She Sent Her Kid to Mow My Lawn Without Asking — Then Demanded $50. Big Mistake.
When I pulled into the driveway of my new home, the last thing I expected to see was a teenager mowing my lawn like he owned the place. He introduced himself as Tyler and casually mentioned that his mom sent him—to do the job and collect $50.
I blinked. “I didn’t ask for that,” I told him politely. He looked embarrassed, apologized, and trudged away with his mower.
The next morning, there was a knock at my door. Enter Julie—Tyler’s mom, radiating fury and entitlement. She demanded I pay her son for his “hard work.” I calmly explained that consent matters, especially when it comes to private property. That didn’t go over well.
“You’ll regret this,” she hissed before storming off. A threat over lawn care? Interesting.
So that weekend, I decided to return the favor. While Julie was out, I gathered every tacky lawn ornament she had—flamingos, gnomes, spinning sunflowers—and packed them neatly into boxes. When she returned and saw her front yard spotless, she blew up.
“What did you DO?!”
“I was just being helpful,” I said, cool as ever. “You know—neighborly.”
Tyler happened to arrive just in time. I handed him the $50 with a smile—and a lesson: Always ask first.
A few days later, a tray of cookies and a passive-aggressive note appeared on my porch:
“Tyler made them. Not me.”
Not quite an apology, but hey—progress.
My first real lesson as a homeowner? Boundaries are everything. Stand your ground. Do it with grace—and maybe, just maybe, leave room for cookies.
