A woman in her 40s with a teenage son moved in next door six months ago. She looked polite at first, and while we weren’t home, I even let her use my outdoor grill and borrow a few items.
I didn’t give it much thought because it seemed like a neighborly gesture. But things took a sharp turn for the worst. My family and I went to see my parents one weekend. My backyard was in utter chaos when we got back, which astonished me. I was met with a greasy, dirty grill, empty bottles, and food waste.
Thanks to my neighbor and her kid, it appeared as though a crazy party had taken place, and it did.
I confronted Claire about the mess, but she brushed it off, saying it was her son’s birthday and that “kids will be kids.” She even suggested I was overreacting. But this wasn’t just a minor issue—it was my property, and they had treated it like a public park.
I decided to handle the situation calmly and wrote down three simple rules:
1
If you use something, clean it and return it.
2
Please clean up after your child.
3
Just be considerate.
I gave her the note in the hopes that we could work things out peacefully. However, I discovered a list of her regulations attached to my door the following morning. Her regulations, that is—for my stuff. Demands on the list included things like refraining from cooking after 7 PM, staying away from strong seasonings, and even claiming my patio furniture and garden hose as “community property.”
It was astounding how bold they were. To exacerbate the situation, my daughter showed me a TikTok video that Claire’s son, Adam, had uploaded. He was filming himself while he and his friends were making a mess in my backyard while laughing. They even posted it online so that everyone could see it. I chose to fight back because I was tired.
Claire’s ridiculous set of restrictions was captured on camera, which I then shared on social media. The video gained over 5 million views in a few of days after going viral. Outrage erupted in the comments: “HER regulations on YOUR property? Unbelievably! “Construct a fence. These individuals are unmanageable. “This is the height of entitlement.”
The reaction was quick. Adam arrived at my door two days later, looking completely defeated. He pleaded with me to remove the films since they were hurting his academic life. I calmly emphasized that he needed to learn to respect other people’s property and that his actions had repercussions.
I hesitated for a second before agreeing to take down the films, but not before being reminded of my responsibility. In the meantime, Claire stood quietly beside her home, smoking a cigarette and wearing an expression that was impossible to read. As I returned inside,
I was overcome with a sense of fairness. “You win,” she whispered to herself. “Claire, this wasn’t about winning,” I murmured, turning to face her. Respect was at issue. You cannot expect to get away with treating someone else’s house as your own. I then shut the door, leaving her standing by herself in the dark.