Livid resident puts up fence to stop kids playing in garden

A woman has become the talk of the town after she refused to let the local children play in her garden, turning her into a neighbourhood outcast.

She took to Reddit to share how she moved into her grandparent’s former home upon learning that she and her husband, Andre, were expecting their first child.

In her youth, her grandparents had turned their garden into an absolute paradise for kids, complete with a custom-built playground.

She recounted on Reddit: “My grandparents owned the lot next to their house, they just used it for more yard space. But when my sister and I were born grandpa knocked down the old shed on the empty lot and built a playground for us.

“Everything was made with his own two hands. It was a kid’s dream and we both played there any chance we got. And after we grew up they let the kids of their neighbourhood use the place to play with no issues. But then some years later they passed and the house went to my mum.”

The Redditor continued: “I found out I’m expecting so my husband and I started seriously looking for a house when we’d only been half trying before. Mum suggested we buy my grandparent’s house since we know it’s a good place and us buying it would keep it in the family.

“It’s still in good shape, has no HOA, and is close to a good school. So we bought it for a steal and moved in ASAP.”

Upon moving in, she immediately noticed parents and their offspring loitering around the playground. Initially, she didn’t object and even used the chance to introduce herself.

The woman recounted an incident with ‘Neighbour Witch’ (NW), who erupted in anger when she intervened as her child climbed dangerously on a playhouse. She said: “Everyone was lovely and younger than I’d expected but it seems a bunch of couples with kids had taken over the street in the past five or so years.”

She spotted a child teetering perilously high and dashed outside – but her neighbour wasn’t happy. She explained: “The problem arose when Neighbour Witch (NW) brought her kid over one afternoon. I happened to be by the window and saw a flash of red outside.”

Upon confronting the situation, NW exploded: “It was a kid in a red shirt literally standing on the roof of one of the two storey playhouses, almost 10 feet off the ground. I ran outside, thinking he was alone and said he needed to get down right now.

“That’s when NW stormed over from who knows where and yelled at me to fuck off and not tell her kid s***. I asked if she was his mum and after getting a yes I asked her to make her son get down before he got hurt.”

Asserting her rights, she stood her ground against the neighbour. The home owner recalled: “She argued saying I couldn’t make them do anything, so I told her this was my property and yes I could.”

With that, the child fell to the ground and started to cry. She explained: “He was fine. He got up without issue and ran over to NW.”

All hell broke loose when bitter exchange followed, with threats of lawsuits and police involvement.

The Redditor said: “She picked him up and said if he’d been hurt she’d have sued me so I threatened her with the cops if she didn’t leave. She flipped me off and called me a ‘gin jockey’ (random as I don’t drink at all, let alone gin) but left.”

To prevent further problems – including being sued for accidents on their property – the home owners decided to erect a fence to keep local kids out.

The Reddit user continued: “Parents came by asking why the fence so I told them why, and they can thank NW. I heard she’s been shunned by the other parents and none of them will let their kids play with hers.”

Curious to find out if her actions were justified, she added: “I feel guilty her son is getting punished for her actions. Maybe just saying we wanted a fence up instead of telling them about NW would have been kinder?”

One commenter offered their view on her dilemma, stating: “It’s your right to protect yourself from harm. If any child gets hurt on your property, the parents can sue the pants off of you.

And another user chimed in: “What your grandfather did was a beautiful gesture, but legally it’s called an attractive nuisance. Putting up the fence was the only thing you could do.”