"AITAH for intentionally scaring my neighbour's kids?"
My (29F) bedroom window faces the front yard. During the day I have the blinds half open, enough to let in some light and sunshine for my cats. From the street and even the front yard, it’s not possible to see clearly into my bedroom. Because of this, I do often walk through my bedroom in my underwear or just partly dressed to get to the bathroom.
I don’t risk walking around naked though. Recently, my neighbour’s twin kids, both male and I’m guessing around 7 years old, have started looking in my bedroom window. I don’t just mean standing by the window in my yard, I’m talking faces and hands completely pressed up against the window looking in.
I assume this started with them looking at my cats, but now I think they consider it some type of game with me. If they see me, they run back home laughing. I have caught them outside on a number of occasions and asked them directly not to do this, but again they just run away laughing like it’s a game.
I’ve also spoken to their parents multiple times, and they refuse to do anything about it. The response I got was “they’re just kids being kids” and “if you don’t want someone looking in your window just keep it closed." I think that teaching your kids that it’s ok to go onto someone’s property and peek in their window is kinda messed up. I know they’re only young, but I still feel like my privacy is being invaded.
This has been going on almost daily for months now, until last week. I walked in my bedroom and heard the kids outside playing, then spotted the terrifying demon like mask that my boyfriend wore to a Halloween party the night before. So I got an idea.
I stood next to my window wearing the mask for almost 20 minutes. Finally I heard the footsteps approaching and waited until both kids had their noses pressed up against the window. At that moment I jumped out, mask right at their eye level, and let out the deepest and loudest roar I possibly could.
In all the years living next to these neighbours I’ve never heard them scream as loudly as they did when they saw me. They ran home screaming and crying, and just minutes later their mother was at my door, calling me a monster for scaring her children. I simply told her that I do what I want in my own house, and if her kids don’t want to see that they should stay away from my window.
It’s been a week now and I’m glad to say the kids have not even stepped foot on my front lawn. Not sure if it’s because they’re traumatised, or the parents have just told them not to do it anymore. Either way, I’m happy. I felt justified at the time, but everyone I’ve told has said that I took it too far for such young children. So I don’t know, AITA?
Here's what people had to say to OP:
separate-parfait6426 wrote:
I love it. If she keeps complaining, I would let her know that there are consequences for parents and their kids when parents let their kids trespass and be peeping Toms (which would get them arrested as a teen or adult) because "kids will be kids."
OP responded:
Yeah if they had been teens I’d have gone to the cops. I just didn’t think they’d do anything about it at that young age.
Glum-Solution-3100 wrote:
NTA. They're lucky they didn't get a call from the police instead of just getting scared by a mask. The mother, tho, is TA. She should be teaching her kids better and not to look into random neighbor's bedroom windows. The nerve. "Keep your windows closed."
The absolute gall. What would be her excuse if her kids had caught you and your boyfriend together through those windows? "You shouldn't be intimate where kids can see it?"
Frankly, you should have done it sooner. And anyone who disagrees clearly has never had their privacy encroached on, children or not.
Edit to add: Also, I justify my reply as a parent myself. So, no, I don't think you took it too far.
OP responded:
Thank you! Good to read that most people don’t think I was a jerk here.
Dear_Leadership2982 wrote:
The first time that woman told me she was okay with her kids coming onto my property and press their faces up against my bedroom window, I'd have gone to the police to report them for trespassing, voyeurism and invasion of privacy. This behaviour is a crime when adults do it, and the very least that woman should be doing is teaching her kids it's not acceptable.
BeautifulChaosEnergy wrote:
If she gives you grief again? Tell her “fine, next time I will call the cops and report there’s two peeping Toms at my window and you can explain to the officers why you’re allowing them to be perverts”
And see how she responds to that. ETA scratch the warning. The next time they do it, call the police, I’d start with the non-emergency number and let them know about the situation. They can send a couple officers to talk with the boys and their parents.
Aggressive_Diet366 wrote:
Nyah hood for you! My grandma did that when we moved into a new house and the neighbor kids would shine a flashlight in our window. She crawled up to it with a rubber witch mask on and waited for the light. lol they dropped the flashlight and ran. Never happened again.
babbsela wrote:
NTA. I had a similar problem years ago with a little girl who kept staring in my window. Her mother wouldn't do anything about it. I finally got a Super Soaker and totally drenched her with it. Her mother was really pissed. I told her I was just washing my window and it's just too bad the little girl got in the way. I had to do it a second time before she stopped peeking in my window.