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(((Perpetuallysad))) I’m SO sorry that you’re dealing with this! I know exactly how you feel, but I have no positive answer for you. The times that I’ve dealt with it, I just sucked it up and dealt, until I just couldn’t tolerate it anymore.
I moved because I just couldn’t tolerate my neighbors anymore. It got to the point that I not only had their kids, but their nieces and nephews as well. Our new place seemed like a dream, until summer. My backyard neighbor used to tell her son “you play with X so I can take a nap.” This chic was so bold as to actually inform me that my dog (a Rott) should be tied up in the front yard. You see she was afraid of dogs, and did not feel comfortable sending her son across the yard when my dog was tied up out back. She was an inside pet, and it didn’t seem to bother the woman to have her son playing in my house WITH the dog, just didn’t want him walking by it. She was only outside when I was hanging clothes on the line, doing her business or when we were all outside eating, playing or whatever.
She actually confronted me about it! I said that since my dog made her feel uncomfortable she should keep her son out of my yard in general. When I refused to move the dog, she started calling the police, stating the dog was running loose. They came three times, each time the dog was sleeping in the house, the third time my father happened to be visiting, he heard the call on his radio (also a police officer, but different department), he actually responded “I am currently at that residence, have been here for over an hour eating dinner and the dog hasn’t even gone outside!” When they came the third time, I explained what the problem was and they paid her a visit instead.
I’ve always felt guilty when I reached my breaking point and severed the relationship with the children, because they are victims of their parent’s stupidity. I tried to give them the love and attention that they weren’t getting at home, but when it starts to interfere with your own family life and happiness, you have to do something. When you cannot even enjoy your own back yard because you’re afraid to see the pleading eyes…
Like I said, the time before I had to move. It got so oppressive! I couldn’t feed my kids lunch outside on their picnic table anymore. Keeping them inside didn’t help, the neighbor’s would come to the door, I’d tell them to come back later, the kids were eating and they’d say something like “boy that smells good.” What do you do?
I wanted to teach my kids to be kind and generous, but not door mats.
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I've been married for 24 years and have four wonderful children.
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