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When somebody babysits for you, unless theyre a paid professional, theyre doing you a favor.
Its important to remember that!
Nobody owes you free childcare, whether theyre your family, friends, or… your kind neighbors.
Ignoring personal boundaries reeks ofentitlement.
It got to the point where it becamevery intrusive.
But we do not live in an ideal world.
People are incredibly busy with their own lives.
Despite this, many of us try our best to be kind and generous whenever we can.
At the same time, there have to be limits to our altruism.
Babysitting in emergencies is fine.
But if its an actual hassle, its best to be honest with yourself and your neighbor about it.
The latter may need some friendly (then firm) reminders that youre not at their beck and call.
Soundproofing a home office also works.
As would talking to her kids about why its so important that they keep the noise down.
This works equally for refusing babysitting duties or telling them to knock it off with the late-night partying.
In most cases, your neighbors will get the hint.
However, some folks are a tad too entitled: they cant stand someone saying no to them.
You may need to spell it out to them in a not-so-subtle way.
Or you could even invite your neighbors over for dinner sometime.
The fact of the matter is that most people dont even know who their neighbors are.
Younger people are more likely to have fewer interactions with their neighbors.
Meanwhile, married and older folks tend to be far more involved in neighborly life.
28% revealed that they attend these social events less than once a month.
Meanwhile, a whopping 58% said that they never meet their neighbors for get-togethers.
Most readers were on the authors side.
Heres their take on the conflict
Thanks!
Check out the results:
