Guy asks if he's wrong for refusing to let wife help neighbor whose power is out.
In a post on Reddit a husband wanted to know if it's OK to stop his wife from trying to help out some neighbor's in need. Here's is story. You be the judge...
'AITA for refusing to let my wife run an extension cord to our neighbor to run a refrigerator when their power is out?'
So, our neighbor let their power bill lapse by three months and they subsequently got their power shut off. My wife and their mother consider woman 'family', though there was been a falling out and they haven't talked in almost a year.
They have two children, 5 and 2, living in the house. My wife wanted to offer to run an extension cord for them so they can at least run a refrigerator to keep food cold.
Now, what led to this falling out is that my wife and I were having a heated argument on our front porch, she overheard it and came over to interject herself. When I told her this was a private conversation and that she needed to leave, she called the cops and told them I was beating her, trying to get me arrested.
She has a history of making false reports to the police to try to get people arrested as a revenge tactic. She also has a history of using her children as a weapon to basically extort things from people under the threat of taking the children away from them.
When she asked me if I would be ok with running the extension cord, I said no, that she should have been more responsible, and that I know how she operates and this will become her way of getting back in, repeating the vicious cycle.
She tells me that I need to set aside my hatred for her and consider the children, that they shouldn't have to suffer because of her. I reply that they have two ATVs, a go-kart, and three vehicles, one they rarely ever drive, that being a parent means having to make sacrifices sometimes for the sake of your children, and that they should pawn or sell some of their 'toys' to pay the bill.
'AITA for refusing to let her offer to run a power cord and letting my hatred for this woman supersede the welfare of the two children?'
People in the comments had some thoughts:
NTA. Call CPS. The kids can't live in a house that doesn't have electricity.
NTA. And they may be kids but they’re not your kids. You don’t owe your neighbors anything. Especially after she tried to get you arrested for domestic violence
NTA for no extension cord. But with kids that young and you being in FL, you would be absolutely remiss if you didn’t call CPS. Not having electricity isn’t an automatic removal, but it could be a symptom of further issues at the house, and in this weather, it would be easy for the kids to get sick from the heat.
She can buy a bag of ice daily for a dollar from 7_11 or dollar store