A simple act of kindness can become overwhelming when someone starts expecting constant attention.

This busy parent began visiting a lonely older woman for tea, puzzles, and help sorting mail.

But occasional visits soon turned into nonstop calls and an unexpected search through the workplace.

Now the friendly favor feels completely out of control.

Is there any act of kindness you regret or backfired?

I regret taking the time to give company to an elderly person.

I felt so bad for her, and went a couple of times a month to have tea, sort mail, and do puzzles.

She’s a lonely old woman I met at work.

Fast-forward, she calls me nonstop. I have a family, two kids, and a full-time job, so sometimes, I’m just not available.

Here’s where the lady crossed the line.

She showed up at my office, asked where I was, called me, and said she had called everyone on my staff and asked where I was.

I’m by appointment only, so I’m not just at my office. She just wanted me to sort her mail again.

Anyway, she’s borderline looking a little bit unstable. I regret giving her the time.

Wow! It’s easy to see why she’s upset, but it’s also sad how lonely that lady is.

Let’s see if Reddit readers have ever felt this way.

For this reader, it happened at a local pool.

Here’s someone who encountered it at work.

This teacher knows the feeling well.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man who got fed up with all of the cars parking illegally on his vacation land, so he had them all towed.

According to this person, it happened after letting someone stay with them.

This person meant well, but the older woman began treating casual kindness like an on-call service.

Showing up at the office and contacting every staff member made it clear that stronger boundaries were needed.

She needed help sorting mail and launched a full workplace search party.