Woman slammed for ‘out of line’ response after neighbour’s child misbehaved

People have blasted a woman who attempted to take a child’s toy from her next-door neighbour as she believed the boy ‘needs more discipline’, much to the disgust of a family member who interfered

Most people would likely agree that every family has the right to raise their children as they see fit, provided the kids are treated with love and care. Well, one woman who believed she ought to interfere with how a neighbouring family raised their son has been blasted for her behaviour, after she “stole” one of the child’s toys.

And when she was confronted by the boy’s aunt, she initially refused to return it, much to the woman’s disgust. This in turn quickly led to an explosive argument between the two neighbours – one that may prove difficult to resolve.

The troubling exchange came to light after the aunt took to Reddit, keen to know if she was in the right or if she had taken things too far and acted “incredibly mean” when she confronted her neighbour.

The worried woman explained she has taken custody of her 10-year-old nephew, who she knows displays “angry and aggressive behaviour.”

“I know what’s going on with him and am working on it,” she said.

The caregiver added that she has found her new role challenging. “I love him to bits but I think I’ve cried more in this past year that I ever have before,” she revealed.

But it sounds like her already-difficult situation has been made more complicated by unwanted interference.

The woman’s post continued: “My neighbour is convinced that I have to be more strict and discipline him better. That’s really not the case but I simply tell her that I’ll keep her advice in mind and try to avoid her.

“But yesterday was one of the harder days and I had confiscated one of my nephew’s toys until he calmed down. It was a superhero action figure. I went out on my porch for a breather while he napped and I didn’t realise but I had brought the toy out with me. I was sitting on the steps and the toy was next to me.

“My neighbour pops out of nowhere and after telling me that ‘the kid needs more discipline’ for the hundredth time, she grabbed the toy. I was confused and asked if I could have it back. She told me that he and I will be better off without it. After all, ‘actions have consequences.’ I told her that I don’t care and I’d like for her to give the toy back.

“She patted me on the shoulder and said she knows it’s hard but it’ll work out in the end and was gonna walk away with it but I ended up yelling at her.”

At this point, the aunt threatened to call the police unless the toy was returned, according to her post, telling the neighbour she would report that “a 60 something year old lady, stole from a little kid.”

However, her choice of words offended the neighbour, who then revealed she was in her 40s.

“I just went ‘you look 60 to me’ I s*** you not this woman starts crying and after giving (throwing) the toy back she called me incredibly rude and ran into her house,” the narrative continued.

She concluded by saying that the woman’s partner later apologised but asked her to say sorry in turn, calling her comments “pretty rude”. It was at this point the aunt turned to Reddit, unsure how best to respond.

Well, commenters quickly agreed the neighbour had been the one in the wrong, with many shocked by her attempt to “steal” the toy.

One person replied: “What kind of grown woman tries to steal a child’s toy?! The A kind, that’s who.” Another thought the neighbour was not stealing but said she was “forcing” the caregiver “to adhere to her methods of discipline”, which they thought was even “worse”.

Someone else said: “She had no business over there in the first place,” adding: “Don’t apologise, but feel free to tell her that ‘actions have consequences’. And when another commenter asked: “How bad is this behaviour that your neighbour is acutely aware of it?” the woman replied: “My neighbour only knows because she eavesdropped on me discussing it with my brother a few months ago.”

Following this revelation, a well-liked comment was left sharing support for the aunt. It read: “She was beyond out of line. Being supportive of you might have been constructive. What she did was awful.”

Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below.