not ok

Mom Films Neighbors Playing On Her Family's Swing Set Without Asking, Prompting Internet Debate

“Are you team #beneighborly or are you #getoffmylawn?”

by Katie Garrity
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
@s_hubby14 / TikTok

TikTok has become a pretty popular forum for many online creators to air their grievances, get advice from others, and find some common ground. One mom posted on her TikTok account, wondering if she’s being dramatic about something weird going on with her neighbors.

While crouching down and hiding inside her home, TikTok creator @s_hubby14, asked her followers if she’s in the wrong for being totally weirded out by her neighbors trespassing on her lawn.

“Do other people’s neighbors do this? We have an open backyard, which means that there's no fences and we can't put fences up because we don't have a pool,” she prefaces.

“So, our neighbors just come into our backyard and literally play on our structure and don't ask us and they just play like they're f**king like they own it, like it's a communal backyard just because we don't have fences,” she added.

She explains that the first couple of times that her neighbors played in her backyard without asking, she let it slide because her kids eventually ended up out there too, but now, she’s had enough.

“They have a pool. What if I just, what if they came home, and I was just in their f*cking pool like this is so weird to me!” she said.

The OP then explains that her husband (of course it’s the husband!) thinks that she’s overreacting about the entire situation and needs to just let it go. However, she works in a law office and realizes that this whole scenario is more than just a neighbor dispute. It’s a legal issue.

“... like what if one of them gets hurt then our homeowners insurance are the one that's getting sued,” she explained before asking for input from her TikTok followers. “Who's side are you on? Am I crazy, or is my husband just too nice?”

She then cuts to a clip of a large group of people walking away from her swing set in her backyard. The footage is truly mind-blowing and preposterous. So much so that thousands of TikTok users weighed in, siding with her opinion that the whole thing is just weird.

One user wrote, “This would drive me crazy! I can't believe how entitled some people are. Not even giving the courtesy of asking first🤦‍♀️”

Another said, “It would be one thing if it was my neighbors that I’m besties with 😆 Otherwise, it’s a no from me”

The OP replied, “Right! Like they’re super nice and I don’t want any bad blood but I’m like 😩 please don’t sue me”

“They probably think it's no big deal but I would not want the liability nor damage or people wondering,” another user said.

“See I’m so conflicted. I don’t mind the kids playing I’m just worried about being sued lol. I don’t want to be ‘that neighbor’ but how do I handle it 😩,” the OP responded.

While some users suggested that the OP put on her swimsuit and head over to their pool to “prove a point,” others encouraged her to just go outside and gently ask if the family realizes they’re playing on a private play structure and not on a communal park playground.

Personally, this is a big “no” for me. Not only is this family totally out of line for assuming they’re entitled to someone else’s (very expensive) item, but they’re also creating space for a messy legal issue if someone were to get hurt. The OP’s husband may want to try and keep the neighborly peace, but at what cost? Like other users pointed out to the OP, she needs to stand her ground.

Like Robert Frost once said, “'Good fences make good neighbors.”

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