It’s always nice to have good relationships with neighbors. However, getting along well doesn’t mean one should feel entitled to their help, especially when it comes to something as significant as kids.
Redditor u/Boobah79 told the ‘Entitled People’ community about the time his neighbor that he barely knew wanted him to watch over her children. The man politely refused, explaining his reasoning behind the decision. But the woman couldn’t take no for an answer, which led to a huge scene. Scroll down to find the full story below.
Some people feel entitled to help from their neighbors, whether it’s lending sugar or babysitting their kids
Image credits: Atoms (not the actual photo)
This man’s neighbor was shocked when he refused to watch over her children
Image credits: Budgeron Bach (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Stanley Dai (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Boobah79
Some people are fine with caring for their neighbors’ children, but they take on this responsibility themselves
People in the comments, including the OP himself, were surprised about the woman asking a stranger to watch over her children. Not only that, she got mad when he refused. Even though her decision seemed odd at best, considering that the two barely knew each other, some people do share childcare responsibilities with their neighbors.
Known as ‘Family, friend, and neighbor’ (FFN) childcare, it is an arrangement of home-based care—in the caregiver’s or the child’s home—where the little one is watched over by relatives, neighbors, babysitters, or other people the parents trust. It allows moms and dads out there to get a much-needed break at times, which the OP’s neighbor seemingly sought after as well. However, it only works if the caregiver agrees to take the responsibility rather than it being assigned to them.
According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, FFN care is arguably the most common form of non-parental childcare in the US. It revealed that as much as 33-53% of kids under the age of five, as well as 48-59% of school-age children are raised with the help of FFN caregivers.
Not all residents are trusting of their neighbors
In an article for Psychology Today, author and developmental psychologist Dona Matthews, Ph.D., pointed out that living in a friendly neighborhood can positively affect people’s parenting skills as well as the kids themselves. Neighborhood connections, together with the influence of the environment, and parental warmth and structure all play important roles when it comes to the child’s development.
Be that as it may, counting on their neighbor is not something every resident can do; let alone trusting them with their child. Pew Research Center revealed that only roughly half of Americans place confidence in the people living around them. It also uncovered that older residents are more trusting than their younger counterparts.
Mistrust is a likely reason people install certain safety measures around their homes. Safe Home pointed out that nearly 40% of Americans own a home security product, roughly 18% of whom opt for video or doorbell cameras. Luckily for the OP, his house was also equipped with similar gadgets, which helped to send the entitled neighbor away.
Fellow redditors discussed the situation with the OP in the comments
The post “I Would Not Entertain Her Children For Her”: Entitled Woman Is Left Shocked After Her Neighbor Refuses To Babysit Without Warning first appeared on Bored Panda.
