I have a new issue with my neighbor. It's borrowing stuff. Now it's not so much that I mind the act of borrowing itself, it's the frequency and even more, it's the way in which it's requested. Today it was a phone call,"blah blah blah...I need to borrow your iron...." I replied, "What makes you think I have an iron?" She ignored me and went on and on about why she needed my iron. There was no please. There was no,"would it be ok's" . Just what she needed. Last week it was her coming across the yard with a measuring cup because she had no milk for her coffee. The week before that it was a cup of oil to fry something in. Never a please. I know I'm probably splitting hairs here but it annoys me that she just assumes I have it and that I will in turn give it to her. That's the feeling I get when there is no "Please" involved. Does that make any sense? She did thank me today but I still feel cranky about how it started.
I've borrowed stuff from her too. Most recently a tool and it took me a while to return it. I told them several times that I was sorry I still hadn't returned it and thanked them profusely when I did. I cleaned it up shinier than it was when I got it. That's the way my daddy taught me.
I probably sound like the manner police, but that's a peeve of mine. Am I alone?
I'm sorry if this post makes no sense. You have no idea how much my son has been talking lately. There has been a CONSTANT dialogue for days. The only time it stops is when he sleeps! AAAA! I had to stop typing every little bit to answer him or hear his "story".
7 comments:
I think I'd put on my knee pads, crawl around for a few days, not answering the door.
Is this the same neighbour who lets you down about arrangements? She probably isn't malicious, but has absolutely zero social skills and doesn't think.
I've had a day too, causing me to wonder if any adoption agencies wanted an extremely noisy baby! Mine was screaming for an unknown reason and driving me stark raving bonkers, then I noticed tonight she had 2 more teeth I hadn't spotted coming through, oops!
You are so not alone on this. I cannot stand people who just presume that I will do what they want me to just because they want me to do it. "Please" and "thank you" are not cuss words but you would think some people believe they are.
Oh yeah, I'm also one of those people where it looks better when I return it than it did when I borrowed it. Habit I guess:)
You're totally not alone. I hate people who just assume I'll help or do or lend, without saying please or thank you or anything remotely close to those.
The borrowing crap is one of the main reasons I have a "wave only" relationship with all of my neighbors. I'm sure they're nice people, but I have no need to get to know them more than a smile and a wave.
Years ago we had a neighbor like that, but her word "borrow" meant can I have.....She never returned anything she "borrowed". Her kids would come across the street for scotch tape, scissiors, blank paper, even a hair bow on picture taking day. I didn't mind so much in the beginning, but it became so frequent that i finally said NO. BTW: I did have to go retrieve my scissiors. Please and Thank-you are important in the borrowing and returning process. Good luck with this neighbor.
I don't think you're being weird. I say the next time she asks with no please you say you don't have "it", whatever it is she wants...
Does this sound like your son? "Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom...." hee hee...
Oh and my mom always taught me to never return a dish empty...so, if you get a plate of cookies, you return the plate with something else in it! Always a nice gesture. My neighbors seem to like it :O)
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