Having a baby is a blessing for many people. Some couples spend years trying to have children and when they finally do, they feel as though it is an incredible gift. However, sometimes, other people are impacted by a couple's decision to have kids.
Having a baby is a blessing for many people. Some couples spend years trying to have children and when they finally do, they feel as though it is an incredible gift. However, sometimes, other people are impacted by a couple's decision to have kids.
Whether or not you have kids, all adults know that new babies love to cry. And, to be honest, those cries can be loud! All new parents know the deal — newborn babies are a lot of work.
When you have a newborn but live close by to neighbors — like in a building or a small neighborhood — your newborn's cries can disturb others without you even realizing it.
The Reddit user wrote into the popular, "Am I The Asshole?" subreddit asking if he was wrong for, "... wanting to ask my neighbors with a baby to keep it inside," when it cries.
"Basically my neighbors across and left one house had a baby. They have this annoying habit of taking it when it's crying outside where it cries for an hour or more," the Reddit user wrote.
"I sent them an anonymous letter asking them to please keep it inside and not annoy everyone in a 3-house radius. I'll just type in here what I wrote," he continued.
"Hi, congrats on your kid! I wanted to ask of you could please keep the crying baby inside. We hear it cry from quite far away. Thanks for considering it, neighbor," the letter said.
"Yesterday evening they were knocking on all their nearby neighbor's doors and asking them if they [sent] the letter and they were pretty irate about the whole thing," he continued.
"One of their other neighbors was yelling back at them and saying they would have sent a longer [sic] letter about how annoying their baby was," the Reddit user said.
The Reddit user's wife said that he "took it too far" by sending the letter. So, he asked the online community for some words of wisdom.
As it turns out, Reddit said that this guy is "not the asshole."
"We all know babies cry. Being outside with the baby isn’t helping obviously. It isn’t your fault they decided to have a baby," one person said.
"You were simply letting your neighbors know your concerns in a very curt and polite way. I don't think you should just have to bear it without being able to voice your concerns.
They don't have to agree with what you say or act in any way, you're not forcing them to do anything. How else would they have preferred for you to let them know?" another person said in the comments.
"Sounds like a good time to mow your lawn. And edge. And run the leaf blower. And rent a wet saw for new tile work you're doing. Maybe you need a tree cut down," one person said.
"My neighbors had to listen to my colicky baby and we had to listen to the neighbors scream at each other every night, my baby eventually quit screaming and they didn’t. I’ll take a colicky baby over that neighbor’s bulls***, every time," one Reddit user said.
"It’s one thing if they take the baby outside and are able to soothe it within a few minutes or take a walk around the neighborhood during that hour.
Sure, going on a walk means more people overall hear the crying, but at least it’s only for a few minutes while the parents and baby pass your house.
Bringing it outside and keeping it in the same spot for 1+ hours clearly is not working, so there’s no point in even taking it outside during a crying spell in the first place. I’d be pissed too if my neighbor kept bringing their crying baby outside to scream for 1+ hours when it’s literally pointless to do so," one Reddit user added.
Do you agree with this or was sending a letter to the family going too far?