“AITA for not paying the neighborhood boy who mowed my lawn even though I didn’t ask him? »

Some things in life are not in our control, and the selection of our neighbors is one of them. Having a helpful neighbor is nothing short of a blessing, whereas having a selfish neighbor can make life miserable living with them.

Recently, a man on Reddit’s popular “Am I the Asshole” forum shared an incident in which he refused to pay a local boy to mow his lawn even though he hadn’t asked him to do so.

Man refuses to pay neighborhood boy to mow his lawn

The 29-year-old wrote on the AITA forum that he had recently purchased his first home and added that he was settling in and loved the neighborhood. A few neighbors even came to greet us. They were a 43-year-old woman and her 13-year-old son.

He said one afternoon he was on his couch when he saw the neighbor’s son outside mowing his lawn. “I was confused since I had never asked him and he had never offered it. I came out and politely asked him why he was doing it – he said he had done it for a lot of neighbors, and quickly added that they were giving him $5 for it,” the man wrote.

He added: “I found it really weird, so I thanked him for the partial work he had done, before explaining that since I hadn’t asked him or wanted him to do it, I wasn’t going to pay for it. He said OK, and I quietly walked off my lawn.”

The man went on to mention that the next day the boy’s mother came to his door and angrily asked me why he hadn’t paid her son.

He repeated what he had said to his son, but she did not want to accept it. She kept saying that it was a kind gesture from her son and that he was doing it for all the other neighbors.

The man wrote: “She also said $5 wasn’t a lot of money and I could have just given it to her. I kept trying to explain that a deal like that has to be made in advance, otherwise it’s nothing more than a deal. random request for money, but she basically ignored me and ended up walking away while I was talking. I was surprised that the adult in the situation handled it worse than the literal child. I wonder how long this will last. For.”

He added that since the incident, every time he saw her, she would stare at him with daggers or pretend to cross the street to avoid him.

The OP continued: “I’m not pushing it any further – I really have no desire to talk to her – but I think she might try to fire her poor child to get the money back, or even mow the lawn again .”

He concluded his post by saying: “I talked to my family and friends about it, and while most seemed to agree with me, some said I should have been grateful and paid the boy, and tell them from then on not to mow the boy’s lawn I can’t tell if I was being an asshole here, or if my reaction to all of this was entirely justified.

Internet sides with OP about not paying the neighborhood boy

Several Reddit users sided with the OP who refused to pay a local boy to mow his lawn when he wasn’t asked to do so.

One user commented on the post: “Definitely NTA. This is strange. Like why is she encouraging her son to enter without permission??”

Another person wrote: “Asking for money for services that were not requested, after the fact, is not a kind gesture. It’s a trap. NTA. »

One user wrote: “NTA. There needs to be communication before the child does this kind of thing. And you stopped him once you noticed what was happening. You didn’t wait until he finished to question him. You weren’t trying to get free work. What do the neighbors say/think? Maybe try to talk to them and get their opinion; tired of this family, too. didn’t do that kind of thing and you stopped once you noticed what was happening. You didn’t wait until he was finished and then question him. . What do the neighbors say/think? Maybe try to talk to them and get their opinion; they may have all been fed up with this family.

Another person added: “NTA – but honestly I would have been happy to have someone mow my lawn for $5.”

A user also commented: “NTA. I would be OPENLY friendly with her. Shout hello! or good afternoon! when you see her. Kill her with kindness. Even though $5 isn’t a lot of money, the extorting is not acceptable.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individuals and organizations. MEAWW cannot independently confirm them and does not support any claims or opinions expressed online.