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The original was posted on /r/AmItheAsshole by /u/New-Gain2371 on 2023-09-16 19:30:23.

I (f30’s) live in a house with my husband (m30’s) and kids, and we’re paying off our mortgage. It’s a sizeable house with a back and front yard and it’s in a suburban, fairly middle class neighborhood. We moved in around 3 months ago.

Our back yard has a covered patio that the previous owners had built in not that long ago, and we recently purchased some furniture for it.

Our back yard fences are quite low which hasn’t been an issue for us as we don’t have any pets that could escape or anything.

The problem is that our next door neighbor’s son Alfie (m16) keeps climbing over the fence and sitting on our patio with his friends. I told our neighbors what was going on, they explained that the previous owners always let Alfie and his friends hang out on the patio, because they were often never home anyway. I asked that this doesn’t carry on, as it’s our yard and it’s basic respect that he doesn’t go onto our property whenever he feels like it. They seemed to understand my point and said they’d “sort it out”.

Except it carried on, and Aflie and his friends have even started smoking in our yard, my kids play in that yard and I don’t want them breathing in secondhand smoke. Their smoking also has left stains and smells on our furniture.

I confronted Alfie directly when I saw them smoking, and I firmly told the kids that they all they need to leave my yard. They all started giggling and Alfie called me a Karen. They did leave but not without spitting on the ground and leaving their trash everywhere.

I talked to Alfie’s parents again and at this point I was furious. They said they weren’t aware their son was smoking, but other than that they didn’t seem surprised or apologetic or anything about their son’s behavior. I had had enough and I said if I catch him and his friends on my patio again, I’m calling the cops. The dad said he’d have a talk with Alfie.

Literally 2 days later, Alfie and his friends are smoking on my patio again, and blasting music on a portable speaker. I was distraut. I asked him and his friends to leave my property twice, and I just got met with typical sparky teenager responses, and one of them even started recording me. I had lost all patience and I called the cops on a non-emergency number.

They sent out two people, who made the kids leave my yard. They spoke to the kids and confiscated their cigarettes and spoke to my neighbors, and Alfie got an official warning off of the police.

My neighbors are angry and said I majorly overreacted and that having the cops come scared their son. They said the kids were just acting like teenagers and I’m a sad no-lifer. AITA??? If I am, how could I have handled this better?