Your relationship with your neighbors can make or break your experience in any home. You don’t have to be best friends with them, of course, but staying on good terms can make your life a whole lot easier.

When one woman’s new neighbors asked if they could borrow her expensive snow blower, she wasn’t quite sure if she could trust them. But now, she’s wondering if she should have just helped them out. Below, you’ll find the full story that the woman posted on Reddit in search of advice, as well as some of the replies invested readers left her.   

This woman saved up for an expensive snow blower to make surviving winter easier

Image credits: axelbueckert/Envato (not the actual photo)

But when her neighbors asked if they could borrow it, she didn’t feel comfortable lending it out

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Image credits:  RossHelen/Envato (not the actual photo)

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Image credits: ganusik13/Envato (not the actual photo)

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Image credits: Queen_Aurelia

Only a quarter of Americans say that they know all or most of their neighbors

Almost any American film or TV show will have you believe that everyone is close with their neighbors. They’re allowed to show up unannounced at any time, eat food out of their neighbor’s fridge, and they’re essentially considered to be family members. But that’s simply not the reality for the vast majority of households.

According to a 2025 survey from the Pew Research Center, only 26% of Americans say that they know most of all of their neighbors. And 12% admit that they don’t know anyone who lives near them.

When it comes to how much Americans trust their fellow neighbors, 44% say they trust all or most of them. Meanwhile, 46% say they trust some of the people in their neighborhood, and 9% say they don’t trust any of them. Apparently, trust amongst neighbors is on the decline, as in 2015, 52% said they trusted the majority or all of their neighbors.

Another classic trait of being a good neighbor is being willing to help out. Showing up with a couple of eggs, a cup of sugar, or an appliance that your neighbor doesn’t have can be a great way to strengthen your relationship. Perhaps that’s why 76% of Americans say they’d be willing to bring in the mail or water plants for a neighbor while they were out of town.

Two thirds also say that they wouldn’t mind taking a meal to a sick neighbor or friend. But not everyone expects the same in return, as only 52% say it’s very or extremely likely that one of their neighbors would bring in the mail or water plants for them. 

Image credits:  bilanol/Envato (not the actual photo)

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Lending a valuable item to a friend or acquaintance can be risky

There are a lot of factors that can be blamed for why Americans have less trust in their neighbors than they did in the past. Perhaps the pandemic played a role, or maybe it’s social media that’s isolating us. It’s not easy to boil this issue down to one source.

But according to The Institute for Family Studies, social trust relates to wellbeing and civic engagement. Those who are more willing to trust their fellow citizens report being happier and healthier and were more likely to have voted in the 2020 election.

It’s also no secret that many Americans are struggling with social isolation. A poll from the American Psychological Association found that 69% of adults say they needed more emotional support during the past year than they received. And among adults who considered societal division a major source of stress, 61% reported feeling isolated.

It’s definitely possible that many of us could extend a hand to our neighbors more often. But as some readers pointed out in the comments, lending a valuable item to someone else (especially someone you don’t know well) is risky. 

People always say that you shouldn’t lend anyone money that you need back. And unfortunately, this advice might apply to many situations. There will always be a chance that the dress, toaster, or bicycle you lent your friend won’t return in the same condition. So if it’s extremely valuable, you might want to simply keep it safe at home (even if it makes your neighbors roll their eyes). 

Image credits:  javi_indy/Envato (not the actual photo)

Later, the author responded to several comments and shared more details

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Many readers assured the woman that she wasn’t obligated to lend out her snow blower

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However, others thought that the author was selfish for refusing to help out

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Finding binge-worthy shows can be tricky, especially if I’m having one of my indecisive days. I mean, with all of the choices we have and all of the streaming services available, it should be easier, right? I often think about the olden days when I was growing up, with only four channels to pick from. Life was easier. Less exciting, but easier.

Some shows, though, keep me glued straight away, and when I strike one of these, I know I’m set for a good run. Here are a few gems I have found lately, and I’ve grouped them by mood, because that’s usually how I decide what to watch.

Binge Worthy Shows

Dark and Twisty

These binge-worthy shows are for when I’m feeling brave and want suspense, jump scares, secrets, and my heart can cope with the sense that something is about to go wrong.

Stranger Things

I don’t love horror, but I sure loved this show so very much, and I’m sad it’s over. The biggest appeal for me was the 80s nostalgia. That was my time, my fashion and my music. The nods and subtle references to my favourite movies from the best decade ever were genius.

Harlan Coben series

I haven’t watched a single one that I didn’t enjoy, so I would confidently say that they are truly reliable binge material.

They all have great plot twists I never see coming. The endings are wrapped up nicely, which is so important because I can’t stand it when I invest time and emotional energy into a show that ends vaguely. I hate having to make up an ending in my mind just so I can sleep at night and not lie there wondering.

So far, I’ve watched Safe, The Stranger, Stay Close, Fool Me Once, Hold Tight, Run Away, and Caught. I’ve just started Innocent, which is in Spanish, and I want to watch the rest of the international ones too.

The Serial Killer’s Wife

This was kind of unsettling, but I watched it while I was painting the living room in the daytime. I don’t think I would have liked watching it at night by myself. It kind of gave me the ick, but I couldn’t stop watching and painting. If you can’t stop watching, I guess it makes it binge-worthy, right?

Hostage

I loved this one! It has a great mix of personal and political drama that really pulled me in. The lead was very likeable. A likeable lead is a must because then you feel all the feels. Ha, at least I do! The five-episode series is about a British Prime Minister whose husband is kidnapped and how she manages her personal life alongside all the political drama. This one is very binge-worthy.

European and Foreign Dramadies

Borgen

I didn’t think I’d enjoy this one as much as I am (I’m still in season one), but again it has a likeable lead. The politics are a bit complex, and since it’s in Danish, I sometimes have to rewind to make sure I understand the English subtitles.

Interestingly, the show discusses Greenland and the US interest in it. I didn’t realise this was even an issue back then, and sadly, it’s now a major real-life threat.

Baby Fever

I love Swedish dramadies, and they’re so hard to find. I nearly skipped this one because the title sounded a bit cheesy. But I’m glad I gave it a go because it’s funny, awkward, and dramatic without being over the top.

Pernille

Another one with an unusual title, but Pernille, the main character, is so relatable and down-to-earth. You really feel like you’re there with her through her awkward life moments. There’s a lot of major swearing, though!

Comfort and Funny Binge-Worthy Shows

Watching these is a guaranteed laugh.

Seinfeld

It doesn’t matter how many times I have watched these episodes, they are still hilarious. I’ve been binge-watching this show since 1993!

The Nanny

An old, new-to-me show that I’ve been talking about non-stop.

Adventure / Reality Fun

The Amazing Race

Every time I watch a season, I think I’d love to be on this show, and then I remember I can’t swim, I’m scared of flying, and I don’t do heights. I’ll just keep binge-watching it like a champ.

Survivor

I’m excited for the 50th season!

Light, Easy-to-Watch Drama / Gap Fillers

These are perfect for my indecisive nights. I like them enough to keep watching, and I guess they’re good binge-watching gap fillers for when my favourite shows are finished, or I’m waiting for a new season of something.

The Rookie

It’s entertaining and easy to follow

Boston Blue

I don’t love it like I loved Blue Bloods, but it’s still good, and I like it enough to keep watching.

Most Binge-Worthy Shows

Shows I absolutely love and could marathon any time.

The Gilded Age

I love the costumes, the scheming, and Aunt Agnes’s cheeky one-liners.

Better Call Saul

Brilliant, binge-worthy show that makes me rethink Jimmy every few minutes. One minute I think he’s such a great guy, and then I think, oh no, he really isn’t. A fascinating look at human nature and the sad downward spiral of bad choices.

These are my favourite binge-worthy shows lately. What are some of yours? I’d love to hear what you’ve been watching.

Linking up with Adrienne, Dara, Joanne and Jen

Hi friends, and thanks for stopping by for Friday favourites. I’m so glad you’re here!

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I can hardly believe it’s already Friday, and this week has gone by so fast for me. I’ve really enjoyed my second week back at preschool so far. We’ve met most of the children, with just a couple more to start, and for the first time in a long time, I have a feeling it’s going to be a good year, even though I’m trying not to say it out loud just in case.

I’m not entirely sure what happened over the past few years, but things definitely changed after COVID. I’m no expert, but as an early childhood educator, I really felt the gradual impact it had on children and their families, and I wasn’t the only one. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just me who thought this, so I’d regularly check in with coworkers and people I knew in other schools and early childhood settings.

Everyone I spoke to said the same thing. Children’s behaviour was noticeably different, and not in a good way. Last year was the hardest in all of my 35 years working with children and very nearly brought me undone. I usually try to soften things on the blog, but sometimes you just have to say it. It’s been rough!

Now I feel like we’re finally on the other side of that, and things are settling back to what I guess life was like pre-COVID. I’m so relieved that many of the reasons I loved working with children are starting to come back. For a long minute, I even wondered if I could keep going. I couldn’t remember who that person was—the one who wrote Six Favourite Things About Working in Early Childhood Education.

Anyway, I’m happy and very relieved to say she’s slowly coming back, and that is a big favourite.

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A while ago, I shared that I had this amazing system for remembering to take my thyroid tablet in the mornings. I’d leave a glass out on the kitchen bench as a signal that I’d taken it. I also loved that it killed two birds with one stone. I took my tablet with a full glass of water, so I started the day medicated and hydrated. What a winner!

The system usually worked. But sometimes it didn’t. There were days when I remembered drinking the water but not taking the tablet. And last year, for all the reasons I’ve already shared, I was often not sure whether I was coming or going. And I forgot to take my tablet three days in a row more than once.

When you don’t have a thyroid, that medication really matters. Missing a dose here and there doesn’t cause instant drama, but over time, especially when you’re already exhausted and stressed, it can start to catch up with you. Without enough thyroxine in your system, you start to fade and flop like a ragdoll. So I took the advice of a lovely reader who had commented on the post where I shared my not-so-great system and bought a pill organiser. Revolutionary stuff!

Do you know why I never bought one for myself before, or even considered it? Because I always thought it was for older people. Ha! How ridiculous is that? Anyway, I love my pill organiser, and this Gen Xer better start facing the truth. Feeling 29 doesn’t make it so 😅

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I’ll finish off my week’s favourites with this refreshing glass of Aperol Spritz I had on Thursday night at Humphreys Hotel. Cheers to more happy weeks at work, and cheers to the weekend!

Happy Friday

Linking up with Andrea and Erika

When you marry someone, you’re not just committing to them—you’re also joining their family. In the best-case scenario, that’s a genuine bonus: more people to celebrate with, support to lean on, and gatherings that actually feel warm and fun. But in the worst case, it can mean dealing with relatives you don’t click with, and that kind of stress gets exhausting over time.

One woman found herself in that situation. Her mother-in-law kept showing up uninvited and unannounced, treating the couple’s home like it was hers. After one too many surprise visits, the woman finally told her, clearly and firmly, to leave. The mother-in-law didn’t take it well, and worse, the husband didn’t back his wife up. What followed was a dramatic blowup that left everyone furious.

Read the full story below.

In-laws can be surprisingly good at overstepping boundaries

New mom holding baby closely, showing tiredness after unannounced visit disrupted her nap.

Image credits: Alexander Grey (not the actual photo)

After her mother-in-law showed up uninvited one too many times, one woman finally had enough and kicked her out

New mom telling MIL to get out after unannounced visit woke her up during nap with their 8-month-old baby.

New mom tells MIL to leave after unannounced visit wakes her up from nap while breastfeeding.

New mom upset with MIL’s unannounced visit that woke her from baby’s nap, telling her to leave immediately.

New mom tells MIL to leave after unannounced visit wakes her from nap, asserting boundaries with her daughter.

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New mom tells MIL to leave after unannounced visit wakes her from nap, causing tension with husband.

New mom confronts MIL over unannounced visit that woke her from a nap, telling her to leave the house immediately.

New mom tells mother-in-law to leave after unannounced visit wakes her from much-needed nap.

Image credits: Specialist_Cattle597

New mom driving car at night, showing frustration about unannounced visit from mother-in-law waking her from nap.

Image credits: Selcuk S (not the actual photo)

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The MIL joke has a long and storied history

While “annoying mother-in-law” humor might be the territory of comedy hacks these days, this worn-out genre does have some pedigree. Many quips throughout history went unrecorded—no doubt due to scribes being killjoys—but some of the earliest instances appear to come from the ancient Romans.

The poet Juvenal, in Satire VI, writes that no one can be truly happy while their mother-in-law is still alive. Given Roman attitudes toward women, this is possibly one of the most intense cases of punching down ever recorded. Then again, there are enough horror stories about in-laws that at least some of this humor starts to make sense. It wouldn’t be the first time an overbearing mother caused relationship drama.

The fact that Juvenal could make this reference without further elaboration suggests the trope goes back even further. For whatever reason, unlike much ancient humor, this type of gag could still get a few laughs today—though without context, it increasingly comes across as hack material.

Interestingly, most current mothers-in-law don’t actually find this offensive. One survey found that many mothers-in-law saw the humor as harmless, even if not particularly funny. The reasoning was simple: they believed they didn’t behave that way, so it didn’t apply to them.

New mom holding hands with partner at table, expressing feelings after unannounced mother-in-law visit during nap.

Image credits: Priscilla Du Preez / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Personal boundaries are essential in any relationship, and so is communication

The real issue here isn’t just that this woman is the wife’s mother-in-law, although that certainly complicates things. More fundamentally, the problem is twofold: the mother-in-law seems entirely unaware of normal personal boundaries, and the husband has repeatedly failed to communicate with his wife about inviting people over.

While some might see boundaries as limiting, they’re actually essential for healthy relationships. Without them, as this story demonstrates, one person develops mounting resentment toward the other—often the genesis of breakups and divorces.

This can be particularly difficult with family, since many normal social norms don’t apply. After all, your parents probably changed your diapers—how do you make them understand what they can and cannot do now? In-laws can be even trickier, since the only person who can really address the issue is your partner—and sometimes your partner doesn’t share the same boundaries at all.

As many commenters noted, most of us would never show up at a close friend’s home unannounced, yet somehow in-laws often feel entitled to do exactly that. But here’s the critical point: while the mother-in-law’s behavior is problematic, the husband’s role is arguably worse.

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He has repeatedly invited people to their shared home without giving his wife a heads-up, dismissing her concerns and prioritizing his own comfort over hers. The fact that he’s “embarrassed” by her reaction reveals that he’s completely overlooked her needs in this situation.

This couple should sit down and have a serious conversation about communication. The husband would do well to respect his wife enough to discuss plans for their shared space before making them, and they should set boundaries with his mother as a team.

There are countless relationships that fell apart because people kept things to themselves or avoided hard conversations.

The author shared more details in the comments

Reddit comments discussing new mom setting boundaries after MIL’s unannounced visit woke her from a nap.

New mom telling MIL to coordinate visits after unannounced trip woke her from a nap, causing family tension.

Most readers thought she was not at all to blame

New mom telling mother-in-law to leave after unannounced visit that woke her from nap, showing boundary setting.

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New mom enforces boundaries with MIL after unannounced visit interrupts her nap, highlighting privacy and respect needs.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing new mom’s boundaries when MIL’s unannounced visit woke her from a nap.

Screenshot of an online comment discussing a new mom telling her mother-in-law to leave after waking her from a nap.

Screenshot of a comment about being woken from a nap, relates to new mom telling MIL to leave after unannounced visit.

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New mom sets boundaries with MIL after unannounced visit interrupts her nap with the baby.

Comment advising new mom on setting boundaries with MIL after unannounced visit disrupted her nap, highlighting respect and communication.

Text post reading once a mama’s boy, always a mama’s boy, advising to keep your eyes open, referencing new mom telling MIL to get out.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment criticizing a husband and mother-in-law for disrespecting a new mom after an unannounced visit.

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Screenshot of a forum comment where a user supports a new mom setting boundaries with her MIL after an unannounced visit woke her up.

Reddit comment about new mom telling MIL to leave after unannounced visit woke her up from nap.

Others, however, felt her reaction went too far

Reddit comment discussing new mom’s reaction to mother-in-law’s unannounced visit waking her from a nap.

New mom confronts MIL after unannounced visit wakes her from nap, showing frustration and boundary setting.

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And some insisted the author was the one in the wrong

Comment criticizing behavior in a discussion about a new mom telling MIL to leave after an unannounced visit woke her from a nap.

Comment discussing new mom telling mother-in-law to leave after unannounced visit interrupted her nap and caused tension.

New mom confronts mother-in-law for unannounced visit that interrupted her nap and caused tension.

Screenshot of an online comment discussing a new mom telling her mother-in-law to leave after an unannounced visit woke her up.

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Screenshot of a Reddit comment advising a new mom to seek therapy after unannounced visit from MIL woke her from a nap.