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Imagine walking to and from work. If your walking path took you past a lot of houses where kids were playing outside, would you be on high alert and make sure you didn’t get in the way of any kids playing, or would you assume that you’re perfectly fine and not in the way as long as you’re walking on the sidewalk?

In this story, one woman would like it to be the second option, but she has found herself in the way of the kids even when she’s just walking on the sidewalk.

The parents and kids don’t seem apologetic which leaves her wondering if she is actually the problem.

Let’s read the whole story to decide.

AITA or are my neighbors inconsiderate?

I live in a big city so most people dont have traditional front yards.

In my neighborhood specifically, many of the tenants are upper-middle class families with young children who use their front grassy area and sidewalk to play.

Theres a block that’s between my job & my apartment (10 min walk between the two) which has a lot of outdoor equipment, ie basketball hoop, swings.

During the warmer months there are obviously more kids outside enjoying the weather, and i walk down this block twice daily to get to work/on my way home.

Here’s what happened one day.

On one occasion a group of 3 boys, who were being supervised by their dads, were tossing around a football while i was on my way to work.

One of them tossed the ball right toward me and i instinctively knocked it away and into the grass, but no one’s dad said anything to them.

Then earlier today i was quickly walking home from work after leaving early for illness. There were some girls and their moms outside and 2 girls were on the swings.

This time, she did get hit.

I moved as far away as i could to the edge of the sidewalk and was glancing at my phone.

I figured i had enough space if neither of them kicked their legs out again, but one of them did and her foot went right into the jacket i was holding.

I repeatedly said “so sorry,” then “pardon me,” as i kept walking but all i heard in response from anyone was “she’s not looking where she’s going.”

Part of me is frustrated because i want to be able to use the public walkways where i live without being kicked or hit with a football, but maybe it’s entitled of me to assume that i shouldn’t have to wait or move for a child who’s playing, even if i’m in a rush

There shouldn’t be swings so close to the sidewalk that a child who sticks their legs out kicks the person on the sidewalk. That’s the real problem.

Let’s see how Reddit responded.

This person doesn’t think OP did anything wrong.

Another person thinks OP should complain.

This person calls out the neighbors.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a landlord who took action after a resident refused to respect an assigned parking spot.

But one person thinks OP actually did mess up.

It’s not too much to ask to be able to walk down the sidewalk without having to dodge flying balls and kids’ feet. It sounds like the swings are too close to the sidewalk.

Perhaps the kids playing need to pay attention to people walking by instead of the other way around. The moms complained that OP wasn’t paying attention, but their kids certainly weren’t paying attention to OP.

The neighbors sound rude and inconsiderate.