Mom Calls Neighbor ‘Dramatic And Selfish’ For Banning Her Kids From Her Pool After They Ignored Her Rules
"If I can’t trust them to respect my rules, why should I keep letting them in?"
Sergey Novikov | Shutterstock Nobody wants to be in conflict with their neighbors. You're stuck living next door to them until someone moves, which may never come, and their close proximity makes it all too easy for them to disrupt your life.
A woman on Reddit experienced this firsthand after moving into a new home. She tried her best to be friendly, even allowing a nearby family to use her pool. However, they took advantage of her kindness, resulting in a squabble between homeowners.
The woman's neighbor called her 'dramatic and selfish' for banning her kids from her pool after they ignored her rules.
"When I bought my house last year, one of the things I was most excited about was the pool," the woman wrote in her post. "I take care of it, I pay for the upkeep, and now that summer’s here, I’ve been using it almost every day."
Heather Shimmin | Shutterstock
When her neighbor, Karen, asked if her three kids could use the pool, the Redditor generously agreed — under a few conditions. Her neighbor's 8, 10, and 12-year-old children needed to "ask before coming over, have an adult present, and [not] trash the pool or try to sneak in when I’m not home," she explained.
Although her restrictions were reasonable, the kids soon started breaking the rules.
"At first, it was fine. The kids would swim, have fun, and leave," she explained. "But then, little things started happening. I caught them in my backyard without permission. One day, I came home from work and found them swimming alone, no adults in sight. Another time, they were throwing food into the pool."
When the Redditor talked to Karen about her children's behavior, the mom was not concerned. While she promised that her kids would not break any more rules, they continued to misbehave and swim in the pool unsupervised.
The last time she caught them alone in her pool was the final straw. "I told them to get out and went straight to Karen’s house. I told her her kids were no longer allowed in my pool," she wrote.
"She flipped out, calling me dramatic and selfish because it’s just a pool, and they’re just kids having fun. But I don’t care," she continued. "It’s my property, my responsibility, and I gave them more than enough chances. If I can’t trust them to respect my rules, why should I keep letting them in?"
While some of her neighbors believe she was too 'harsh,' the woman could be held liable if one of the kids was injured on her property.
The woman made her boundaries very clear and has every right to enforce them. She generously allowed the neighbors to use her pool — something she did not have to do. Yet they consistently disrespected her rules and now must face the consequences of their actions.
Many commenters pointed out that allowing the kids to use her pool at all put the woman at risk.
"The second one of those kids gets hurt, suddenly [the woman] is an irresponsible homeowner that’s endangering children," one user wrote. "You could end up legally liable if a tragedy happened," another commenter cautioned, while a third user wrote that she is "playing with fire."
According to Higginbotham, an independent insurance brokerage, these commenters are correct. "If you own a pool, children may enter your property without your permission because they want to use the pool. As the owner, you’re responsible for their safety in the same way that you’re responsible for the safety of your invited guests," they wrote.
If they, or anyone else, are injured in or around the pool, the homeowner could be held liable and named in a lawsuit.
"To make sure that people — especially children — don’t use the pool when you’re not there, it’s important to prevent access," they added. "The CDC recommends installing four-sided fences and other barriers, as well as locks and alarms."
So, it seems that banning her neighbor's kids from her pool is not "dramatic" or "selfish" on the woman's part, but smart and overdue.
Erika Ryan is a writer working on her bachelor's degree in Journalism. She is based in Florida and covers relationships, psychology, self-help, and human interest topics.