After a week of sun and relaxation, Catherine returned home to find that her new neighbor, Jeffrey, had built an enormous fence right on her property. As a single mom, she knew she couldn’t just let this go. But what could she do to teach him a lesson he’d never forget?

Life as a single mom has its challenges, but I’ve made it work. I’m Catherine, 40 years old, and I’ve been raising my two boys—Liam (10) and Chris (8)—on my own for the past year.

Their father and I split up when I caught him cheating. But that’s a story for another day.

Two months ago, I bought a new house for the boys and me. It was in a peaceful neighborhood with a beautiful forest nearby. Everything about our new place seemed perfect—until I met my next-door neighbor, Jeffrey. We didn’t exactly get along from the start.

I still remember our first interaction clearly.

We had just moved in when there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, there he was, standing at my doorstep with a folder in hand.

“Hello there, neighbor!” he greeted, extending his hand. “I’m Jeffrey. Welcome to the neighborhood!”

I shook his hand, thinking, How nice! If only I’d known what was coming.

“I wanted to discuss something important,” he said, flipping open the folder.

“The previous owners signed this contract allowing me to build a fence along the property line,” he said.

I raised an eyebrow. “Okay…?”

“So, I’ll be starting construction next week,” he added, as if it were already decided.

I was stunned. “Excuse me? Aren’t you even going to ask for my permission?”

“Well, I have the contract right here—” he began.

“That contract was with the previous owners,” I interrupted. “I’m the owner now, and I don’t want a fence blocking my view and sunlight.”

His face turned red. “But I need this fence for privacy!” he shouted. “I’ve been planning this for months!”

“Well, why should I care about what the FORMER owner said?” I replied, and with that, Jeffrey stormed out of my house.

Since then, he’d been pestering me almost every week about building that fence. Apparently, he wanted privacy for hosting garden parties without his guests seeing into my yard. Well, excuse me for existing!

@reddit.woman My new neighbor threatened to sue me if I didn’t remove the fence, so I completely removed it; she came to me pleading to put it back because her house was destroyed. #redditstories #reddit #redditstorytimes #redditreadings #askreddit ♬ original sound – Reddit Woman

There was no way I was letting him build that fence. I didn’t buy this house just to stare at a wall instead of the beautiful sky and trees. Little did I know, things were about to get much worse.

A few weeks ago, I decided to take my boys on a well-deserved vacation. Liam and Chris were thrilled.

“Mom, can we go to the beach?” Liam asked excitedly.

Chris added, “Yeah! And build a huge sandcastle?”

“Of course, boys!” I said, hugging them. “We’ll do all of that and more!”

We left for a week, ready for some sun and fun. But when we got back, I had no idea what we’d find.

As we pulled into our driveway, I immediately noticed something off. My heart sank.

“Boys, stay in the car for a minute,” I said, stepping out.

With each step toward our house, my blood boiled. I turned to look at the side of the house, and there it was—a tall wooden fence, right on our property, only a foot away from my windows.

“What the hell?!” I shouted, not caring if anyone heard me.

Liam and Chris rushed over.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Chris asked, sounding worried.

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. “Nothing, sweetie. Just a little surprise from our neighbor.”

“But, Mom,” Liam frowned, “we can’t see the trees anymore.”

My heart broke. The view my boys loved was now replaced by Jeffrey’s obnoxious fence. I knew I couldn’t let this go. I had to teach him a lesson.

I had two options: take the legal route and wait for authorities to intervene or take matters into my own hands. I chose the latter—we didn’t have time for red tape.

That night, I went to a pet store. I had a plan.

“Can I help you find something?” the clerk asked.

I smiled. “Yes, I’m looking for an animal attractant spray. The strongest you have.”

After getting home, I waited until everyone was asleep. Then, I crept over to Jeffrey’s precious fence and sprayed every inch with the attractant. It was a pheromone spray meant for training dogs, but I had a feeling it would attract a lot more.

I did this for several nights, making sure to cover the entire fence. And then, I waited.

It didn’t take long to see results.

One evening, as I was taking out the trash, I saw a stray dog lift its leg against the fence. I had to stifle a laugh. “Good boy,” I whispered.

In the following days, more animals started visiting the fence—dogs, raccoons, even a fox. They all seemed to think Jeffrey’s fence was the perfect spot.

One morning, I watched from my window as Jeffrey discovered the mess. His face turned an impressive shade of purple. But to my surprise, he didn’t take down the fence. Instead, he started cleaning it.

Every morning, Jeffrey would come out with a bucket and scrub brush, grumbling under his breath. But no matter how much he cleaned, he couldn’t get rid of the scent, and the animals kept coming back.

Soon, the smell became unbearable. Even my boys noticed.

“Mom, it stinks outside!” Chris said, holding his nose.

Liam nodded. “Can we stay inside today?”

“I know, boys. Just give it a few more days,” I reassured them, hoping my plan would work soon.

The next day, I saw one of our neighbors, Mrs. Thompson, knocking on Jeffrey’s door. I slowed down, pretending to check my mail.

“Jeffrey, what on earth is that smell?” she demanded. “It’s awful!”

Jeffrey looked embarrassed. “I’m working on it, Mrs. Thompson. It’s just an animal problem.”

“Well, work faster!” she snapped. “It’s affecting the whole neighborhood!”

After Mrs. Thompson left, Jeffrey caught my eye. He looked genuinely apologetic. I smiled and went inside.

That evening, I watched as Jeffrey scrubbed the fence for hours. Eventually, he threw down his brush in frustration.

The next morning, I was awakened by a loud noise. I peeked through my curtains, and there it was—Jeffrey overseeing workers taking down the fence.

I couldn’t believe it had worked!

I woke up the boys. “Liam! Chris! Come look outside!”

They raced to the window, their eyes wide. “Mom, we can see the trees again!” Chris exclaimed.

Liam hugged me. “You’re the best, Mom!”

Later that day, Jeffrey approached me as I was gardening.

“Catherine,” he said, clearing his throat, “I want to apologize.”

“Oh?” I pretended to be surprised.

“I shouldn’t have put up that fence without your permission. It was wrong,” he admitted.

“Yes, it was,” I replied, arms crossed.

“I’ve learned my lesson. From now on, I’ll respect your property.”

“Apology accepted, Jeffrey. Let’s start over,” I smiled.

“I’d like that,” he said.

As Jeffrey walked away, I felt a surge of pride. I had stood up for myself and my boys, and it worked out.

Sometimes life throws you challenges, and you have to get creative to solve them—just like I did to teach Jeffrey a lesson he won’t forget.

Do you think I did the right thing?