Homeowner Reprimands Teen For Repeatedly Ignoring "No Trespassing" Signs, Faces Wrath Of Kid's Angry Parents

"Teachers deal with this all the time...parents don't like their babies to get hurt fee fees."

Chelsi

• Published in Interesting
• June 20, 2024

A 45-year-old homeowner had a tense conversation with his neighbors after he and his wife reprimanded their teen son. OP, his wife, and their dogs were on their way home after a walk when they saw the teenager trespassing on their property.

There was an ongoing construction behind OP's house. The town dug a temporary dirt accessway to be used by the landscapers and construction vehicles.

As it abutted OP's property, they installed two large "Private Property No Trespassing" signs to prevent their neighbors from cutting through their lawn to get on the jogging path quicker. OP has seen his neighbor's kid trespass a few times, so he decided the most recent incident would be the last time.

His wife also saw the kid and called him from a house away. His wife told the kid he knew he wasn't supposed to walk on the dirt path and asked why he did it.

The kid said he didn't know. OP pointed to the signs, and the kid confirmed that he saw the two large signs.

OP asked the kid if he could read, to which he said yes. OP then told the kid he should have known not to trespass on their yard as it was not a public space.

OP and his wife said goodbye to the boy, who continued jogging. His mom apparently saw the whole exchange and asked OP's wife about it.

OP left his wife to explain the situation to the boy's mom because the dogs needed to go home.

The mom supported her son's statement and said she also didn't know the dirt path wasn't public property. She even said they, her family, use it all the time.

An hour later, OP got a message from the kid's father asking him to call. The dad accused OP of being a d*ck to his son.

He said OP and his wife should have called him instead of confronting his son because he would have handled it. They were stuck in a circular argument where neither accepted blame.

The dad said OP's treatment of his son said a lot about his character. It made OP think if he was too harsh and sarcastic with his response to the teenager.

OP described the placement of the dirt path on his property.

Since it was on his property, he could get sued if anyone got hurt on the dirt path. His neighbors could also get used to trespassing on his yard even when the construction is done.

Their kid didn't even seem scared. He was rightfully chastised for trespassing on someone else's property. OP and his wife had a productive conversation with him despite his parents' reactions.

The parents were just embarassed. They thought the reprimand was an attack on their parenting.

He was old enough to read and understand the sign. OP and his wife pointed that out. It was a good lesson for the kid to learn because not everyone reacts so gently to trespassers.

The parents' defensiveness could also have been because their son's actions reflected on them because they, too, ignored the signs and trespassed on the property.

What OP said was sarcastic, but it wasn't that harsh. The kid learned not to trespass on their property and merrily continued his jog despite the hiccup.

His mom should have apologized to OP and his wife for trespassing in their yard instead of doubling down on their misbehavior. Redditors voted that OP was not the a**hole despite the dad's accusation.

Chelsi