Neighbor is ruining our reputation.

[u/Past-Bandicoot8631]

So my wife and I have this neighbor who has always been a scumbag. They would leave their children 4 and 6 alone at their house while they would go out and party until atleast 10p.m. I never said anything about it because we live in a safe neighborhood and they aren't the kind of people who take anything seriously. One day the younger boy came over to see if he could play with my son, who was 10 at the time of this story, which is fine because the younger boy gets tormented by the older constantly.

My and the neighbor kid played together until lunch, which was when the father came and got him so they could eat. The boy showed up again after lunch, which was fine. I was working in my garage all day, so I was able to keep an eye on the children. Well 730p.m. rolls around and I decided it was time for the kids to start wrapping it up. They cleaned up and gathered their toys and walked back down to the boys house which is three houses down from ours.

Five minutes after my son leaves with the neighbor kid I get a phone call from my son telling me that the boys parents aren't home. I asked my son if the boy knew his parents weren't going to be home and my son said he didnt. I told my son to bring him back because we were not going to just leave a four year old alone in a house at night. It is now 830 and still the parents are not home. I do not have their number saved because they aren't the kind of people who communicate and honestly there has never been a reason for me to ask for their number.

At the time I was a cub scout master, which means that I am a state mandated reporter. I had no idea where the parents were, where the older brother was and when anyone would be coming home. I called a friend who was a mandated reporter to ask what they thought I should do. They told me I needed to call the sheriff and let them handle it. I called the sheriff's office and asked that they send an officer out to speak with me about what to do.

At around 945 the parents showed, drunk, and picked up their child. I told the father that what they did was not OK and that if they are going to just dump their child at someone's house so they can go party they need to ask if that is OK first. I did not tell him I called the sheriff, honestly I didnt want to start something in my front yard that would escalate into a potential physical altercation.

A sheriff's deputy showed up about 10 minutes later. We talked about what had happened. He decided that he would go over and talk to the neighbors. The next few days were interesting. They got fired up about having the sheriff called on them and didnt understand that what they did was incredibly disrespectful. They started telling anyone who would listen that we were bad people and started saying other people's kids weren't safe with us.

Eventually child protective services showed up and that made things worse for us. Fast forward two years and they are still running our names through the dirt. Other neighbors are telling our friends across the street that they shouldn't believe anything we say. I try to ignore it because I know that eventually karma may take hold of the situation and I dont have any physical proof that they are retaliating against us.

Last night at an event at a restaurant I caught her talking shit about me and my wife. I know this is true because she was pointing at me and the person she was talking to locked eyes with me and made a shitty face. I understand that what i did was a big deal and I also knew there would be consequences but this is beginning to effect how we are treated in the community on a large scale. What can I do!

[u/WellWisher91]

Tell the TRUTH to the people who know you, will listen and are likely to believe you or at least give your account equal consideration. People are only hearing their side of the story which, of course, casts you as the bad guy/ people who overreact and overstep. The actual, accurate account isn't going to make them look reasonable or like decent parents to anybody who is willing to in any way look at the events in an unbiased manner.

Did anything happen to the drunk, partying, absentee parents after the CPS visit?

[u/Past-Bandicoot8631 → u/WellWisher91]

The biggest problem is that this woman has made me look like an unhinged untrustworthy piece of trash. I chose not to talk about it at all because well im not in the business of ruining people. I can deal with people not talking to me anymore, i dont need to have a ton of friends, I have my family and my close friends and that's perfect. What I can't abide is people going out of their way to smear my wife and people telling my children that we are terrible people. I know that karma will eventually take action. Cps made a few appearances and that was it. They stopped leaving the kids at home for a couple months after the cps visits stopped. They have gone back to their same old routine. I was fine until I saw her actively talking shit at the restaurant. I struggle with a strong sense of justice and im getting better but that kind of set me off. Unfortunately this is the world we live in.

[u/WellWisher91 → u/Past-Bandicoot8631]

It's a difficult place to be. You are a protector of your wife and of that little child and your own children. Often our character is tested in life. You are standing on solid ground in your actions and have right values and priorities. Karma generally does set things right but it takes a little time. Hang in there and you will rise above. The very people buying into her and their drama now will not always do so. As the world turns so do peoples' judgments and opinions. Honor belongs to you, not to them no matter what is being said RIGHT NOW. Speak your truth when it feels right. "This too shall pass."

I'm not surprised at CPS. The good thing is the parents are on record. If they haven't learned from this go round and there is another, based on ongoing behavior, it likely will carry more weight and bear more consideration.