@ImAvingOops
Being neighbourly is taking in a parcel or putting the bins out for someone who is frail. It isn't being a general dogsbody and doing routine chores for people who can do/pay for it themselves.
Yeah I agree with this. And it's actually shocking how many people will take advantage, and let good natured people do stuff for them, that they are perfectly capable of doing themselves. And then they get arsey/offended/pissy when you try to stop it.
There's a couple of women in my street who have young kids (under 7,) and one of them had a baby in the Springtime, and both of them have been angling for some babysitting duties, and hinting at me (and several other neighbours) to look after their kids for a bit while they go shopping, out with mates for lunch, off clubbing etc.
One even said she doesn't know how she's going to cope when her MIL moves to a town 15 miles away, because she'll have no-one to pick up her son from school and keep him til 6pm (3 days a week) when she gets home from work. Said this to me and 2 other neighbours. We all work from home, or are SAHMs ... The woman was clearly after one of us offering to get him and look after him. There was a weird silence for about 30 seconds, and then one of the neighbours changed the subject.
I wouldn't offer in a million years. Apart from the fact I have my own life, my own responsibilities and commitments, and my own family; as I said earlier in the thread; been there, done that, been taken advantage of, mugged off, and been treated like shit by people who just used me for free babysitting, free stuff, to cadge money off etc...
Also been used as a free childminder for many children when my DC were at school, by women who said 'she likes it as your house' and thought nothing of letting them come home with my kids and not picking them up til 8.30pm. Regularly.
Can't believe I let it happen tbh.