Helping neighbor kids onto morning bus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does a third grader need any help getting on a bus?

This.

They didn’t. The subject line is a straw man for OP not wanting to be part of a village. The kid was going on their own. Mom was just asking if they made it. That’s different than “helping”

[Anonymous]

I would just take longer and longer to reply. An hour for a couple days then just reply at lunch time for a few days and then stop doing that. Any reasonable person knows why you don’t want an unpaid job replying to a random neighbor’s anxious text messages every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does a third grader need any help getting on a bus?

This.

They didn’t. The subject line is a straw man for OP not wanting to be part of a village. The kid was going on their own. Mom was just asking if they made it. That’s different than “helping”

Are you the idiot who keeps banging on about villages when women don’t want to be manipulated into some form of ongoing responsibility for some other mom’s kids? You’re a lazy toilet bowl stain. Stop shirking what you signed up for. Do better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just glad I live in a normal neighborhood after reading this depressing thread. We all look out for each others kids in a very , very chill way. I’d never assume I was taking responsibility for babysitting someone’s kid if they asked me if they got in the bus ok and I said “yup!” or “oh shoot I left before the bus came, sorry!”

Once a car tried to glide through the crosswalk when my kid was crossing and I watched my neighbor bang on their window and yell at them , on my behalf, as I was a block away. I didn’t even know her outside of saying hi in the mornings. I’d have done the same for her kid. I also picked up some random kids water bottle that he dropped in the crosswalk the other day and told him to keep going to make the light and I’d give it to him on the other side. And I did. I think he lives 2 blocks over? Don’t know his name. But this doesn’t mean I am responsible for him it just means I’m a normal human living in a community

If you're neighborhood is so idyllic perhaps you can stay away from DCUM and just feel superior from afar? Aren't you so busy helping each other out? How on earth do you have time to post and gloat?

Gloat? The OP is literally living in this kind of neighborhood and is asking for advice on how to extricate herself being a normal member of it.

There’s nothing normal about you. Shrinks plural and meds, stat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just glad I live in a normal neighborhood after reading this depressing thread. We all look out for each others kids in a very , very chill way. I’d never assume I was taking responsibility for babysitting someone’s kid if they asked me if they got in the bus ok and I said “yup!” or “oh shoot I left before the bus came, sorry!”

Once a car tried to glide through the crosswalk when my kid was crossing and I watched my neighbor bang on their window and yell at them , on my behalf, as I was a block away. I didn’t even know her outside of saying hi in the mornings. I’d have done the same for her kid. I also picked up some random kids water bottle that he dropped in the crosswalk the other day and told him to keep going to make the light and I’d give it to him on the other side. And I did. I think he lives 2 blocks over? Don’t know his name. But this doesn’t mean I am responsible for him it just means I’m a normal human living in a community

Those are one off things. Imposing a daily check in during the most hectic time of the day is not something a normal neighbor would do. Other parents are letting their kids walk to the bus stop alone. Are they all pestering a random neighbor every day too? No.

I wouldn’t even text my husband or nanny the same question every day because that’s obnoxious.

This.
But that woman isn’t normal nor chill. She is angry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op was just turned into an unpaid morning babysitter.

Same problem in my neighborhood. Parents taking advantage of the kindness of one full time WFH (single) parent whom is now an unpaid aftercare babysitter. This does not a village make.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op was just turned into an unpaid morning babysitter.

Same problem in my neighborhood. Parents taking advantage of the kindness of one full time WFH (single) parent whom is now an unpaid aftercare babysitter. This does not a village make.

But the parents taking advantage will say how they love their "village". I see it often. Some of the PPs posting how it doesn't matter if a parent can't reciprocate or contribute, but other parents should still continue to support them are insane. Every time I help, it quickly turns into being taken advantage of. OP is being taken advantage of. The neighbor is not contributing - just expecting people to give to her. It's more common than you think and the older I get, the more I see of it. In my experience, the common denominator for someone who will take advantage of and use you is someone who talks about how much they "love their village".

[Anonymous]

Don't respond. She's trying to put *her* responsibly onto you without your permission. F that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is one of those threads where I really wish the OP would post a follow-up at some point, but it never happens. OP got a lot of good advice, and if she's not a troll I hope she starts a new thread in a week or two to tell us which advice she took and how it worked out.

Yup! Radio silence!

OP WHAT DID YOU DECIDE TO DO?

[Anonymous]

I’d stop responding. If she gets under your skin for not responding just tell her if she is that concerned she should walk her kids to the bus.