A father recently became irritated with a young boy who trampled his lawn on his way home. Because of this, he started spraying the boy with a garden hose in an attempt to get him to stop. The man has taken to a social media forum to see if he is in the wrong in this situation after his wife told him he should stop.
Young Boy Comes By After Soccer Practice
After soccer practice, the young boy began to walk by the original poster’s (OP’s) house. Whenever he did, he would walk through the lawn in his soccer cleats or even with his bike. In the process, the lawn would get ripped up and ruined, irritating OP.
OP Takes Initiative
When this first started happening, OP tried to ignore it, but it kept getting worse. He began to stare the boy down with stern looks. This had no effect. OP escalated to asking the boy to go around and stop.
The Situation Escalates
After OP asked the kid to go around, the kid started to make a point of being even worse to the lawn. He makes direct eye contact with OP while digging his cleats further into the dirt and stomping around to further aggravate OP.
The Hosing Begins
Fed up, OP grabs his garden hose and sprays the boy down. The kid runs off, trying to avoid getting wet. This continued for a while, and OP thought it had maybe worked. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The kid has started just standing there and staring at OP while being hosed down, almost like he enjoys it.
Enjoyable Conversations Abound
Since the kid began standing in the water, the dynamic has shifted between OP and the kid. Now, OP has started sitting in his lawn chair waiting for the kid after his practice and hosing him down. The kid stands there and takes it while striking up a conversation. OP says they talk about 15 to 20 minutes every day now and he enjoys these interactions. Plus, the kid does too, even liking being hosed down after a long practice.
The Dynamic Changes
The OP also mentions that the kid has stopped tracking his bike through the lawn, instead opting to park it on the sidewalk near it. He says it could be to avoid the bike getting wet, but OP sees it as a form of truce or understanding. OP also notices that the kid does not purposely try to tear up his lawn anymore and simply stands there to have a conversation. Things have changed completely in their dynamic.
Wife Has Opinions On the Matter
After talking to his wife about it, she scolds him. She says he should stop, at first because she thought it was wrong. After OP explained it to her, she still did not understand why he would do that and told him to stop because it made both of them look childish and rude. OP is now wondering if he really should stop and if he is in the wrong in this situation.
Everyone Agrees
Almost everyone in the comments on the social media platform agreed. They all say he should not feel bad and keep doing what he is doing. If they are both enjoying the conversation and everything is fine, then why not? They both get a kick out of the situation and aren’t harming anyone by doing this.
Some People Have Other Ideas
While most people did not think OP was in the wrong here, they also had some suggestions of other avenues he could take if he wanted to avoid upsetting his wife. Instead of continuing to spray him with the hose, he could stop and have those conversations without it. Some even suggested he invite the kid over to sit with him and talk.
Others Are Concerned
Many of the commenters read into the story and have some concerns about what is going on. To begin with, these people think that the boy’s behavior to begin with shows that he is seeking attention. Then the need for conversation and avoiding going home to chat with a stranger while being sprayed with a water hose is also suspicious. People speculate that maybe his home life is not the best and he is looking for an escape or comfort in an adult besides his parents.
The Lawn Issue Is Still There
A few commenters pointed out that what OP is doing still doesn’t solve his lawn problems. The kid is still tearing up his lawn every time he walks across it. Even more so maybe if he is standing or hanging around there for that long. To add to the problem, OP is now soaking the ground with excess amounts of water. It creates more mud which makes the lawn easier to mess up, but also adds way too much moisture and will kill the grass from overwatering.
Overall
The overall consensus by users of this social media platform and commenters on the post is that no one is at fault here. The boy wants attention and is having a good conversation. OP finds the situation amusing and is getting a laugh out of it. The wife is concerned. The only real issue people take with this situation is that OP never really did solve that lawn problem and is probably adding to it.
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