Karen and her daughter Emily live in a duplex complex where their neighbor repeatedly uses Karen’s driveway to turn around. It leads to a conflict that leaves Karen wondering if she was being petty but ultimately results in a conversation and resolution with her neighbor.
Coming and Going
Karen (51F) and her daughter, Emily (26), live together in a sprawling complex of duplexes. They all have their own driveways. However, the neighbors across the street either moved someone in with them, or she just visited a lot. Instead of parking in their driveway, she parks on the street. Every time she leaves, she uses Karen’s driveway to turn around. She comes and goes A LOT.
Every Night
Karen and Emily have all used random driveways to turn around, but this lady pulls way up almost to the house. It’s especially annoying at night because her headlights splash across the living room windows. This past Wednesday, she pulls way in, then sits there fiddling with her phone. After a couple of minutes, Karen goes out and asks if she can help her.
She’ll Do What She Wants
She did have an attitude because who does that? The lady says no, she’s good. So Karen (still with an attitude) told her that she had her own driveway to chill in and to stop using her driveway to chill in and turn around. The lady is annoyed, too, and basically tells Karen she’ll do what she wants and leaves. Karen was salty, but the lady stopped. Until yesterday (Saturday). Karen’s annoyance kicked back in, but she just grumbled to Emily, who thinks Karen’s being petty.
Knock It Off
Later on that same Saturday, Karen is coming down the street from the grocery store. She sees the lady getting into her car that is parked on the street. Karen backed into the driveway and stopped just past the sidewalk, so she was not blocking walkers and pretended to be on her phone. The lady STILL tried to use the little bit of Karen’s driveway to turn around, couldn’t, and just ended up going straight. So Karen sent an email to the LL explaining the issue and wondering if they could get the lady to knock it off. It’s just rude, especially when Karen asked/told her to stop.
Was She the Petty Jerk?
Karen was left wondering if she was the jerk for being so petty. She decided to post online to get some opinions on the matter. Some agreed with Karen, saying that it was rude of the lady to continue using her driveway after being asked to stop. Others felt that Karen should have been more understanding and let the lady use her driveway to turn around.
Opinions
One user said, “You’re not the jerk for being annoyed, but you could have been more understanding and let the lady use your driveway to turn around. It’s not worth getting into a conflict over something so small.”
Another member said, “The lady was in the wrong for continuing to use your driveway after being asked to stop. You’re not the jerk for being petty and trying to prevent her from doing it again.”
She Thought it Was Rude
In the end, Karen realized that she could have been more understanding and let the lady use her driveway to turn around. However, she also felt that it was rude of the lady to continue using her driveway after being asked to stop. She decided to reach out to the lady, apologize for her behavior, and ask if they could come up with a solution that worked for both of them.
She Stopped Using Her Driveway
To Karen’s surprise, the lady responded to her message, thanking her for reaching out and apologizing for any inconvenience she may have caused. She explained that she had been having a tough time lately and that she didn’t mean to cause any problems. She also agreed to stop using Karen’s driveway and to park in her own driveway instead.
A Good Conversation
Karen and the lady ended up having a conversation about the situation, and they both realized that they had been in the wrong in some way. They agreed that it was important to be considerate of others, even in frustrating situations, and that communication was key to resolving conflicts.
Good Communication
In the end, Karen learned that it was important to be understanding and to communicate effectively to resolve conflicts. She was glad that she had reached out to the lady and that they had been able to find a solution that worked for both of them.
The Internet Responded
This commenter wrote, “Petty or not, it’s your driveway. Once she told you she could do ‘whatever she wants’ while chilling in your driveway, all worries of whether or not you’d be the jerk should have gone away because she became the major jerk in that moment.”
More Internet Comments
Another person commented, “Post a message on the online forum for your local university engineering dept saying you’re looking for someone to put together a Raspberry Pi (a small $35 computer) with a GPIO motor to a motion sensor and a bucket of sludge. When you come home, turn it on. If anyone pulls into your driveway, the motion sensor is triggered, and a spray of sludge is sprayed on the car. Or you could park your car at the end of the driveway. But I really think you should go for the sludge.”
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