Family Put Playground Equipment In Their Yard, But Their Neighbors Think Their Kids Should Be Allowed To Use It
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Imagine owning a home and having little kids. If you bought some playground equipment for your yard, would you let the neighborhood kids use it as if it’s a public park or would it be for your kids to use only?
In this story, one parent is in this situation, and she’s okay with other kids using it but only if they’re friends of her kids who are visiting to play with her kids. However, after hearing something her neighbor said, she’s wondering if she’s doing something wrong by not opening up the playground equipment to the entire neighborhood.
Let’s read all about it.
AITA for not letting neighborhood kids use my kids’ playground equipment?
We have a miniature playground set-up in our back yard (a couple swings, a jungle gym, slide that kind of stuff.) Which, I’ll add, is plainly visible from the road and from adjoining yards.
Our kids use it, and any friends they have over can of course use it too.
We’ve had it for about four years and since we got it there’s always been a hard and fast rule that no neighborhood kids could use it unless they were visiting our kids, even or especially if it was not currently in use.
She has reasons for this rule.
Reason being if it’s on our property I feel responsible, so I don’t want kids coming and playing if I don’t realize they’re there or if I am not in a position to adequately supervise.
And I didn’t want to say kids could use it on their own with our permission, because you know how that goes. “You said I could use it last time, I didn’t realize I needed to ask again this time.” “You told Susan she could use it earlier so why can’t I use it now” Etc.
I didn’t want to start running a parks department.
She overheard some neighbors talking.
Well, I just found out we’ve garnered a reputation as the neighborhood grouches because of this.
I overheard a new neighbor talking to a few long-standing ones and essentially what they told the new one was “OP’s family have a barely used playground set that they don’t even let other kids on unless they’re playmates with their own son or daughter. Even though it’s sitting in plain view of all our kids who don’t have the luxury of their own playgrounds. So watch out for them.”
I thought it was a pretty reasonable rule seeing as it’s in my yard, but upon further reflection, I understand how I would be frustrated as a kid to see a full playground just across the road and be unable to go over and use it most of the time. Or be a parent fielding constant requests about it.
AITA for not letting everyone else use it when they feel like it?
No, she’s not being unreasonable. It’s her yard not a public park. Maybe if they could afford it they could put up a fence so the playground isn’t so visible from the other houses, but regardless, she’s not doing anything wrong. It’s ridiculous for neighbors to feel entitled to use something that belongs to someone else.
Let’s see if Reddit agrees.
This person thinks she’s making the right decision.
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Another person agrees that it’s not worth the risk.
It would be awful is someone got hurt.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a neighbor who wants their shed gone, and won’t listen to any arguments.
Nobody thinks she’s doing anything wrong.
The neighbor can complain all she wants, but if the playground equipment were on the neighbor’s property, I bet she wouldn’t let all the neighborhood kids use it either.
Public parks exist for a reason. It’s ridiculous to want to treat a homeowner’s yard like a public park.
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