Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

Add post form topAdd Post
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Woman Bears Kids Next Door Screaming For Two Years, Ruins Their Day By Screaming That Santa Died
282

Woman Bears Kids Next Door Screaming For Two Years, Ruins Their Day By Screaming That Santa Died

Interview With Author Woman Bears Kids Next Door Screaming For Two Years, Ruins Their Day By Screaming That Santa DiedWoman Has To Endure Kids Next Door Screaming For Years, Makes Them Regret It With Santa’s “Death”“Cool Uncle And Aunt” Couple Babysit Often, Let Kids Scream Their Brains Out, Neighbor SnapsNeighbor Makes Kids Believe Santa Died After Having Enough Of Their Irresponsible Babysitters“Cool Uncle And Aunt” Couple Often Babysit Kids, Letting Them Scream Their Lungs Out, Neighbor SnapsNeighbor Leads Kids To Believe Santa Passed Away After 2 Years Of Irresponsible BabysittingWoman Bears Kids Next Door Screaming For Two Years, Ruins Their Day By Screaming That Santa DiedWoman Bears Kids Next Door Screaming For Two Years, Ruins Their Day By Screaming That Santa DiedWoman Bears Kids Next Door Screaming For Two Years, Ruins Their Day By Screaming That Santa DiedWoman Bears Kids Next Door Screaming For Two Years, Ruins Their Day By Screaming That Santa Died
ADVERTISEMENT

Sooner or later, kids grow up and learn (and by proxy, deal with the fact) that Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny (among many, many others) are more or less figments of our, the adult, imagination.

How you go about telling them about this figment is more or less clear. But sometimes people are people and we can resort to morally gray solutions all because someone had to be taught a lesson after 2 years of devil kids screaming their lungs out all because they were never told to use their inside voices.

More Info: Reddit

RELATED:

    Not everyone has the luxury of choosing their neighbors, but it by no means means that they can’t do anything about them

    Image credits: zoetnet (not the actual photo)

    One constantly noisy neighbor who babysits a lot was recently schooled on how to do it properly with the help of ol’ Saint Nick

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: NibblesMcGiblet

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: Craig Adderley (not the actual photo)

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: NibblesMcGiblet

    Well, Santa himself did not make an appearance, and even if he would have, that would’ve been morbid, but it did stop all the kids from screaming

    Image credits: Juanedc (not the actual photo)

    The story goes that Redditor u/NibblesMcGiblet lives in an old 1800s house that’s as authentic as it can be, including “acoustic insulation”. It just so happens that she has neighbors who babysit quite often. It also just so happens that the kids they babysit have the vocal aptitude of a flock of harpies zeroing in on their prey.

    What is worse is that, one, the kids’ loudness is empowered by the supposed “cool uncle” neighbor who spends much of the time babysitting the kids and, two, you might guess just how thin the walls are in that Georgian-era house.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Now, we get it, the kids are having loads of fun, and the neighbor is excited along with them. It’s all positive and fun. However, you’d expect some degree of restraint and respect to be exercised, right? OP had the unfortunate honor of having to bear the screams for two years at this point.

    Until now.

    Image credits: Vanessa Loring (not the actual photo)

    In her interview with Bored Panda, OP explained that it wasn’t supposed to be petty revenge in the first place. “I wasn’t even trying to GET revenge. It was a spur of the moment thing that I simply blurted out quickly and that was that.”

    You see, OP pretended to be on the phone. Loudly. Loud enough for the screaming to quiet down for a bit in anticipation of what OP would say next in her fauxn call. “HELLO? YES THAT’S ME. WHAT? NO!NO!NO!” [silence] “OH MY GOD SANTA IS DEAD? WHAT HAPPENED??”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    “I didn’t pre-plan this. Santa is what came out of my mouth. Not ‘Santa Claus,’ just Santa. I suppose, in retrospect, if they even did hear me, for all they know Santa could be the name of my pet dog or something.”

    Within a matter of seconds, OP hears a pitter-patter of little feet skedaddling out of the premises. Quite likely as they were instructed on it by the “cool uncle” so that OP wouldn’t say something more outrageous, like the Easter Bunny being in cahoots with the Tooth Fairy and having a monopolistic cartel in the chicken farming and dentistry industries.

    Surprisingly, that was enough to keep the noise levels at an absolute minimum.

    “We see one another occasionally in the hallway. They say hi, I say hi, that’s the end of it. There has been zero indication they necessarily even heard me other than the fact that they got quiet when I yelled ‘No, No!’ and then left shortly thereafter. It’s entirely possible they simply heard the sound of me being home, realized the kids were being loud and that I was home rather than at work that particular day, and opted to take the kids out rather than bother me. No way of knowing.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: Ivan Radic (not the actual photo)

    Now, it is important to note that OP did not intend for any of this to be malicious—if anything, educational, teaching the importance of context and consequences. The way the babysitting was done was interactive and engaging, sure, but even that can be done with respect to your neighbors, right? All it needed was some guidance on the part of the neighbors.

    As to why not confront the neighbors about it? Let’s just say they aren’t the easiest to interact with on account of them partaking in activities some might deem illegal.

    While there were people who found OP’s approach morally questionable, most indulged in the fact that it was petty revenge in its purest form and praised the woman.

    Because this is Reddit, of course folks wanted to be more mischievous than that and started suggesting how to one-up the idea with more carnage. Should the noise return, there’s always the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. Oh, and Zombie Santa.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    The other ramp-up is that Santa might have passed away from the cookies these kids left for him last Christmas. I swear, someone’s out to get him. OP has nothing against Santa, for he has lists for good and bad kids and he trolls bad kids for being naughty. A just concept.

    All in all, nearly 3,000 upvotes (89% positive) and over 10 Reddit awards later, the post went viral. You can check it all out in context here.

    Image credits: Daniel Reche (not the actual photo)

    Speaking of context, the whole idea about telling kids Santa’s not real is a pretty natural process. Natural in the sense that a lot of parents and kids go through it and it’s beneficial practice for both parents and kids to deal with it all together, all the while strengthening their bond as family.

    At about eight, kids naturally start questioning the whole idea of Santa, and this is honestly the best time to broach the topic. This is where you, as a parent, swoop in and ask the kid how they feel about it. Take their lead on the conversation and make sure conditions are perfect for the child to be able to accept the breaking news.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Be honest. Validate their feelings. Let them channel their emotions. Make up a plan on how the Christmas tradition will now be approached, and maybe they would like to take on Santa’s role as the gift giver?

    It is key to drive the conversation towards a direction that will not make the kid think Christmas has lost its magic. You could go about it saying Santa represents the spirit of Christmas, and the way you can help keep it up is by practicing generosity and kindness. And that’s perfectly encapsulated in the idea of gift giving.

    So, how did you learn that Santa’s not real? Wait… he’s not… real…? My goodness… Um. So, what are your thoughts on any of this? [sigh] Let us know in the comment section below! [leaves]

    Folks online, while slightly considering the moral grayness of it all, were all in all entertained by OP’s non-traditional approach to silence

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    Share on Facebook
    Robertas Lisickis

    Robertas Lisickis

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Some time ago, Robertas used to spend his days watching how deep the imprint in his chair will become as he wrote for Bored Panda. Wrote about pretty much everything under and beyond the sun. Not anymore, though. He's now probably playing Gwent or hosting Dungeons and Dragons adventures for those with an inclination for chaos.

    Read less »
    Robertas Lisickis

    Robertas Lisickis

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Some time ago, Robertas used to spend his days watching how deep the imprint in his chair will become as he wrote for Bored Panda. Wrote about pretty much everything under and beyond the sun. Not anymore, though. He's now probably playing Gwent or hosting Dungeons and Dragons adventures for those with an inclination for chaos.

    Saulė Tolstych

    Saulė Tolstych

    Author, Community member

    Read more »

    Saulė is a photo editor at Bored Panda with bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design. The thing that relaxes her the best is going into YouTube rabbit hole. In her free time she loves painting, embroidering and taking walks in nature.

    Read less »

    Saulė Tolstych

    Saulė Tolstych

    Author, Community member

    Saulė is a photo editor at Bored Panda with bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design. The thing that relaxes her the best is going into YouTube rabbit hole. In her free time she loves painting, embroidering and taking walks in nature.

    What do you think ?
    Add photo comments
    POST
    Monday
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Did OP ever tell the neighbours the kids were annoying her? Hard to judge what other people can and can't hear through walls if nobody talks to each other.

    Noltha
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    She didn't answer, when asked (see above). Also, was that really a revenge? Maybe the neighbours are now happy that they don't have to deal with screaming kids anymore? ;)

    Load More Replies...
    StrangeOne
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Did it ever come to her mind that she could just knock on their door and tell them how loud they're being? Obviously by then end of this the neighbours got the point quickly and without further issue. The whole having to hear the kids could have ended years earlier.

    DotC
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don’t get why she waited either but people that say you should go ask your neighbors have never done it in an apartment or even a detached house. NOBODY takes criticism well. They ignore you. They retaliate. They talk sh!t to other neighbors. They get violent. They think you wanting to sleep between 10pm and 6am on a week night is an insult to them. They think you not wanting rocks thrown at your car is your problem. They’re defensive about it because they know they’re wrong and inconsiderate.

    Load More Replies...
    supertall
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Punishing the kids because the neighbours suck is kind of uncool...

    amy hipps
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Got them to shut up. Plus not every one likes children. Sorry to break the news to you.

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    Monday
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Did OP ever tell the neighbours the kids were annoying her? Hard to judge what other people can and can't hear through walls if nobody talks to each other.

    Noltha
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    She didn't answer, when asked (see above). Also, was that really a revenge? Maybe the neighbours are now happy that they don't have to deal with screaming kids anymore? ;)

    Load More Replies...
    StrangeOne
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Did it ever come to her mind that she could just knock on their door and tell them how loud they're being? Obviously by then end of this the neighbours got the point quickly and without further issue. The whole having to hear the kids could have ended years earlier.

    DotC
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don’t get why she waited either but people that say you should go ask your neighbors have never done it in an apartment or even a detached house. NOBODY takes criticism well. They ignore you. They retaliate. They talk sh!t to other neighbors. They get violent. They think you wanting to sleep between 10pm and 6am on a week night is an insult to them. They think you not wanting rocks thrown at your car is your problem. They’re defensive about it because they know they’re wrong and inconsiderate.

    Load More Replies...
    supertall
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Punishing the kids because the neighbours suck is kind of uncool...

    amy hipps
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Got them to shut up. Plus not every one likes children. Sorry to break the news to you.

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    You May Like
    Related on Bored Panda
    Related on Bored Panda
    Trending on Bored Panda
    Also on Bored Panda