'She's still finding reasons to complain': Neighborhood Karen faces off against Entitled Parent over community playground

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Nov 4, 2023 7:00 AM EDT

As we age, we have a tendency to become less tolerant of those around us. We might even feel bad about that waning tolerance, yet we find it happening all the same. For example, I, now in my 30s, don't care at all for the screeching sound of children. Am I a Karen? Maybe—but regardless of that, it remains a certain fact that I would never intentionally buy a house adjacent to a park or a school as I can not abide by loud noises like the screeching of children. But here's the trick when it comes to your own evaluation of Karenhood: True Karens are probably not evaluating whether or not they're a Karen. This doesn't mean you're automatically in the clear or correct in your thoughts and actions, but it's a great place to start for self-evaluation.

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  • But, as some commenters have suggested, plenty of people wouldn't care to live next to a park and certainly wouldn't be stoked about having one installed next to their house after they'd intentionally purchased a house that wasn't next to one. So, that, and other indicators, suggest heavily that the posted of this topic is actually an “entitled parent,” an elite group of entitled persons who consider themselves and their desires to be above all others just because they're the parent of their child.

    Have a read the original thread below and see for yourself what you make of this dispute between neighbors. With certainty, the whole thing plays out like a Parks and Recreation episode, and there are no winners here.

  • 01
    "She's one of the neighbors who lives fairly close to the playground and wasn't happy with the idea."
    via Oakville News
  • 02
    Posted by u/JessonBI89 16 hours ago Karen is still butthurt because we built a playground in the neighborhood Karen n For years our neighborhood has had a patch of green space open for recreation. Until this year it was just bare grass, some trees, and a few benches, with a couple of neighbors' fences backing onto it. Yesterday, after years of people talking about the idea but getting nowhere with it, we opened
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 03
    a small playground that occupies about a tenth of the space. I and other parents of young children actively lobbied for this playground at meetings of the local parks board, where we heard some pretty hysterical arguments against the idea, ranging from environmental damage to increased crime to exploding toilets. Yes, exploding toilets. Ask me about that one if you want.
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 04
    So, let's talk about Karen. She's one of the neighbors who lives fairly close to the playground and wasn't happy with the idea. At one point we were considering the empty lot right next to her house as a playground site, but that idea didn't last long. She's still finding reasons to complain. Not half an hour ago, she posted to our neighborhood Facebook group, asking parents to call off the kids who were on the playground making noise.
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 05
    Question: What day, out of all 365 days of the year, is the day when sugared-up children are most likely to be out past their bedtime? And given that this day regularly generates more enthusiasm in our town than Christmas, shouldn't Karen know this?
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 06
    Dizzman1 16 hr. ago Exploding 452 toilet... Go! Reply Share JessonBI89 OP 16 hr. ago So when we were still debating the issue at the parks board, this one Kevin, who has since moved away (and I refuse to believe it was for any reason except the playground), raised an
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 07
    objection based on his experience living near another playground. Some kids put some firecrackers in the toilet at that playground. They went boom. There was a big mess. He didn't want that to happen again, even though we repeatedly said we had no intention of building new toilets. 4 430 Reply Share
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 08
    lowfreq33 16 hr. ago That's unfortunately a very disappointing exploding toilet story, especially considering Kevin definitely made it up. When I was a teenager a friend of mine tried to do that, and all that happened
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 09
    was the fuse went out when it hit the water. I bet he also thinks people are giving away expensive marijuana edibles to kids for Halloween. 4332 Reply Share
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 10
    ShreksEroticToenails 15 hr. ago And yet the Karens complain about kids not playing outside anymore. 149 Reply Share DragonAteMyHomework. 13 hr. ago But not near them! 442 42 Reply Share ●●●
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 11
    Destiny89becomesme 15 hr. ago So if Karen didn't wake up with her house teepee'd and egged - imma be sorely disappointed in your community OP. 122 Reply Share ●●
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 12
    Plus_Ambition6514 · 13 hr. ago This is why I don't have a Facebook. If I don't see the crazy rantings of a miserable person, I won't know there's a miserable person. The neighbors I like have my number to keep me informed if there's something important, otherwise I want nothing to do with the others and mind my own. This lady os whack. Reply Share 49 ●●●
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 13
    bugzapperz 12 hr. ago And yet I've seen so many stories on Reddit of people being tortured by the constant screams of playing children. There is merit on both sides of this. 36 Reply Share
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 14
    Yams_Are_Evil · 4 hr. ago I love children, gave out cool stuff for Halloween, I still wouldn't want a playground next to my house. Especially if there was none when I bought it. Not all spaces need to cater to children. I would not complain on Facebook, but I would put inappropriate Halloween displays up or sunbath in my backyard. 23 Reply Share
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 15
    D00mfl0w3r 3 hr. ago So much this. The more I think about OP the more I'm like... this isn't Karen behavior. OP is really reaching. 6 Reply Share
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 16
    Gargravars_Shoes 7 hr. ago How do the people who live next to the new park feel about it being there? These things are great and all about the children when you're not backed up to it, but where are you in relation to the park? 8 Reply Share ●●● JessonBI89 OP. 7 hr. ago Some of them (mostly the ones with young kids) are
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 17
    very pleased. Others less so. We didn't expect unanimity on the issue, nor was it required. But it's done now. I live about a block and a half up the street, so I don't hear much. But I
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 18
    grew up in a neighborhood that had a similar tot lot for years. Maybe some people complained when it was first installed, but it didn't repel anyone after that. -7 Reply Share D00mfl0w3r. 3 hr. ago Yeah you're definitely the are here. 45 ●●● Reply Share
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 19
    Hachi707 4 hr. ago Is it really a Karen thing to not want to hear the sounds of screaming children all the time? Not everyone likes kids. 10 . 2 Reply Share fatkittee 3 hr. ago Amen!!! Reply Share
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 20
    mamasnature. 9 hr. ago I would never consider buying a house next to a park, and I would also be upset if they installed one after the fact. You're wrong. She's right. 24 Reply Share fatkittee 7 hr. ago Absolutely! 10 ●●● Reply Share ●●●
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 21
    bawkbawkslove 3 hr. ago I wouldn't be happy if a playground was put next to my house. I love my kid but I still don't like listening to screaming kids. I'm all for them being outside but not in almost my backyard. I'm feeling Team Karen here. 4 3 Reply Share
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 22
    Strangestbrew42 15 hr. ago I also wouldn't want a children's playground beneath my window. Don't think it makes me a Karen. 21 ● 16 Reply Share JessonBI89 OP. 15 hr. ago It isn't beneath her window. It's at least 200 yards away. Reply Share
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 23
    MannyMoSTL 12 hr. ago. edited 12 hr. ago ● Karen might be a P in your A, but your groups is equally awful. And I say that as someone who bought a house along a public right- of-way walkway that the local middle school uses (along with pretty much everyone else in about 5 connecting neighborhoods).
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 24
    I chose that house knowing, understanding and expecting the daily walking traffic there. Where people also come and park for god knows what reason (it's an area that you have to know about to find). I knew all of that before I bought my house so I was prepared for it. That said, I specifically didn't buy the house next to a grade school (in my preferred neighborhood) because I knew it would drive me batshit crazy to be next to a kids playground.
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 25
    IMO? Karen is understandably upset that you've put a playground in near the house she bought because (and here's the kicker) NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO LIVE NEXT TO A GODD PLAYGROUND. As such (duhn, duhn, duhn) she didn't buy a house next to a playground. I don't care if it's "only" used during daylight hours.
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 26
    So y'all lambast her and belittle her all you want - but your group, making her life a living ? - is equally as toxic as she is in my book. Scratch that. Y'all are worse. 17 ↓ Reply Share ↑
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 27
    Whiskey Sweet 2 hr. ago I'd be annoyed as if they built a playground right next to my house. If that makes me a Karen, so be it. Kids are loud and obnoxiois as fu Reply Share 2
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 28
    derickkcired 2 hr. ago I lived across the pond from a playground. Sound does carry and kids can be annoying..... However the only time I ever really cared is when I was working overnights and was trying to sleep in the evening. And only when it
    via u/JessonBI89
  • 29
    was cool enough to have the windows open. So....... Not very often is what I'm saying lol. People need to get a life. Whatever negative they think about a playground is immediately nullified by the positive effects when they come to sell their house. 4 2 Reply Share
    via u/JessonBI89

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karens hoa neighbors entitled parents neighborhood homeowner neighborhood-drama bad neighbors neighborhood-stories terrible neighbors karens in the wild entitled Bad Neighbor karen entitled people neighbor
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