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Being welcoming to neighborhood children can turn a garden into a classroom, but kindness still needs clearly defined boundaries.

Well, for one young botanist, casual plant lessons quietly became an unpaid responsibility he never agreed to accept.

Things erupted when an angry parent revealed exactly what she assumed he had been doing.

Check out how it all went down.

AITA to tell my neighbor I am not their babysitter and to keep their kids away?

“I (23M) live within one mile of 4 elementary schools. So, there are tons of kids around here.

I have a garden so I’m outside a lot and most of the neighborhood kids end up at my lawn at some point in the day.

For the most part, it doesn’t bother me. They’re all great kids and they have tons of questions about plants, gardening, composting, all of that good stuff.

I recently finished my PhD in plant systematics, so I honestly do enjoy teaching them about plants and seeing them excited to learn about it all.

Also, it is a bit refreshing to have kids running around and screaming outside rather than sitting in front of screens.

But there’s a problem…

Recently, an issue has come up though. I was out gardening and the kids came by as usual. I finished up earlier than usual and I went inside. About an hour later someone is literally banging on my door.

It’s my neighbor and after I open it she instantly starts screaming about how “I left her kids alone to be kidnapped for an hour”. And I was at first a bit confused.

After some more discussion I learned that she lets her kids outside every day and tells them to “hang out with me” while she does whatever the hell. Eventually I just apologized and closed the door.

This is weird…

After some thinking though I really don’t think I’m in the wrong. I am not okay with watching someone’s kid. First, I did not know I was “watching” children.

What if someone got hurt? I don’t know what the hell to do.

Second, I feel like this is neglect. This woman doesn’t know me anywhere near well enough to be leaving her kids alone with me outside, while she leaves.

Lastly, childcare is expensive for a reason. I’ve been watching kids for free?!

He decided to give her a piece of his mind.

So, I went and knocked on her door. Maybe I was a bit harsh, but I told her that I am not a babysitter and I will no longer allow her children near my house or me.

I told her I was extremely uncomfortable by this situation and if she leaves her children outside without someone watching again, I will call CPS (I would not like to do that at all).

She went off saying she can’t afford childcare and I’m an asshole to not just watch her kids when she needs help.

I have now gone to the rest of my neighbors and told them that I do not want any children in my yard and explained the situation.

Most were very understanding (and watch their children). Today one boy came by and I asked him to leave and he said “okay” but was clearly holding back tears and now I’m feeling like a jerk.

I’m needing some outside opinion.

AITA?

How do I even handle this situation?”

Let’s see how Reddit users reacted.

This reader said he’s NTA.

Another person agreed.

This Reddit user chimed in.

This individual spoke up.

And this reader shared their thoughts.

After learning that his neighbor had secretly treated him as free childcare, OP banned her children and the other neighborhood kids from his yard.

Although he felt guilty after upsetting one innocent boy, commenters agreed the mother created the danger by abandoning her children without his knowledge.

She somehow mistook a friendly neighborhood botanist for a daycare where tuition was free and parental supervision was photosynthesis.