AITA for spraying the neighborhood kids with my garden hose?

A Redditor shared their frustration after repeatedly catching neighborhood kids stealing strawberries from their garden and even damaging plants. After trying to handle the situation calmly.

They resorted to spraying the kids with a garden hose. Now, angry parents are threatening to sue over damaged property, and the Redditor is questioning if they went too far. Read the original story below to see how the situation escalated:

‘ AITA for spraying the neighborhood kids with my garden hose?’

I love strawberries. I love them so much that I planted 300 strawberry plants in my garden. After I harvest, I make lots of strawberry jelly to give to my family, friends, and neighbors. I donate the leftovers to my local food bank. Lately I’ve had a big problem with all the neighborhood kids coming in my yard and stealing my strawberries.

The last time I caught them I threatened them with the police because they was so reckless they smashed over 50 of my plants. I caught them in my yard again this afternoon, instead of calling the police I grabbed my garden hose and sprayed them while chasing them out of my yard.

I just had a group of angry parents come to my house complaining about my actions. Absolutely none of them was willing to apologize for their children’s actions. One parent in particular is threatening to sue me, because her son’s iPhone 10 was ruined with water.

I told her that was her problem for letting her eight-year-old son have a $1,000 phone. Then I threatened to spray them with my hose if they didn’t get off of my property.

These are the responses from Reddit users:

asymmetrical_sally −  NTA, but you should probably get some security cameras, those kids are definitely going to start f**king with you and your plants deliberately. Best to buy a cage with a lock if you can to put over your plants.

tastywiings −  NTA. Your strawberries, not theirs.. ​. Also. I told her that was her problem for letting her eight-year-old son have a $1,000 phone. Then I threatened to spray them with my hose if they didn’t get off of my property.. OP you are one bad b**ch. Slay!

Alex-Murphy −  NTA but I’d argue that you should talk to a lawyer just to be safe, that parent may end up going through with those threats. Many lawyers have free consultations. There have been instances where spraying someone with water has been considered a**ault,

although those instances were not on their own property. Regarding the phone, iPhone 10’s are waterproof, that parent is full of s**t. Also put up a chickenwire fence, it’ll solve the problem immediately and very cheaply.

StonerTigerMom −  NTA – it’s *such* a bummer your hose got away from you like that. It’s a shame that their waterproof phone was ruined by a slight mishap. I’d give them all the number to the Apple warranty line and recommend a better phone.

HappyHikerMa −  NTA. I’m a parent and I would volunteer you to spray my son with a hose if I caught him stealing. Get some WYZE cameras, record those PITAs in the act, and prosecute them.

sloth_sloth666 −  NTA – you were simply watering your strawberries when hooligans ran under the water 😉 After trespassing no less. Get some cameras and cops involved next time

Archchancellor −  NTA, \*\*\*but\*\*\*. It’s 2019, and society is weirdly litigious. It’s always safer to refrain from directly intervening, because parents might decide to sue for a**ault (yeah, really), or try to take you to small claims court for the cost of the ruined phone.

It sucks, because if the children were trespassing, there’s no way it you could really be held liable, but it’s more of a headache than you need. Nevertheless, the deed is done, and I wouldn’t let it weigh on your conscience too much.

I \*would\* contact the police and let them know about the trespassing and vandalism (because that’s what they did). If you have what you believe to be a legal beef, it’s best to get a paper trail started as early as humanly possible.

qcpat −  NTA. Send them a bill for your plant + time if you can’t enjoy them. You are their private gardener for free at the moment …

[Reddit User] −  NTA. You should absolutely call the cops though. That’s trespassing and theft and their parents are responsible. You’re now the grumpy grandpa of the neighborhood though.

Exvareon −  NTA. It was a classic get of my lawn moment, and you did what had to be done. The parents dont seem like people who would care unless there are consequences, so I doubt they would do anything if you didnt spray their kids with water.

Do you think the Redditor’s reaction was justified given the repeated theft and damage to their garden, or was spraying the kids too extreme? How would you handle a situation where your property is being repeatedly disrespected? Share your thoughts below!