'AITA for crushing a kid's imagination because I won't let him do pirate stuff?'
"AITA for crushing my neighbor's kids imagination?"
TripleDigitMan writes:
I live in a quiet suburban neighborhood with your standard backyard, some grass, a few old trees, a weathered shed. Nothing fancy, but I try to keep it tidy. I am on polite but not close terms with most neighbors. We wave, sometimes chat about the weather, and that is about it.
There is a family two doors down with a boy who is maybe nine or ten. Lately, he has gone full pirate mode. I mean fully committed. Eyepatch, cardboard sword, yelling "ye be cursed" at squirrels. Honestly? Pretty wholesome.
At first. Then I started noticing small holes in my yard. Just little ones near the fence. I assumed it was raccoons. But then the holes got bigger. One morning I went out and found the ground behind my shed completely torn up, with clumps of grass tossed around and a "map" pinned to the tree with a stick.
Eventually I caught him out there mid-dig. I asked him what he was doing and he straight up said, “I’m hiding me treasure. No one must know. This is the perfect hiding spot.” I told him calmly, “Hey, this is my yard. You can’t dig here.”
He got a little huffy but ran off. I figured that was the end of it. Nope. Next day, there is a new hole. Bigger. A tin lunchbox half-buried behind the shed. I dig it up and it is full of Pokémon cards, fake jewels, toy coins, and a few crumpled five dollar bills. I bring it to his mom and explain what is going on.
She immediately gets defensive. No apology. Just a heavy sigh and a “Well he is just using his imagination. I think it is sweet.” I told her I did not mind the creativity, just not in my yard. She rolled her eyes and said, “Can’t you just let him have this? It is not like your grass is that nice anyway.”
That one actually stunned me. I said, as politely as possible, that I did not want holes being dug on my property by someone else’s kid. I handed over the box and left. That night, she sends a long text telling me I humiliated her son, crushed his imagination, and “created an environment where children can’t feel safe being children.” She said he cried for over an hour and now thinks I am “the villain in his story.” (Her words.) I did not reply.
I get it, he is a kid. I did not yell, I did not shame him, and I even gave the stuff back. But I am not thrilled about my yard being turned into a sandbox and getting insulted for not being okay with it. So… AITA for drawing a line and not entertaining a pirate storyline that involved my yard getting wrecked?
Here are the top rated comments.
SomeoneYouDontKnow70 says:
NTA. His mom needs to teach him to respect others' property. You don't get to do whatever the hell you want as a kid in the name of "using your imagination." Maybe he should use his imagination to pretend that he buried his treasure in your yard while actually leaving it intact. I think that would be a more constructive use of it.
His mom is on the hook for teaching her kid to channel his creative impulses into productive endeavors, not destructive ones. When he grows up unable to properly establish relationships, he'll realize that his problems stem from the fact that he was never taught to respect others. When that time comes he'll see that his mom is the actual villain in his story.
d2020ysf says:
NTA for a few reasons. Biggest one, it's your yard. My kiddo has dug small holes to give her barbies mud baths, I have actually tripped in a hole while mowing the grass. Is mom willing to pay for any injuries that happen because of holes?
Also, sounds like mom filled her son with a lot of bad ideas instead of supporting not digging on someone else's property. In reality, mom could have said you can't bury treasure near shark infested waters or something.
Impressive_Moment786 says:
NTA-he can dig holes in his own back yard, and his imagination can run free on his own property and he can feel safe being kid on his own property. You aren't the a&#*ole here, his mother is. She should be teaching him not to mess up other peoples property.
RoyallyOakie says:
NTA...You didn't cross any boundaries. He did. When a kid oversteps, you inform their parents, and they have a teaching moment with their child. You have every right to enjoy your property , even if she's an ineffective parent.