Redditor Reserves Parking Spot For Babysitter, Leaves Neighbor Consistently Stranded In Their Own Neighborhood

You snooze, you lose!

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• September 21, 2023

Parking spots may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but they hold immense importance in the daily routines of many people. Over time, these spots, especially street parking areas, have become a hot topic among neighbors, with occasional disputes arising.

For our narrator (OP), this has become an everyday affair, as they and their husband consistently face backlash for reserving a street parking area for their staff. Join us on this journey as we unearth the root cause of this neighborhood drama.

OP shared with the AITA subreddit that for the past 3 years, they've enjoyed the professional services of their babysitter. Not only has she been great with the kids, but she had a habit of being punctual to work, especially since she lives in the same building as the couple.

Recently, the couple moved out of the apartment but still maintained the services of their trusted babysitter. However, since their move, the once punctual babysitter started to arrive late to their new house every week.

From the conversations they had with the girl, it was clear that most of her time was spent trying to find a parking spot within their neighborhood. And in most cases, she was left with no option but to park 7 to 8 blocks away from the couple's house.

In addition, OP's husband had to consistently walk the babysitter to her car after she closed from work late in the night. After much deliberation, OP decided to take up the street parking in from of their house, which automatically opened up their driveway spot for the babysitter to park.

Unfortunately, this left one of the couple's neighbors, who usually parked in front of their house, stranded. He couldn't understand why the couple needed to take up the street parking area when they had a driveway spot available.

Ever since there has been tension between both families. While the neighbor wants the couple to stop this "selfish" act, OP believes that street parking should be on a "first come, first served" basis.

Let’s dig into details

The story in detail

OP's babysitter has been finding it difficult to locate a close parking spot in their neigborhood

OP’s neighbor is upset that they’re saving a parking spot for their babysitter at his expense

Here’s how the Reddit community reacted to the story:

“The neighbor doesn't own the space anymore than you do.“

“The street is public parking and first come first serve. Don’t feel bad.“

“NTA, street parking is street parking.“

“Street parking is a public resource. You, as part of the public, can use it.“

“NTA. Street parking is first come, first serve and what you're doing is perfectly acceptable.”

“NTA. No one owns the street parking. You can park there if you like.”

“NTA - Street parking is first-come-first-served, period.”

“Your neighbor is not entitled to the spot in front of your house.“

“You're putting your car on the street and reserving your driveway for the sitter. Seems OK to me.“

“Call ahead when you know your babysitter is coming, let your neighbor know that he will need to plan accordingly.“

The commenters ruled in favor of OP. Many people agree with their belief that street parking is something that should be reserved for the first person present. They also praised OP for caring about their babysitter’s safety.

However, no praise was reserved for OP’s neighbor, whom many believe deserves the AH title. Why? As a resident, he definitely has a parking spot in his driveway. 

Whose side are you on? Let us know in the comments below!

Jesse