It’s often said that you shouldn’t share everything with your neighbors. If you’re lucky, you have neighbors who understand personal boundaries. Most of the time we exchange food or invite them over to our barbecues. Sometimes we let their kids come over to use our amenities like pools or playgrounds.

There are always going to be people in the world who take advantage of others’ good-natured personalities. It’s like they don’t understand the word “limits.” That’s how this man felt when his neighbors got upset with him because he refused to let them swim in his pool.

A man took to Reddit to share his difficult situation. The story starts as a kind gesture but ends with the man feeling taken advantage of by his neighbor.
He and his fiancée relocated to this quiet neighborhood and immediately felt a sense of safety because of the small town feel. After seeing that there were some kids around 9 or 10 years old, they decided to get a swimming pool so that they could have children over sometimes–especially since they’re going to be parents soon themselves.

He never expected things to get out of hand because of it…

The man wrote: “I had an above-ground pool put in last year and the neighborhood kids were very happy. I told them no dogs were allowed in the pool as the lining was fragile and could break.” It all started off smoothly.

The children were playing in the pool while their parents were away on a trip once, and when they returned home, they realized something wasn’t right. He said, “This year, I opened the pool and the kids used it while we were away. When we got back, I noticed the water level was low and tried to refill it.”

When he looked at the pool, he noticed a “good-sized tear” on one side. Nonetheless, he decided to press on rather than complain.

The following day, the kids asked to use the pool again and brought their Labrador Retriever. However, he had just repaired the pool so he said no and that it was closed for now.

One day, when he returned home, he saw his neighbor engaged in a heated argument with his fiancé. Evidently, the neighbors were accusing them of making their kids unhappy because he had refused to let them use his swimming pool.

The neighbor explained what occurred and why he would not allow the kids to use the pool anymore, but the neighbors insisted that he reopen it and let the children swim in it.

He’s now asking the internet if it was wrong for him to turn away his neighbors’ children a second time.

Reddit users shared their opinions about the issue in the comments section. A few even mentioned the “attractive nuisance” law and explained that he is perfectly within his rights to not let the neighbors’ kids onto his property.