Some Parents Are Way Too Comfortable Leaving Their Kids With Strangers, Part 3
My neighbors have three boys, all under the age of seven. In my first encounter with the mom, she promptly told me (not asked) that her kids wander. I naively thought that meant there might be the odd rogue ball episode or something so didn’t protest at the time. Oh, boy, was I wrong.
Our yards are unfenced, and we share a driveway. My yard, back deck, front garden, and even the inside of my house were seen as an extension of their space. The boys would even have sword fight tournaments on my back deck, off my kitchen. Their parents would literally do nothing. I was put in a position many times to ask for more privacy as it was affecting my work and a general sense of well-being as I am a very private person. It took some pushing, but finally, things got a bit better. But they still “wandered” — however, to a level I was not willing to cause drama over.
This past early winter, I decided to put in security cameras. I live alone in a not-so-great area and I wanted some peace of mind. I also wanted to document encroachment in case it got bad again. In that time, the cameras have picked up a lot of encroachment from kids, but I did not raise the issue, because the relationship with parents is peaceful, and I wanted to keep it that way.
Fast forward to yesterday. My camera picks up a clip of the middle kid peering into my window with a pair of binoculars.
I send the clip to the parents, explaining that one of my cameras picked it up and that I am not comfortable with this behaviour. It is inappropriate and an invasion of my privacy. They send a note back saying he was only trying to see if I was home so he could say hello. Then, they insist on knowing more about my security cameras, what they can see, and if they pick up the kids playing in their yard. I explain that they don’t as they only pick up motion in my yard. But, if the kids are in my yard — which they are… a lot — they are recorded.
The parents are insisting I take the cameras down.
The lesson is: entitled parents raise entitled children. I am frightened to see what kind of adults these kids will turn into. Who knows if I will be here long enough to find out?
I would love a fence, but I live in an area where wood is twice the price, and tradespeople are taking bribes for bookings. It’s not really possible right now, but someday. The neighbors are not only entitled but also deadbeats, so I’d be paying for it on my own. I did the one thing I had control of and that’s installing cameras.
Related:
Some Parents Are Way Too Comfortable Leaving Their Kids With Strangers, Part 2
Some Parents Are Way Too Comfortable Leaving Their Kids With Strangers
