We all know the pool rules.

No running.

No diving in the shallow end.

When you jump in you gotta move your swim trunks around so that big bubble of air pops out and you pretend it was a huge fart.

The basics.

But in this story, we’re going far beyond basic…

AITA for Refusing to Let ‘Karen’ Neighbor Use My Pool After She Demanded I Follow Her Pool Rules?

So, I (34M) live in a suburban neighborhood with a decent-sized backyard and a pool.

I’ve always been friendly with my neighbors, including “Karen” (mid-40s F) who moved in next door about a year ago.

She seemed nice at first, but as time went on, she started to show her true colors.

Then, the pool encroachment began.

Over the summer, Karen started coming over with her kids, asking if they could use the pool.

At first, I didn’t mind because I was usually outside anyway, and the kids seemed to enjoy it.

But soon, things got weird.

Karen began showing up unannounced, sometimes even when I wasn’t home, and I caught her using the pool without my permission.

But she started taking advantage.

One day, I came home to find Karen and several of her friends having a full-on pool party in my backyard, complete with snacks, music, and pool floats!

I confronted her, and she acted like it was no big deal, saying, “Oh, you weren’t using it, so I figured it was fine.”

I told her politely but firmly that she needed to ask before coming over and that I wasn’t comfortable with her just assuming she could use the pool whenever.

Karen seemed annoyed but agreed to “follow the rules.”

Then she pulled a Uno Reverse.

Then, last week, she took things to a whole new level.

Karen knocked on my door with a typed-up list of “pool rules” that she wanted me to follow!

Her list included things like:

• No swimming after 5 PM because “her kids have a strict bedtime.”
• No “loud music” when her family is outside.
• Mandatory weekend access for her and her kids, but only for their exclusive use

I’m sorry, WHAT?

I thought she was joking at first, but she was dead serious.

I laughed and told her there was no way I was following any of her “rules” for my pool.

Karen got angry and called me selfish, saying that I was “ruining the neighborhood spirit” and being “unfair to the kids.”

Now, she’s been spreading rumors to other neighbors that I’m a bad guy for not sharing the pool.

Some of the neighbors have even said I should “just let it go” to avoid drama.

But I feel like this is insane — it’s my pool, and she’s acting like she owns it!

AITA for refusing to let Karen and her kids use my pool after she demanded I follow her ridiculous rules?

Let’s dive into the comments:

It’s a liability, for real.

Some suggested some great lengths:

It’s literally unbelievable.

Somebody’s gone off the deep end.

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