Good fences make good neighbors, but what happens when there are no fences at all?

One man thought he was free to enjoy his property as he saw fit, but some suspicious parents next door decided to try and dictate his every move with a series of passive-aggressive letters.

Read on for the full story.

AITA? Neighbor says I’m making them uncomfortable being around their kids

I (40M) live in a somewhat rural area with decent land between houses and a lot of forest.

In between my land and my neighbors’ land, there’s a decent-sized pond.

He has made several improvements to the property and enjoys sitting outdoors often to appreciate his handiwork.

Technically, it’s all on my land, but one side of it is surrounded by their land.

There’s a dock on it, which I upgraded about 15 years ago, so it’s somewhat nice.

I go down there somewhat often, usually spending a few hours in the evening with my dog, my work computer, and sometimes a drink.

But then came the neighbors.

My neighbors are in their late 20s/early 30s, and they moved in a few years ago.

They have a pair of young kids, both under ten (I’d guess maybe 5/6 and 8/9).

Their backyard is not far from where I am in the evening, and neither yard is fenced in.

Their kids like to play outside too.

Every few days, the kids come outside when I am down by the pond.

I ignore them.

But about a week ago, my neighbors approached me and asked if I would go inside or somewhere else when their kids were outside.

They said I made them feel uncomfortable letting their kids go in the backyard, and that their kids are also scared of my dog.

He understands what their complaints are getting at, but assures them they are unfounded in suspecting him of any wrongdoing.

I do not pay any attention to their kids. I usually am facing away from them and never directly facing them.

I do get why they would not want their kids outside alone with me nearby, as much as it sucks.

This seems to have been misunderstood — I’m not on any registry, nor do I have any criminal history. However, I get that they may feel uneasy about their kids being around a man they do not know very well.

He takes good care of his dog too, which is too docile to be dangerous.

My dog is always tied up when he’s on the dock with me.

He never barks when we’re down there; usually, he naps.

He is a fairly large dog (75-80 pounds), but there is almost no chance he could or would hurt them.

As if that wasn’t enough, these parents had even more to nitpick.

They also expressed concern about me drinking.

I do not get anywhere near the point of being intoxicated; it’s at most one drink when I do have it (and I have it maybe a couple of times a month).

I told them that I appreciate them reaching out to me, but I’m not going to stop.

Then they took their complaining to the next level.

This week I kept doing it, and I got a somewhat angry letter.

I’m honestly starting to doubt if I should just head inside when they come out.

AITA for not listening to them, and WIBTA if I kept doing what I’m doing?

He stayed in his lane, but these parents definitely couldn’t say the same.

What did Reddit have to say?

His neighbors are just downright wrong.

If these parents want a change, they could get off their behinds and do something about it themselves.

Maybe the kids just shouldn’t be on his property at all.

Beggars can’t be choosers.

Caution is fine, but paranoia is a bridge too far.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.