‘AITA for not paying neighborhood boy who cut my lawn even though I didn’t ask him to?’

Certain things in life are not in our control, and selecting our neighbors is one of those. Having a helpful neighbor is nothing short of a blessing whereas having a selfish one can make life miserable living with them.

Recently, a man on Reddit's popular "Am I the A**hole" forum shared an incident where he refused to pay a neighborhood boy for cutting his lawn when he didn't ask him to.

Man refuses to pay neighborhood boy for cutting his lawn

The 29-year-old man wrote in the AITA forum that he recently bought his first house and added that he was settling in and liked the neighborhood. A few neighbors even came by to say hello. It included a 43-year-old woman and her 13-year-old son.

He continued that one afternoon, he was on his couch when he saw the neighbor's son outside, mowing his front lawn. "I was confused since I'd never asked him to and he'd never offered. I went out and politely asked him why he was doing it - he said he did it for lots of neighbors, and quickly added they give him $5 for it," the man wrote.

He added, "I found it really weird, so thanked him for the partial work he'd done, before explaining that since I hadn't asked or wanted him to do it, I wasn't going to be paying him. He said OK, and quietly left my lawn."

The man went on to mention that the next day, the boy's mother arrived on his doorstep and angrily asked me why he hadn't paid her son.

He repeated what he had said to her son, but she wouldn't accept it. She just kept saying that it was a kind gesture on her son's part and that he does it for all the other neighbors.

The man wrote, "She also said $5 isn't a lot of money and I could have just gave it to him. I kept trying to explain that an agreement like that needs to be set up ahead of time otherwise it's nothing more than a random demand for money, but she basically tuned me out and ended up walking away as I was talking. I was amazed the adult in the situation was handling it worse than the literal child was. I'm wondering how much longer this will go on for."

He added that since the incident, every time he saw her, she stared daggers at him or made a show of crossing the street to avoid him.

The OP continued, "I'm not instigating anything further - I really have no desire to speak to her - but I'm thinking she might try to send her poor kid back to collect the money, or even mow the lawn again."

He concluded the post saying, "I've vented about this to family and friends, and while most seemed to agree with me, some said I should have been grateful and paid the boy, and just told them from then on not to mow the lawn. I can't tell if I've been an a** here, or if my reaction to the whole thing was entirely justified."

Internet sides with OP for not paying the neighborhood boy

Several Reddit users sided with the OP who refused to pay a neighborhood boy for cutting his lawn when he didn't ask him to.

A user commented on the post, "Definitely NTA. This is odd. Like, why is she encouraging her son to trespass??"

Another person wrote, "Asking for money for services that weren’t requested, after the fact, is not a kind gesture. It’s a trap. NTA."

A user wrote, "NTA. There needs to be communication before the kid does this sort of thing. And you stopped him once you noticed what was happening. You didn't wait for him to finish and then question him. You weren't trying to get free work. What do the neighbors say/think? Maybe try to talk with them and get their input; they've been there longer. They all may be fed up with that family, also.NTA. There needs to be communication before the kid does this sort of thing. And you stopped him once you noticed what was happening. You didn't wait for him to finish and then question him. You weren't trying to get free work. What do the neighbors say/think? Maybe try to talk with them and get their input; they've been there longer. They all may be fed up with that family, also."

Another person added, "NTA - but honestly I'd have been ecstatic at someone mowing my lawn for $5."

A user also commented, "NTA. I would be OVERTLY friendly to her. Yell Good Morning! or Good Afternoon! when you see her. Kill her with kindness. While $5 is not a lot of money, extorting it is not acceptable."

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