Bullies of All Ages

We've been looking for a house. Our reasoning is mostly weighted on the fact that we've been in our current home five years and are ready for a change, in addition to more space. We've been patient in trying to find the right house, but there is a sense of urgency.

You see, our neighbour is a bully.

He is a gentleman who bought the house next to us about six months after we moved in. He rented it out for a short time, then decided that he was going to build his dream house for his family. We were very accomodating as he built his house from the ground up. I won't bore you with the details but needless to say, since they officially moved in last fall, our relationship with them has slowly deteriorated.

There have been countless threats to cause us problems with any work we'd like to do to our house, as well as general rudeness. It culminated this past weekend where said neighbour called my husband names and again threatened to get a lawyer and generally make our lives miserable.

Now, I'll make one thing clear. We aren't scared. We have resources at our disposal too, but haven't made threats or ultimatums. We've stayed on the high road.

But as I hear this man argue at the top of his lungs with his wife (we can hear them even when they are inside their house) as well as when he stands on his back lawn yelling and threatening my husband, I wonder what type of example he is setting for his young sons. That when you don't get your way, you need to yell and get in someone's face.

I worry he's breeding the next generation of bully. Boys that intimidate because they don't know any different.

There is no way I will allow Lucas to grow up next to that example.