18-year-old asks his 41-year-old neighbor out on a date 2 times, neighbor tattles on him to his mom much to his chagrin: 'When he saw me, he looked enraged'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
May 29, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

We've all seen the hit 1967 film The Graduate that made Dustin Hoffman a star. If you haven't, you should read this story, turn off your phone immediately after doing so, and watch The Graduate, because it's that great. It follows a recent college grad who has moved back in with his parents and doesn't have that much going on in his life. He begins an affair with his older married neighbor, played by Anne Bancroft. It was one of the movies that ushered in the era of New Hollywood, where affairs and similar themes could be shown more explicitly, and films were less heavily censored by motion picture associations. While old Hollywood was producing tired musicals like Camelot and Hello, Dolly!, new Hollywood was exploring relationships that hadn't been depicted so explicitly onscreen since before the Hays Code was implemented in the mid-1930s. Now we could finally see age gap love affairs onscreen! 

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  • 01

    AITA for telling my neighbor that her newly 18 year old son asked me out on a date ? (I SAID NO)

    I (44f) said "NO" both times he asked. My neighbor's (41f) son (18m) turned 18 the Sunday before last. He asked me out of a date the 1st time the following Wednesday, and then he asked out again the following Friday. I have a son (23m) and if were to ask out any neighborhood mom, she better tell me. So I told my
    via u/LabOneZZ

  • While we might find The Graduate tame by today's standards, we are often still uncomfortable when similar situations arise in our real lives. After all, would you want your son hooking up with a woman who has a daughter his own age? The woman in this story did not want to be a Mrs. Robinson, and she made that fact known.

  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10511761408
    via Amie Roussel

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 03
    neighbor what he son did. She said she appreciated me for telling her. The next time I saw the son was in his yard while I was in my yard. His face looked normal before he noticed me. When he saw me, he looked enraged. Am I the a hole?
    via u/LabOneZZ
  • 04
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    via Daniil Onischenko

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 05
    KronkLaSworda NTA He's mad because his mom gave him an ear full.
    via u/KronkLaSworda
  • 06
    LabOneZZ OP If my son did that when he was 18, I don't think I would yell at him. I would be concerned. My neighbor didn't seem mad when I told her. She looked more concerned than mad.
    via u/LabOneZZ
  • 07
    LengthinessFresh4897 I don't think she yelled but she definitely talked to him about it and he's upset that she did
    via u/LengthinessFresh4897
  • 08
    Ok_Pie_6368 Makes sense. His anger tho must be held accountable. You did not do anything wrong. He's just embarrassed lol
    via u/Ok_Pie_6368
  • 09
    mtngr160 NTA. If he only asked you out once, I probably wouldn't have said anything, or I might've laughingly told my neighbor the next time I saw her. But the fact that you told him no, and then he tried again... And he's only 18... That's disturbing. Because that's the beginnings of a guy who doesn't know how to take no for an answer. And that's just creepy. I don't care if he's 18 or 80.
    via u/mtngr160
  • 10
    If we have said no, we don't wanna go out with you, don't keep asking. That's just pushy and obnoxious. And if he didn't want his mommy to know, maybe he should've taken in the lesson that you don't sh where you eat. And if he's ped off, that's his problem.
    via u/mtngr160
  • 11
    I would, however, keep an eye on him. And I do mean that sincerely. He may just be an 18-year-old kid who had his hot next-door, neighbor, single woman fantasy that he thought you would fulfill... Which again is creepy anyway...
    via u/mtngr160
  • 12
    A kid who doesn't like being told no or whatever. But at 18, he's an adult. Often with a male adults size. And given that he didn't really wanna take no for an answer... Yeah, I would keep an eye out.
    via u/mtngr160
  • 13
    ThisWordJabroni For people acting shocked, have you lived under a rock your whole life? Of course younger people are still attracted to hot older people. That's normal. Acting on it or even being pushy is different, but maybe google The Graduate to see how this has been a thing for decades.
    via u/ThisWordJabroni
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    Cheezburger Image 10511775232
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 15
    clintnorth Um. Look obviously there's an age gap. But the kid very consciously did not do anything wrong so I kind of feel like it's a little fed up to blow up his spot like that. Yeah, I weirdly have to go with YTA on this one.
    via u/clintnorth
  • 16
    Like, the kid has probably had a crush on you forever. It sounds like he was respectful and actually asked you out on a date and didn't do some gross hitting on you thing. You found out after the fact that he only asked the second time because he was getting what he determined to be mixed signals the first time. You don't have to get the kid in trouble and get him yelled at for being respectable little man.
    via u/clintnorth
  • 17
    JimDa5is Just curious, at what point do you expect people to stop narcing to you about the behavior of your adult children?
    via u/JimDa5is
  • 18
    I_Do_Too Much When they move out.
    via u/I_Do_Too_Much
  • 19
    Lazy-Living 1825 Idk. He's an adult. He shot his shot. Not really his mommy's business.
    via u/Lazy-Living1825
  • 20
    Appropriate_Dig_7616 I don't think asking someone out on a date multiple times constitutes inappropriate or concerning behavior., and to be honest I doubt anyone who isn't terminally online or roleplaying would think so either.
    via u/Appropriate_Dig_7616
  • 21
    EDIT A little background before the update. I have been neighbors with them for 4 years. His parents are married. He graduated high school, but he is not in college. He said he wanted a year break to try to work in his father's (49m) industry before deciding whether or not college is necessary. For me, in addition to my son, who has his own apartment, I have a daughter (16f) who I share custody with my ex-husband (51m).
    via u/LabOneZZ
  • 22
    Update: I talked to the mom to ask about how her talk with her son went. Even though she's the one telling me what happened, she sounded like she was unnecessarily combative with him.
    via u/LabOneZZ
  • 23
    She said she confronted him about asking me out twice. Everyone agrees that my exact words were "no thank you" both times. He said he knew he made a huge mistake when I said no the 2nd time. He said he only asked the 2nd time because I was smiling and playing with my hair the 1st time. She bluntly asked if an older woman did anything horribly to him, and he said no. He accused his mom of being the one who's making this weird. She asked him what's wrong with him
    via u/LabOneZZ
  • 24
    since he's asking out a woman his mom's age. He said he's just a normal guy. He said he doesn't like me anymore since I snitched on him to his mom. He said he's going to move out and get an apartment since everyone is treating him like a child because he still lives with his parents. Then their conversation ended. The mom told me that she's annoyed that the dad found it hilarious that his son asked me out.
    via u/LabOneZZ
  • 25
    I just listened, and I didn't criticize how she handled it. I had expected her to be gentle, but she wasn't. My neighbor still wants to be friends with me despite all of this. I don't know whether or not we can stay friends in the long term. Maybe when her son moves out, things will be less awkward.
    via u/LabOneZZ

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teens neighbors neighborhood drama date neighborhood mother teenagers asking out friends neighborhood-drama neighborhood-stories parenting mom son parents
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