Keeping the peace in a neighborhood is always a delicate balance, especially when parenting rowdy kids.

So when a nosy neighbor complained to the HOA about the kids playing outside after dark, one parent realized the biggest complainer about the noise was actually being just as loud.

Keep reading for the full story.

Tell the HOA my kid’s too loud? Ok, deal with him some more.

So I went to visit my mum yesterday, and she told me this story.

My brother (9m) likes to play with other boys on the block.

Admittedly, these hangouts can get a little loud.

They usually play soccer or bike races outside, and Fortnite or FIFA 22 online, all during the afternoons/evenings after they’re done with homework.

They can be pretty loud, but they’re ages 8–12.

The HOA runs a tight ship around the neighborhood.

The neighborhood my mum lives in has something similar to an HOA.

They have a representative, and they have to pay fees, mostly for security and surveillance, even though it’s very safe.

The rep is friends with my grandma, who also lives there.

So soon the family receives a call.

So on a Thursday, the rep calls my mom to tell her that someone complained that the kids were being too loud and that it was too late for them to be alone outside.

Mind you, it was like 7:30 p.m., they didn’t have school the next day, the street is pretty illuminated, and there are cameras basically on every light post. Also, the neighborhood is pretty much gated all around.

The family tried to explain, but the HOA didn’t want to argue.

My mum calmly told the rep to ask the person complaining to call her directly because she was actually outside speaking with the other kids’ parents as they were watching them, and this is a family-friendly neighborhood.

The rep started getting defensive and said that she didn’t want to cause conflicts, making up excuses, and that was that.

Soon, the family found the source of the complaint.

Later on, the rep was chit-chatting with my grandma and said her nephew (who lives a few houses from my mum’s) was having trouble with work because “there’s too much noise outside.”

So mum knew that he was the one complaining.

But this guy’s no saint.

Thing is, he’s basically fresh out of college, which means that he hosts parties from Thursday to Saturday or just blasts his stereo until 4–5 in the morning when he passes out.

Kinda hypocritical if you ask me.

So the mom decided to enact revenge on this guy.

Cue my mum asking the boys to play right in front of his house and yell as loud as they can.

My brother’s curfew is 8 p.m. so he can get a good night’s sleep, but my mum (and the others’ parents) extended it to 10 p.m. because they didn’t have school the next day anyway.

And that pretty much put an end to it.

The dude never complained again, but my mum did report him every time his speaker was on after midnight.

He eventually stopped, except for a party here and there, and all was well.

The end.

Rules about noise work best when they apply to everyone equally.

What did Reddit think?

This commenter tries to weigh what they think really happened here.

This user thinks this family didn’t quite make the point they thought they did.

This family fails to acknowledge the other collateral damage they caused with their “revenge.”

Some neighbors can take noise complaints to an excessive level.

Suddenly peace was restored to the neighborhood.

It didn’t take a meeting or a warning — just a little strategic volume.

If you liked that post, check this one about a guy who got revenge on his condo by making his own Christmas light rules.