It’s hard to watch your child deal with fear, especially when it seems irrational.

So, what would you do if something as small as a garden gnome left your kid too scared to play in the front yard?

Would you confront the neighbor about it?

Or would you take matters into your own hands to protect your child?

In today’s story, one parent finds themselves in this exact predicament, and not everyone is on board with their decision.

Here’s how it went down.

AITA for hiding my neighbor’s garden gnome cause it was scaring my son?

My neighbor Cindy (F34) has a large front garden.

She grows flowers and some produce.

Sometimes, she comes over with extras, which is nice.

She also has a “gnome village” in her garden.

You know those tacky garden gnomes you see in lawn and garden stores that you can paint or whatnot?

Well, recently, Cindy got a new gnome.

For whatever reason, my five-year-old son has developed a fear of this particular gnome.

I’m not sure why, and yes, I have asked him why.

I’m sure he’s seen something scary on YouTube or something.

The gnome is just a normal gnome with a gardening hoe and a basket of flowers.

After his son freaked out, he decided it was time to talk to the neighbor.

I decided to talk to Cindy, explain the problem, and ask if she would move the gnome to the back garden or behind the bushes on her patio.

Cindy refused! I wasn’t asking for much!

A few days ago, my son was outside playing, and his ball rolled into Cindy’s yard.

He refused to go get it, crying and begging me to get the ball.

I got the ball and moved the gnome behind some flower bushes. My plan was to move it back once my son stopped playing.

Cindy came out to water the garden, noticed the gnome was gone, and demanded to know where it was.

She even threatened to call the police on me! Over a gnome!

After I gave her back the gnome, Cindy told me not to come on her property again!

I told my wife what happened, and while she thinks Cindy overacted, she also thinks I shouldn’t have taken the gnome.

She says our son will get over his fear in time, or he’ll just have to play in the back.

I think our son has a right to play in his own front yard without being scared of a gnome.

AITA?

It seems like everyone may be overreacting a little bit.

Let’s see what the readers over at Reddit have to say about the father’s decision.

This person has a great point.

Agree. If it’s on someone’s property, you don’t touch it.

Here’s a good way to put it into perspective.

As this person points out, he should prepare his child for the environment, not the other way around.

He had no right to touch it.

If his son was that scared of the gnome, they should’ve been playing somewhere else or found a way to make it less scary for him.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.