Busybody Neighbor Calls CPS on Kids Playing in the Rain

(Via Giphy)

Ah, childhood. It’s full of idyllic memories like roasting marshmallows, catching fireflies, and playing in the rain. Unless you live next to this awful neighbor who actually called CPS because she saw two kids playing football in the rain.

According to SheKnows, an irate father wrote on Reddit that his 7- and 5-year-old children were playing with a football outdoors in a light summer rain. It sounds pretty idyllic. There was no thunder or lighting, it was just a light rain, and the kids were playing in their fenced-in yard on a quiet cul-de-sac. The kids could have gone inside whenever they wanted to, but they wanted to play in the mud because they are kids and that is awesome. But then a neighbor lady came and told them they had to go inside because it was raining.

It’s rain. It’s nature’s sprinkler. There’s nothing wrong with playing in the rain. What does this neighbor want, for the kids to stay inside all day watching cartoons?

raining

The parents told the lady that it was fine with them if their kids played outside, and the woman had the audacity to yell at them that “CPS had been called for less.” Then she actually called CPS and reported the family for child neglect.

According to the father, the neighbor lady actually told CPS that the family had locked their children outdoors in the rain, which is a totally different thing than allowing one’s kids to play in a summer shower. She also told CPS that the couple’s 18-month-old was locked out as well.

Fortunately for the family, the social worker appears to have believed them when they said that it was just the two older kids, and that they absolutely were not locked out. The social worker said that was fine and not abusive, because that’s obviously the case.

Afterwards, however, the puffed-up neighbor came over and asked the kids’ mother if she’d learned her lesson. Somehow, the mother managed to keep her cool and not call the woman a horrible string of expletives. She calmly said that they had different parenting styles and would just have to agree to disagree because CPS did not think it was abusive to let kids play in the rain. I’m impressed by her calmness. I don’t think I would have been able to have been nearly so polite in the face of having a false and frivolous CPS report filed against me. This neighbor is awful, and I hope everyone learns to avoid her as quickly as possible.

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