Would you offer to cut a female neighbour's grass?

[TheBigBadWolf]

When I was newly divorced, two of my male friends took pity on me. One fixed my broken riding lawn mower for the cost of parts ($100) and the other friend sold me a very dependable riding mower for $250. Between the two mowers, I always had at least one in good working condition. I mowed 12 acres once a week that entire summer, keeping my land looking like a golf course. I had such a great tan from mowing that everyone thought I must be living at the lake, . I would never have thought about asking or expecting someone to mow my land, but I was very grateful to the two guys who helped me out with the lawn mowers. I don't know what I would have done without them.

 

[MICKEY88]

My grown son comes over about once a week intending to help me out by mowing my lawn, but only once has he been able to catch it when it needed it. Last week he washed my car for me, instead. Gotta love that boy.
.

if he comes over regularly intending to help, why not let it go , so he can do it..??

 

[MICKEY88]

I have a friend who lives on about an acre and a half. She has been single in the house since she divorced last summer. Her riding lawn mower has not worked this summer, so she has been cutting it with just a regular push mower.

She is ticked off because all of her neighbours have riding mowers, and she thinks it is extremely rude of them to watch her suffer cutting all that grass and thinks they or their teenage sons should offer to cut her grass.

And, the part that makes me laugh is she thinks probably the men want to help her out but the wives are probably jealous. Yeah, there are probably heated arguments all over the neighbourhood with husbands dying to get out there and cut her grass.

Personally I could see offering to help an elderly or sick neighbour, but just because she's a "single woman"?

any pictures of your friend..???? LOL

 

[RitaZ.]

I have a friend who lives on about an acre and a half. She has been single in the house since she divorced last summer. Her riding lawn mower has not worked this summer, so she has been cutting it with just a regular push mower.

She is ticked off because all of her neighbours have riding mowers, and she thinks it is extremely rude of them to watch her suffer cutting all that grass and thinks they or their teenage sons should offer to cut her grass.

And, the part that makes me laugh is she thinks probably the men want to help her out but the wives are probably jealous. Yeah, there are probably heated arguments all over the neighbourhood with husbands dying to get out there and cut her grass.

Personally I could see offering to help an elderly or sick neighbour, but just because she's a "single woman"?

How old is your friend? I bet she probably thinks that all the men in the neighborhood want her, too.

Women can cut grass just like men. Many do. I know I did many times. She sounds lazy.

 

[DisneyBlonde]

When I bought my first house I was a single mom, my DS was only 4. I wanted to be completely independent, wanted to do everything myself. But I sure did appreciate it when my neighbors asked if I needed help.

 

[NC State]

The woman has several options:

• Get her riding mower fixed.
  
• Pay someone to mow her lawn.
  
• Move to a place where the yard is small enough that she can handle the maintenance more easily.

Expecting someone to just step and take care of her is just over the top!

I agree, maybe that why the husband left.

 

[disykat]

The woman has several options:

• Get her riding mower fixed.
  
• Pay someone to mow her lawn.
  
• Move to a place where the yard is small enough that she can handle the maintenance more easily.

Expecting someone to just step and take care of her is just over the top!

I agree. I won't/can't mow lawns because of my allergies but I'd never expect people to just do it for me as a favor. Regardless, her lawn is way too large to fit in the favor category.

 

[figment52]

I have a friend who lives on about an acre and a half. She has been single in the house since she divorced last summer. Her riding lawn mower has not worked this summer, so she has been cutting it with just a regular push mower.

She is ticked off because all of her neighbours have riding mowers, and she thinks it is extremely rude of them to watch her suffer cutting all that grass and thinks they or their teenage sons should offer to cut her grass.

And, the part that makes me laugh is she thinks probably the men want to help her out but the wives are probably jealous. Yeah, there are probably heated arguments all over the neighbourhood with husbands dying to get out there and cut her grass.

Personally I could see offering to help an elderly or sick neighbour, but just because she's a "single woman"?

I think she should offer to HIRE one of them to do her lawn. She should not expect them to do that much lawn for free.

 

[lyeag]

I am a 40year old woman who has been cutting the grass since I was about 15. When my brother went off to college, I took it over for my parents. They were both in poor health.

Now I am married, and my husband absolutely HATES cutting the grass. I don't mind it at all. Our lot is about 3/4 of an acre, and I have a self propelled walk behind mower. My dh is also in the army, so he is often gone on deployments (like now), and I take care of everything. Not once, during any deployment, has anyone come and cut my grass for me. I am also one of the few people who don't have a riding lawn mower.

She should suck it up, or pay someone to do it.

 

[tasha99]

I am a 40year old woman who has been cutting the grass since I was about 15. When my brother went off to college, I took it over for my parents. They were both in poor health.

Now I am married, and my husband absolutely HATES cutting the grass. I don't mind it at all. Our lot is about 3/4 of an acre, and I have a self propelled walk behind mower. My dh is also in the army, so he is often gone on deployments (like now), and I take care of everything. Not once, during any deployment, has anyone come and cut my grass for me. I am also one of the few people who don't have a riding lawn mower.

She should suck it up, or pay someone to do it.

So many similarities between us! I'm 42 and have always been the lawn mower. This was mostly because my ex (when we were married) was in the army and worked long days or was overseas, but even he was home I would do it because it was part of my routine. It ticked my mom off once because he was watching the kids while I mowed the lawn, but I didn't understand her thinking there. Calling him lazy for watching the kids instead of mowing totally devalued what I did 90% of the time, which was watching the kids!

Sometimes when I checked out a lawn mower I would mow a neighbors lawn just to be helpful (esp. before we owned our own.) The army always made such a huge deal about the mower being returned in perfect clean condition that I felt I was more efficient with regard to cleaning time the more I mowed.

 

[ChillyWilleys]

I actually get upset at my neighbor because he mows part of my lawn. Its a duplex and he has turned his yard into a big dirt track for his dirt bikes (whole other issue there). When he wants to do something that requires an actual yard like play soccer he goes right on to our half. So he mows the part he likes to use. What bothers me about that is if you could compare it to someone mowing a stripe across your yard. Either mow it or don't. It just makes it awkward when we go to mow it because it never comes out even. I certainly don't want to owe this guy anything so I didn't actually want him to offer but I must admit I did think he was a jerk when he went around this winter plowing 3 other peoples driveways while he watched me 9 1/2 months pregnant shoveling out my car. He doesn't like us because we asked him to keep his 3 year old on his dirt bike on his side of the yard so as to not hit our 3 year old playing in the yard. How dare we?

 

[OceanAnnie]

I actually get upset at my neighbor because he mows part of my lawn. Its a duplex and he has turned his yard into a big dirt track for his dirt bikes (whole other issue there). When he wants to do something that requires an actual yard like play soccer he goes right on to our half. So he mows the part he likes to use. What bothers me about that is if you could compare it to someone mowing a stripe across your yard. Either mow it or don't. It just makes it awkward when we go to mow it because it never comes out even. I certainly don't want to owe this guy anything so I didn't actually want him to offer but I must admit I did think he was a jerk when he went around this winter plowing 3 other peoples driveways while he watched me 9 1/2 months pregnant shoveling out my car. He doesn't like us because we asked him to keep his 3 year old on his dirt bike on his side of the yard so as to not hit our 3 year old playing in the yard. How dare we?

The weird thing (in some states), if a person "maintains" property for a certain amount of time, they can claim it! I don't know all of the particulars, but I have heard of it happening.

 

[mumom95]

OF COURSE, I would never expect anyone to take care of the lawn for me! That's just crazy!!! If he had never offered, I would have continued chopping away at it myself, or just hired a lawn service!

I think that's the key. In my neighborhood we help each other out at times. When my dh had neck surgery and couldn't do anything physical for a couple of months, my neighbor came over every week and mowed my back yard (I did the front, it's easy, but the back yard is on a big slope and honestly I really struggle because I'm hardly strong enough to push the mower up the hill and it's a self propelled mower). We never asked him and never expected him to (I was planning on paying a service) but he offered and then insisted when we said we were going to hire a service.

But none of us expect our neighbors to do these things. And we certainly don't get mad if they don't offer. Which is why I think we enjoy doing things for each other, because it isn't expected, it's just a chance to do something nice for someone.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Oh, I had a problem with mowing too when I was single. I'd mow my yard with a push mower. I didn't love it, but I counted it as exercise.

My problem was the neighbors. They would come out and sit on their porch (wife, husband, kids) and watch me. There would be no sign of them until I cranked up the mower, then it was like -- "Entertainment!". Every time. They all came out to sit and watch. I tried to mow when they weren't home. It was annoying. I'd wave and zone out with the head set.

 

[EthansMom]

When my DH had some health issues last winter, I shoveled our driveway by hand (easier at the time than figuring out the snowblower). Had we gotten any huge accumulation, I would have hired someone to plow it for us.

Your neighbor has a mower that works and is capable of mowing her own lawn. She needs to quit griping (and expecting others to spend their valuable time "taking care" of her).

I'd be happy to send my DH over to mow the lawn of a neighbor who had temporary health issues, was elderly, or had NO working lawn mower. But your neighbor is just lazy.

 

[jsmith]

I love doing yard work and have always done it so i cant feature wanting someone to do it for me-but i where i am the girl down the street who needs help with her lawn is more than likely the young mother of small children who's husband is 10 thousand miles away in a war zone-under those circumstances i certainly think helping her-or sending my son to help her is justified-but a single woman my own age-forget it-its good exercise and you wanted that property in the divorce honey.

 

[princess momma]

The weird thing (in some states), if a person "maintains" property for a certain amount of time, they can claim it! I don't know all of the particulars, but I have heard of it happening.

Growing up my dad and the next door neighbor had a lawn mowing feud over that very issue. If one or the other mowed an inch over the property line all heck would break loose.

To this day I'm not sure if anybody knows where the property line is.

 

[TangaroaTiki]

I have a friend who lives on about an acre and a half. She has been single in the house since she divorced last summer. Her riding lawn mower has not worked this summer, so she has been cutting it with just a regular push mower.

Yes, we did help out a female neighbor last summer. She was widowed during the winter and we knew that when summer rolled around she was going to need help because her husband always took care of the lawn - she was our age also (late 30's)

It was my idea for my husband to cut the grass, but he agreed that it was a nice gesture (He wasn't about to do it for a 2nd year, so thankfully she has a new BF )

 

[alexandria674]

Well, I would help out anyone if they were injured or elderly, then I would offer to do their lawns for free but if this woman is able bodied she can do it herself.

 

[clh2]

We pay DD15 to mow our grass, also about 1.5 acres. So - teen boys aren't the only ones capable.

Just asking a stupid question to the OP. Did your friend specifically ASK someone to help? How would someone know she needs/would appreciate the help?

In our subdivision, some peope do in fact mow their lawns with a push mower, since they are doing it for exercise purposes.

I know my DH will not let just anyone borrow his tractor. Nope - sorry - just not happening. We also have the snowblower attachment for the tractor. He very specifically will help people out if they are in a bind...he will not EVER let someone use the tractor/snowblower combo thingy. Too dangerous and who pays to fix it if it gets broke???