When it comes to neighbors, it’s always a bit of a gamble. Some of us are fortunate enough with lovely people living close by who strike up friendly conversations and invite us over for cookouts. Others prefer to keep their lifestyle to themselves and hope other residents will do the same. But if there’s one widely accepted truth we’re certain of, we don’t really get to pick our neighbors. And unfortunately, only a few of us hit the jackpot.

You see, some spaces are occupied by entitled people who come knocking on your door determined to get all up in your business over the slightest inconveniences. Redditor snortgiggles knows this, as she explained in her recent post on the ‘Malicious Compliance’ subreddit.

A few weeks ago, the kids in her neighborhood decided to have a bake sale. But what was supposed to be a fun and joyful activity quickly turned sour after her neighbor’s son got bored and cut out early. “When you’re done, come by and deliver half the money,” he told her kid. When that didn’t work, he marched over to his house and complained that it simply “wasn’t fair.”

What followed was an angry mom waving a receipt at the user’s face, demanding to be compensated for her share of the purchases. Instead of arguing with the woman, the author decided to comply. Maliciously. Read on for how the whole ordeal unfolded and let us know what you think about it in the comments!

Recently, a mom shared the story of how a kids’ bake sale stirred up drama after one angry neighbor demanded half the money despite her son cutting out early

Image credits: marybettiniblank (not the actual photo)

Instead of arguing with the woman, the user decided to maliciously comply

Image credits: Kari Shea (not the actual photo)

Image credits: snortgiggles

Depending on the circumstances, our neighbors can be both a blessing and a curse. People living in close proximity to us have great power over our wellbeing by swiftly making our lives either more delightful or difficult. We all strive to live in harmony and avoid hostilities and long-lasting arguments at all costs, but that’s rarely the case. After all, some people enjoy sparking drama where there is none and completely disregard the feelings and choices of those living around them. Unlike within a school or a workplace, it’s seemingly impossible to avoid nightmarish neighbors in your area, especially in a densely populated one.

Bored Panda previously had a chat about the causes of negative neighbor relationships with Jaap Nieuwenhuis, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. According to him, unhealthy disputes in neighborhoods often occur where there’s a clash between people’s life choices.

“Many people are attached to their own specific lifestyle … [and] when someone else infringes on your ability to enjoy your own lifestyle, conflict can emerge,” he told us. “Enjoying a late-night outdoors party with loud music may be fun for one, but might not be for the next person, who is anyway forced to listen to it.”

“Other common conflicts are also about how to deal with (public) space in a way that is acceptable for everyone. This is seen, for instance, in complaints about children, pets, inconveniently parked cars, verbal violence, and conflict about garden borders,” Nieuwenhuis added.

However, the professor explained that having more meeting spaces and shared goals within the community can help positive social relationships prosper. When people find more opportunities to interact with one another, it can build stronger social cohesion in the neighborhood. So you would think that activities like a kids’ bake sale and the preparation that comes with it, like snortgiggles described in her story, would only bring people closer. But as it turned out, it led to an awkward conversation that brought tension between the two households.

Showing up on someone’s doorstep and demanding compensation when your son barely took part in the activity smells of entitlement issues, don’t you think? Well, at least many of the Redditors agreed when they applauded the user for standing her ground, setting a good example for her kid, and dealing with the rude neighbor in the best possible way.

Later on, the user clarified a few details and answered Redditors’ questions in the comments

Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Jesse Matthews told us in an earlier interview that we will all encounter people who want to take advantage of us, though we can try to notice these patterns and act accordingly. So when someone expects to reap the rewards after fronting nothing while you do all the work, it isn’t someone you want to keep associating with. “In these instances, you can bring it to their attention if you think it’s important to let them know you see it or if you want to give them the opportunity to change. Or, if you would rather not confront them, you might simply back away from the relationship, responding less frequently to their calls or texts, not reaching out to them, or being ‘busy’ when they ask you to get together.” Lastly, he added that one more way to deal with these situations is to set healthy yet firm boundaries.

When it comes to conflicts between neighbors, Dr. Matthews mentioned they typically emerge because one household violates our ability to enjoy our lifestyle, like making noise late at night when we are trying to sleep. “Beyond that, however, there are neighbors who are jealous of others, who don’t like people for various reasons, or some other things they are doing might bother them,” he noted. “It could be a matter of them not minding their own business, which we see a lot of these days with so many ‘Karen’ videos online.”

To find a way out of similar disputes, it’s important to be respectful so everyone can live peacefully. But at the same time, “you also need to distinguish between what are valid complaints and what is just someone not minding their own business.”

“If a conflict arises, you should always try to be tactful and respectful, trying your best to keep any problems to a minimum. But you may also need to be assertive and set or hold boundaries with neighbors. If you believe they are asking too much or concerning themselves with something they shouldn’t, don’t be afraid to let them know. And the more you can resolve conflicts on your own the better,” Dr. Matthews concluded.

People online applauded the way this mom handled the situation, some even chimed in with their own childhood experiences

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