37-year-old Mom pushes back against being an "unpaid lifeguard and babysitter" for neighborhood kid, parents blast her on Facebook

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Apr 3, 2026 3:00 PM EDT

This Mom is totally frustrated by her neighbors, who seem to be taking advantage of her niceness. 

If you grew up with a pool, you already know how wonderful it can be. On a hot summer day, diving into a chilly pool is the best feeling. When you're a kid, full of energy and having nothing to do all summer long, there's nothing better than spending like 8 hours a day in the pool, making up games with your friends. You dive for rings underwater, play volleyball or catch, and you see who can hold their breath for the longest and who can swim the fastest. There's no limit to the amount of fun you'll have in a pool, whether it's just you and your siblings, or whether your friends are there to join your activities. 

But that does raise a few questions. When you're little, even if you're an excellent swimmer, someone definitely needs to keep an eye on you. As a parent, you're supposed to stay by the pool for basically the entire time the kiddos are swimming. 

So what do you do when your kid begs to have their friends over? Do you provide popsicles and watch them splash around for hours? And if so… do you let them do this every day, or do they sometimes have to take a turn going to their friends' houses? 

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  • A lot of parents do seem to get super stressed out about their children's friends, and that does make sense. After all, if they're spending a lot of their time with the same kids, you want them to be a good influence. 

    This Mom has been seeing a lot of the 7-year-old boy next door, who hangs out with her son and daughter constantly. And it's because of the pool, of course! If you have to choose between swimming in the pool on a hot day or doing literally anything else, you can guess which activity is getting chosen. 

    In the story she told below, this Mom questioned whether or not the 7-year-old's parents were taking advantage of her niceness. They seem happy to let their kid spend all day in someone else's care. 

    And now the situation has escalated even more!

  • Teens relax on a yellow pool floatie.
    via Kateryna Hliznitsova

    Teens relax on a yellow pool floatie. 

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

  • Im (37F) honestly still shaking a bit while writing this because i hate confrontation, but i feel like im being treated like a villain in my own neighborhood.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • My husband and i bought our house about 2years ago. One of the main reasons we chose it was the backyard and the pool.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • We have two kids (a son and a daughter), and they practically live in that water during the summer.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • A few months ago, a new couple moved in next door with their 7year old boy.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • At first, things were fine. We did the whole "welcome to the neighborhood" thing, and our kids played together a few times.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • The problem started about 3weeks ago. The parents started sending their son over to play, but neither of them would come with him.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • They'd just watch him walk across the lawn from their porch and then go back inside.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • Little girl in red bathing suit, red sunglasses, and straw hat laughs with happiness while she floats in yellow pool floatie.
    via Getty Images

    Little girl in red bathing suit, red sunglasses, and straw hat laughs with happiness while she floats in yellow pool floatie.

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

  • Basically, i became an unpaid lifeguard and babysitter for a kid that is not mine. The breaking point happened last saturday.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • I told the mom earlier that morning that we were busy and could not have company.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • Around 2pm, i looked out my kitchen window and saw her son inside my gated pool area.
    via Educational-Wait-406

  • This is bad news

    He had climbed over the fence. I ran out there and got him out safely, then walked him back home.
    via Educational-Wait-406

  • The parents are way too casual about this! Their son's safety is at risk here.

    Both parents were in their garage hanging out. When i told them what happened, they did not even look scared.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • The dad just laughed and said, Oh, he's such a little fish! He just loves your pool so much, we did not have the heart to tell him no.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • Then the mom chimed in with, It takes a village, right? I told them right then that he is not allowed in my pool area without me being there and one of them being there to watch him too.
    via Educational-Wait-406

    Maybe this Mom should offer that the son can swim but only when he is supervised by one or both of his parents. And if not, well, that's too bad. He'll just have to find another game to play with his friends that doesn't involve water. 

  • I told them its a huge safety risk and im not comfortable with the liability. They both got really offended and called me heartless.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • They said that since im already out there with my kids, it should not matter if one more joins in.
    via Educational-Wait-406

  • This would be my final straw, personally

    The mom even posted on our local facebook group (without naming me, but everyone knows) about wealthy neighbors who think they own the water and how some people have no sense of community.
    via Educational-Wait-406

    I would print it out, give it to her, and ban the son for life, because that is just so impolite. No more free babysitting ever again. So much for that "it takes a village" mentality, huh? 

  • Now, they are not speaking to me, and some of the other neighbors are giving me weird looks
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • I feel like im just trying to keep a kid from drowning and protect myself from a lawsuit, but people are making me feel like im being a mean girl because i wont let a 7year old swim whenever he wants.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • Am I the j here? TL;DR: My married neighbors keep letting their 7year old son sneak into my pool without asking.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • When I told them he's banned for safety and liability reasons, they called me heartless and complained to the neighborhood.
    via Educational-Wait-406
  • Backyard swimming pool surrounded by pool chairs and grassy lawn.
    via Nick Wright

    Backyard swimming pool surrounded by pool chairs and grassy lawn.

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

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neighbors swimming pool parents children
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