[thunderbear]

I was responding to a post last night and it got me to thinking about my nextdoor neighbor in laws. They are my husband's mamaw and papaw. Well, it all started by his papaw coming to our house (before we moved in next door) and beating on the windows at 5 am to make sure my husband was awake for work. Yeah it was tolerable but aggravating. Then we moved in next door to them and it's untolerable and a little creepy. Papaw will just walk in the house unanounced even if I was asleep, I would wake up to him standing in my bedroom saying "Hey" . Ok then I started locking my doors. Then he would beat on the windows early in the morning waking my son up (who was 2 at the time) even on Saturdays he would beat on the window at like 5:30 am. My husband got onto him about it and his papaw called him an a-hole. Well Papaw quit doing that. Now he watches whatever we do. If he hears us come outside he comes out of his door and stands on his sidewalk watching. We used to have to use his truck to go places like the store and then we got our own truck and the other day, he was out in the drive way and I wanted to go up to town to see my husband on his lunch break and papaw seen me getting in my truck and ran out and then just stared at me down the drivway with his mouth hanging open. About 3 hours later I pull in and as soon as I pull in and get out he asks 21 questions. One night around 12 m we went to walmart just to have somehting to do and the next day papaw was asking "what did you all buy at walmart?" He was watching us again! He always checks our mail too. My husband's paycheck get sent by mail every Friday or Saturday. And his papaw hot foots it to the mail box and will hand my husband his paycheck with this smirk on his face. one time he kept our mail for 3 days. Mamaw always has to know when my husband gets his pain medicine. And she always says mean things about his weight like " If you lose anymore weight......." and "I could read a newspaper through you" and my husband is already self concieus about that because his Crohn's caused him to lose 12 pounds and he's not that big of a guy to begin with so 12 pounds on him is like 25 pounds. I am so paranoid here. I can't even open my windows because I know papaw will look in. I hate it here. But I don't have a choice. And if we try to say anything to him about this he calls us a-holes and things like that. But I feel like I am being watched all the time. And I probably am.

[Evening]

Even though they are your husbands parents what they are doing is harassment and invasion of privacy, and they have absolutely no right to do it. And it sounds to me as though it's not because they are so clueless to their own actions but that they are fully aware, at least the father is. If you are able to report them I'd probably do so, you shouldn't feel unsafe in your own house, especially when it's relatives causing it.
I had a neighbour that watched me, definitely not to that extent, but I could see her staring at me through the window, she would take my newspaper from my driveway if I didn't pick it up up within a few hours- I had been wondering why my newspaper never came each week until I saw her take it one day, she's sweep my driveway, she said 'this is my part of the yard and you can't go here', if she heard any sound from the radio or TV at night she'd be at my door, even at 2am, telling me she'd report me next time. Once she came to complain about my TV an when I denied it (the TV was on, but it was actually me saying something loudly at the television that she heard) she went to my window and was shining her torch through to see if I had it on. I had to be so quiet every night and was paranoid walking down my driveway. And it was all because of my age, she didn't want me there because I was so young.

While I don't think it is necessarily illegal (I'm not sure though), it is still wrong. It's intimidation and they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. Just because they are related doesn't mean they have authority to harass you, bang on your windows and stare at you.

[slowinmi]

thunderbear,

I'm not sure you can do anything about the watching and staring, but tampering with someone's mail is a federal offense and anytime they go on your property without your permission, it is trespassing. Good luck with these in-laws. It sounds to me like they don't have anything else to do and you are their entertainment.

slow

[thunderbear]

Originally Posted by slowinmi

thunderbear,

I'm not sure you can do anything about the watching and staring, but tampering with someone's mail is a federal offense and anytime they go on your property without your permission, it is trespassing. Good luck with these in-laws. It sounds to me like they don't have anything else to do and you are their entertainment.

slow

Hi slowinmi. Our mailboxes set side by side lol yeah we share a driveway. I know it's kinda creepy they watch. I think they're hoping to catch us doing something we should'nt. The papaw even got kinda mad at me cause I had 2 beers. 2 beers!!!! I'm 29 years old.

Sorry you have to put up with this, thunder.