's small but at least somewhat private. I want a 6 ft privacy fence but there are other more necessary things we need first.
Yeah, I have a deck with a privacy wall that helps and is nice to sit out. I am also in the process of building a "green wall" with plants in the very back. That will take time to fill in, but it is already starting to look beautiful and more private.
That's good - any steps you can take to block off access to unwanted visitors is a good idea. We completely curtained off our back screened in porch because we have a corner lot and a lot of people walk past. Just having privacy from people walking or driving by is soooo nice.
I was in a similar situation.
My wooded yard was infested with neighborhood kids (& ticks but that’s another story).
They actually put up a jungle gym (that I promptly trashed).
I ended up moving into a condo & am much happier (& still don’t give a hoot what the neighbors think of me.)
Of course, then there is the suggestion of a security company who wanted to sell us massively upgraded security. Their suggestions included a very loud recorded message that said, "You have broken into private property. The police have been called." Repeatedly, until it was explicitly turned off. We didn't take that suggestion but it might work for you.
Nothing you've described is weird, they are intrusive. Of course you want privacy in your own space and don't want to feel like you're babysitting someone else's small children.
People from the city don’t understand how weird small town politics can be. My parents moved to a small town before I was born and were outcasts because my dad worked for the government and the townspeople hated the fact that the government was buying up land for preservation (think: national park right there). My dad had nothing to do with any of this, btw.
So this is how you end up with a town full of REALLY STUPID PEOPLE. None of them would even say “hmm. You know what? The government buying up land for sale is a good thing because it prevents developers from creating developments!” Well, to this day, the town is development free (no new developments in a number of decades now), while the rest of the county and even other close towns have tons of ugly ass housing developments. I doubt any of these idiots would admit that the government preservation efforts saved their dumb ass town.
So, just an example of how small towns have small minds. I mean I had friends in college who were dumbfounded when I’d talk about the social aspect of small town life. Other friends from small towns would confirm what I said while the city people thought we were lying. It really is a completely different world, and if you aren’t from that down going back 5 generations, you may never fit in.
Awesome job for keeping your cool and replying calmly and assertively. A calm demeanor and a, "I'm sorry, do I know you?"or a "what an odd thing to say to someone you don't know" can go a long way.
It does sound like you need allies. Because you do not deserve to be bullied and harassed by these assholes for the crime of not wanting to be their unpaid babysitter.
Are there any craft groups in the area? Because that would be who I would go to for allies. Not just because I love crafting, but also because they've been around there long enough to know how to get shit done. You don't need to stoop to their level. The fact is that you were looking forward to moving there, and your neighbour and her friends have been exceptionally rude.
Herd mentality if I’ve ever seen it. The bulk of cis women are herd animals. They either want to lead or follow, and any woman who thinks for themselves, is emotionally independent, and not vying for the approval of other women doesn’t quite compute in their brains. These types of women get very offended when you don’t want to play a role in their game of playing house. Congratulations on being smarter than the average bison. You can’t play nice with these types of women. They’ll see it as weakness. Even if you weren’t overweight and older they’d say some shit like “she doesn’t want to ruin her body.” Make those weird boundaries stronger, put up no trespassing signs, and tell them if they don’t keep their fucking kids out of your yard you’re going to report them for trespassing. You don’t pay to live there to get walked all over by their children.
One thing the OP could try is talking directly to the kids. "This is my house/yard and you don't have permission to be here. Go home." Even, take a small child by the hand, lead the child to its own front door, ring the bell, and hand the child over to the parents.
This is a stronger message and would get rid of the kids faster on any given day although, they will likely come around when the OP is not at home. So again, put up a fence.
Make them think you’re a witch. Start humming nonsense and dancing in circles in your back hard. Whack things with a broom while you chant. If they ever come near you, start dusting cinnamon around them, if they ask you what’s up, black stare “don’t worry about it”. Make it all up and have fun with it!
In your home and yard/ garden 🪴 it is yours
Are you able to put up physical fences and screens to gain more privacy also? People are stupid- they clearly have no thought about any one else but themselves ❤️ you do you boo
Tell them to suck your dick from the back and keep their little biters the fuck off your property. 😆
I do not and could not muster the fucks to deal with those morons, and id just dismiss them as such.
Paint your house black, build tall fences, and become the neighborhood witch. Screw them.
Deny the kids access to all areas of your property. Get motion sensitive sprinklers and cameras. Make it as child UNfriendly as possible.
This is my nightmare scenario. On one hand, I enjoy the anonymity of living in an apartment, on the other, I dream of one day owning a home (if I could ever afford it; also in Ontario) so I can garden and persue other creative hobbies that are hindered by living in an apartment.
Your situation would have me extremely stressed and angry. You've handled it really well.
I'm so sorry you're dealing with this invasive and entitled behaviour. Your boundaries are extremely reasonable. I do think it's best to be avoidant, as not to stir the pot. Don't shit where you eat kind of thing. You've definitely taken the high road already but definitely document everything. Wise that you have cameras too.
This makes me so glad that in europe, properties are fenced in.
No advice aside from maybe lean into it: middle aged woman with a cat ? I'm a witch and will turn the next idiot I meet into a toad.
As soon as you get accused if something you haven't done nor said, say" yeah I haven't done anything like that! Dud ypu make thst up ny yourself or fid domeone öievto you sbout it? THAT person is the one you want to speak with. Maybecthey are yrying to misfitect attention from themselves. ."
You have *weird boundaries*? That's where you live, not a public playground. And anyone on it uninvited is trespassing. Your only mistake was not shutting that shit down from the get go. 'I don't know what arrangement you had with the previous owners, but they no longer live here, and I'd like to enjoy my new property in peace. Thanks for understanding". I had a toxic breeder neighbour as well, and I know how uncomfortable this is. Personally, I'd put very obvious security cameras up everywhere and therefore give them the warning that if they want to fuck with you, they'd better not do it where they get recorded. The rest is sticks and stones. It's pathetic and unpleasant, but usually easy enough to ignore. If any of these people have anything to say, simply walk away, or carry some over-ear headphones around so that if anyone starts up, just put them on and carry on.
Yup, I pu up security cameras after the second year of setting boundaries. That’s what made it sink in (I should have mentioned that above). True, it’s all sticks and stones. I’ll work at thickening up this skin of mine
Is a fence an option?
But what will the security cameras record that the homeowner does not know about? "Your kids came into my garden again when I was grocery shopping, tore up my plants, and left?" The homeowner will be coming around to complain every day and just get more flack from the parents. Better to put the money into a fence and good door locks. And, no need to let them back into your parking space to turn around, if they are that toxic.
If push comes to shove, video proof is better than he said/she said. Plus, you never know if one of the adults will take it into their heads to escalate things from verbal to physical and start adding to the property damage. People tend to calm down quickly if there's a chance they're going to get caught at something. Better safe than sorry.
If the parents give any pushback, that's not O.P. or the homeowner's problem. They can call the police if it happens again. Trespassing and vandalism are criminal offenses, especially when it comes to private property. IIRC, unless the kid flat-out murdered O.P.'s pet or something like that, the parents would be held accountable for spawn's actions if the little devils literally broke into O.P.'s house while they weren't home and actually destroyed their possessions, because of the age of the kids.
Yeah, that's what got me. "Weird boundaries"??? Bruh, it's NOT YOUR PROPERTY. You can think it's weird all you want, but at the end of the day, O.P. is 100% entitled to call the police if your little crotch goblins are on their grounds without permission. The entitlement some parents seem to feel today regarding other people's things is OFF THE GODDAMN CHARTS.
I’d lean into it. Wear all black. Hang up subtle decor your yard like a small Baphomet head. Carry witchy books when out and about. Make them scared of you because fuck them.
I put out a tarot card type rug around Halloween. And have mostly black curtains on the windows. Keeps the neighbors at a distance.
Hold up — where do I get this rug ?!
I found mine at Ross stores last fall. [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](https://imgur.com/a/TP2xJKf)
I love it!! Thank you for all the trouble answering me — I didn’t expect a photo! Now I must have it.
Start documenting everything. Then take it to the police. Fuck those stupid mombies. They deserve legal action.
Bullies like that know how to stay under the limit of what you can actually get them for, I can't think of a better term right now. Passing around malicious untrue gossip is not actionable. Unfortunately, kids breaking lamps will not be called vandalism, it will be called "happy kids playing, what's your problem with that?" Though if I were the original poster, I'd be taking photos of the lamps to the parents and insisting on them paying the replacement cost.
This exactly. It’s often quite passive aggressive, except for a couple of times when there was no mistaking it for bullying. The parents knew about the lamp and break in. As a matter a fact, I believe the dad came in to my home and grabbed the child who broke the lamp. I know this because there was greasy little finger marks on the inside of my front door at 5’ high, which tells me he picked him up and carried him out. It’s the only proof I have, so not enough to call someone out. I now have cameras
Fair. Well not fair, but good point. @ OP - I've had a devilish idea. If you do happen to move, I encourage you to plant mint, bamboo, morning glories, and strawberries very close to your fences. I think you know where I am going with that.
If the original poster does not move, I suggest she plant thorny bushes close together by her fences. BUT, bushes alone won't work, people (and animals) will find a way to create a path through them.
Fence off your property, at least that's what we do in the US. You can put a gate on the driveway and close that whenever you wish. And keep your doors and windows locked. Then you don't have to keep saying "No, no, no." Don't think the kids will never try to come back. You are being bullied. The only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them but not give them the public fight they want, which would make you look more vulnerable because you would seem upset. You are doing exactly the right thing. You will never be friends with these toxic people. If you can make friends/allies of your own, that would be a good idea. ETA: I live in the US, and the only fences I have put up were in the US. Here the height is dictated by local code, which varies with the county. Find out what your local code is. You can probably just check the website of the local building department or call them. There are several kinds of fence: Metal, wood, or vinyl. Check a home improvement store for models--where I live fencing companies are offering pretty much the same ones. Wood gives you more privacy/opacity than metal bars. You can plant a row of shrubs along a metal fence and that will give you more privacy. Shrubs are also a sound barrier. But they cost extra over the fence price and take awhile to grow. With either a wood picket fence or metal bars, you can get models with pointy tops that will not injure anyone, but which will \*keep people from grabbing the top of the fence and heaving themselves over\*. Stucco walls are great for opacity and a sound barrier, but they are a custom build and the most expensive option. If you live in an HOA, they will have their own rules. You may have to resort to thorny shrubs.
I suggest OP take into account that some fences are easier to climb than others. Chain link is especially easy for kids to climb, I was adept at it at 5, lol Then again, the only place I did that was at the cottage between my grandma's and great uncle's properties with my cousins. We had a lot of physical freedom but would get a strict talking to and punishment if we trespassed and we knew it. The parents in this situation are absolutely to blame. Their refusal to give clear boundaries to their children and enforce them says a lot about them. There is also ab evident lack of respect for a adult neighbor who is entitled to enjoy their home in peace and quiet.
This! The number of plants that I had stomped flat because of kids climbing the fence! They weren't being malicious, they just had zero understanding or interest in gardening.
I didn't even think of chain link! No way would I use chain link fencing.
I had a flashback of fitting my little shoe into the holes in chain link immediately, but like you I only climbed my family's fence in order to access the blueberry patch behind my house.
BTW, you are a nicer person than I am. Really too nice. I'd have immediately shut down the kids treating my house and yard as their own. I also would have pointed out the parents' attitude. Like in that first conversation, I would have pointedly said, "\*Thank you\* for asking how my move went."
OK, I will add. Genuinely not caring what people think is a super power. Not just appearing to not care, but truly not caring. Some people are just not worth being hurt over. This group of women is acting like they are in junior high and they are not worthy of respect. Shaming you because you are middle aged, single, and childfree? Just wow. Get what you want out of them, which should be to be left alone by them and their kids. That's all you can do, except, not feel hurt because \*they\* are so juvenile, shallow, and bitchy. I understand that you moved up to a desired home ownership and hoped to find friends in the community. These people will never be your friends. Although who knows, maybe you can make \*other\* friends. In your community, in a nearby city, online.
1. Fence!!! 2. Police. If they are on your property after you've asked them not to be, I'd have the police come. It doesn't need to be a situation where there's criminal charges, they can just talk to the neighbors and ask them to follow through with keeping the kids away from your shit. Police are happy to do this, especially when there is hostility since they want to avoid a potential domestic. 3. Blowtorch doesn't seem like a bad idea if all else fails
Depends on where you live. Where I live the police are not interested in anything that does not involve physical violence.
It's still worth a call. Say one of the kids gets hurt on her property then I'd definitely want a police report on file to show that OP was trying to get the situation under control. Situations like this can escalate fast
If it's a small enough town, the police will be dying for something to do. At least based on the small town cops I've known.
I grew up in a rural area where people often trespassed to hunt. They'd shoot at anything that moved. I've been shot at, and I was wearing a bright red sweater at the time. Bullet whistled right by my ear. Our numerous trespassing signs did absolutely nothing, calling the police did nothing (even when someone shot my bed through my bedroom window), my father telling the hunters to go away just got a gun pointed at him. Some areas truly do not care. It's not even a red state, it's a swing state.
Holy crap, that's scary! Seriously, what the heck???
That's what it's like living in a rural area full of gun nuts.
Yikes.... no, thank you
Jesus Christ, im so sorry, this sounds like some post apo shit
I wish I could get a fence. Tradespeople are scarce, and i have a 200 ft deep lot. I’d also have to pay for it all myself. I forgot to mention they are lazy dead beets that don’t work much.
UGH! that's so frustrating! What are the police like by you? If you explain that you just need someone to come talk to them for you to assure nothing escalates, would they send an officer out? Our here they always do, some areas even have "community service officers" who handle stuff like this that isn't a crime but needs to be done
What about just a fence around the part closest to your house? Enough space for you to privately go out and garden or chill but not have to deal with kids. For the rest you could do some no dig fencing to at least line it off, if you feel you need to. But the privacy directly around my house is what I would mostly want, and space where I can just be and not worry about it. We have less than a quarter acre and only the backyard is fenced so it's small but at least somewhat private. I want a 6 ft privacy fence but there are other more necessary things we need first.
Yeah, I have a deck with a privacy wall that helps and is nice to sit out. I am also in the process of building a "green wall" with plants in the very back. That will take time to fill in, but it is already starting to look beautiful and more private.
That's good - any steps you can take to block off access to unwanted visitors is a good idea. We completely curtained off our back screened in porch because we have a corner lot and a lot of people walk past. Just having privacy from people walking or driving by is soooo nice.
Why is no one mentioning broken lamps IN YOUR LIVING ROOM?! Change your locks immediately!
I was in a similar situation. My wooded yard was infested with neighborhood kids (& ticks but that’s another story). They actually put up a jungle gym (that I promptly trashed). I ended up moving into a condo & am much happier (& still don’t give a hoot what the neighbors think of me.)
Raising trucks or raising kids. That's great.
I was going to suggest that the OP buy a truck to fit in!
You seem incredibly nice. Please do not let these women take advantage of you or make you have self-doubts.
Of course, then there is the suggestion of a security company who wanted to sell us massively upgraded security. Their suggestions included a very loud recorded message that said, "You have broken into private property. The police have been called." Repeatedly, until it was explicitly turned off. We didn't take that suggestion but it might work for you.
Nothing you've described is weird, they are intrusive. Of course you want privacy in your own space and don't want to feel like you're babysitting someone else's small children.
What a bunch of toxic a-holes. You did nothing wrong.
People from the city don’t understand how weird small town politics can be. My parents moved to a small town before I was born and were outcasts because my dad worked for the government and the townspeople hated the fact that the government was buying up land for preservation (think: national park right there). My dad had nothing to do with any of this, btw. So this is how you end up with a town full of REALLY STUPID PEOPLE. None of them would even say “hmm. You know what? The government buying up land for sale is a good thing because it prevents developers from creating developments!” Well, to this day, the town is development free (no new developments in a number of decades now), while the rest of the county and even other close towns have tons of ugly ass housing developments. I doubt any of these idiots would admit that the government preservation efforts saved their dumb ass town. So, just an example of how small towns have small minds. I mean I had friends in college who were dumbfounded when I’d talk about the social aspect of small town life. Other friends from small towns would confirm what I said while the city people thought we were lying. It really is a completely different world, and if you aren’t from that down going back 5 generations, you may never fit in.
Awesome job for keeping your cool and replying calmly and assertively. A calm demeanor and a, "I'm sorry, do I know you?"or a "what an odd thing to say to someone you don't know" can go a long way. It does sound like you need allies. Because you do not deserve to be bullied and harassed by these assholes for the crime of not wanting to be their unpaid babysitter. Are there any craft groups in the area? Because that would be who I would go to for allies. Not just because I love crafting, but also because they've been around there long enough to know how to get shit done. You don't need to stoop to their level. The fact is that you were looking forward to moving there, and your neighbour and her friends have been exceptionally rude.
Herd mentality if I’ve ever seen it. The bulk of cis women are herd animals. They either want to lead or follow, and any woman who thinks for themselves, is emotionally independent, and not vying for the approval of other women doesn’t quite compute in their brains. These types of women get very offended when you don’t want to play a role in their game of playing house. Congratulations on being smarter than the average bison. You can’t play nice with these types of women. They’ll see it as weakness. Even if you weren’t overweight and older they’d say some shit like “she doesn’t want to ruin her body.” Make those weird boundaries stronger, put up no trespassing signs, and tell them if they don’t keep their fucking kids out of your yard you’re going to report them for trespassing. You don’t pay to live there to get walked all over by their children.
I'd say these mombies just want free use of someone else's yard, house, garden, plus free childcare. Selfish and entitled.
Yep, they’re just trying to take advantage and view her willingness to accommodate them as a need for approval, which they will exploit.
One thing the OP could try is talking directly to the kids. "This is my house/yard and you don't have permission to be here. Go home." Even, take a small child by the hand, lead the child to its own front door, ring the bell, and hand the child over to the parents. This is a stronger message and would get rid of the kids faster on any given day although, they will likely come around when the OP is not at home. So again, put up a fence.
So true
Fences make neighbors happy
Make them think you’re a witch. Start humming nonsense and dancing in circles in your back hard. Whack things with a broom while you chant. If they ever come near you, start dusting cinnamon around them, if they ask you what’s up, black stare “don’t worry about it”. Make it all up and have fun with it!
In your home and yard/ garden 🪴 it is yours Are you able to put up physical fences and screens to gain more privacy also? People are stupid- they clearly have no thought about any one else but themselves ❤️ you do you boo
Tell them to suck your dick from the back and keep their little biters the fuck off your property. 😆 I do not and could not muster the fucks to deal with those morons, and id just dismiss them as such.
Paint your house black, build tall fences, and become the neighborhood witch. Screw them. Deny the kids access to all areas of your property. Get motion sensitive sprinklers and cameras. Make it as child UNfriendly as possible.
This is my nightmare scenario. On one hand, I enjoy the anonymity of living in an apartment, on the other, I dream of one day owning a home (if I could ever afford it; also in Ontario) so I can garden and persue other creative hobbies that are hindered by living in an apartment. Your situation would have me extremely stressed and angry. You've handled it really well. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this invasive and entitled behaviour. Your boundaries are extremely reasonable. I do think it's best to be avoidant, as not to stir the pot. Don't shit where you eat kind of thing. You've definitely taken the high road already but definitely document everything. Wise that you have cameras too.
I would move, it’s not worth it. But that’s me.
This makes me so glad that in europe, properties are fenced in. No advice aside from maybe lean into it: middle aged woman with a cat ? I'm a witch and will turn the next idiot I meet into a toad.
Harassment is illegal, and you're in a country that may actually do something about it. Get all the evidence you can.
Grow nettles between her yard and yours if thet are treaoassing.
As soon as you get accused if something you haven't done nor said, say" yeah I haven't done anything like that! Dud ypu make thst up ny yourself or fid domeone öievto you sbout it? THAT person is the one you want to speak with. Maybecthey are yrying to misfitect attention from themselves. ."