Karen GF Leaves Me For My Boss! - Reddit Stories

0:00When you run a business, there are a lot of boxes to check. Let's see, payroll, check, inventory, check, insurance, ah. Well, good thing Simply Business makes getting small business insurance fast and easy. Just answer a few questions, review your quotes, and get covered in under 10 minutes, all online. It's that simple. Check insurance off your list at simplybusiness.com. Nicole hosts Easter every year. That's why she shops at BJ's wholesale club, stocking up on spiral ham, baked goods, fresh flowers, candy, and 5 dozen eggs. I've got a lot of baskets to fill. Nicole's not worried because she knows she can save big, and get it all done in one trip. It's like winning the Easter egg hunt. When you save everyone wins. Get a $15 digital coupon when you spend $150 in one transaction now through April 5th. Visit BJ's.com slash Easter coupon for details. BJ's your Easter destination. Hey there, Mr. Redder here. Welcome back to another episode of Reddit Podcast Stories. Where today, my ex-girlfriend broke up with me and is now dating my boss.

1:03My ex and I broke up around four months ago after dating for a little over a year. She was the one who broke up with me, but at the time I agreed that it was for the best, so we ended things on good terms. We're pretty chill now, and we have mutual friends, so we often all hang out together. So things between us are chill and friendly. I work at a research lab at my university, and I just recently landed the position after a pretty long and competitive application process. I met my boss, who's a grad student, and we became buddies pretty fast. He's a really nice and funny dude that knows what he's doing. I see him every day since me and two other undergrads work under him and help with his research while he helps with our own. Fast forward about two weeks, and I see on my ex's Snapchat story a picture of my boss with a hard emoji. I'm shocked, so I replied to her story, asking her who her new boyfriend is, and sure enough, she tells me she's dating my boss. I feign happiness for her, and I don't tell her that he's actually my boss, or that I know him in that way. But darn, I felt horrible.

2:03I thought I didn't have feelings for her after our breakup, but after seeing her story, I was just hit with a pang of jealousy. Maybe it's because he's a major step up for me. I'm a poor, disorganized undergrad, and he's a successful young talent who has his stuff together. The next day at work, I'm basically on edge the whole day. I would look at my boss, remember that he's dating my ex, and just feels so uncomfortable. The rest of the week was like that too. I stopped joking around with him, and kind of just stopped talking in general to him. Now I dread seeing him every day, because the fact that he's my boss, so he orders me around, it just makes me feel even worse, and more below him. He's got the girl, and I've got no one. I still love my job though, and I worked hard to get it, so I'm not planning on leaving. I also feel like a crappy person, since my boss has been nothing less of nice, and is honestly a great guy. Now I just feel like I should have tried harder on our relationship, because she was perfect in every way, and I just let it all slip through. The other day, she came over to have lunch with him during his lunch break, and I saw them laughing together.

3:04And yeah, another wave of sadness and jealousy. What do I even do now? How do I stop feeling like this? How should I normalize the situation at work? Update. For the past week, I've been trying to focus on myself and my work, and not care about my ex and my boss who's dating her. It's worked pretty well. I started a painting, and I'm pretty close to finishing it, and I impressed my boss's boss, the professor who owns the lab, not the one dating my ex, by staying late for two days in a row to finish a really difficult experiment. During our lab meeting, my boss's boss shouted me out in front of the entire lab, and said he was really impressed by my hard work and dedication. That felt good. As for the situation with my boss and my ex, he found out, like I mentioned in my previous post, when my ex told me who her new boyfriend was, I didn't mention that he was my boss, so neither of them knew. Two days ago, my boss and us, two other undergrads, were in a conference room, discussing a paper when my ex walked in. She came to drop off my boss's wallet, but I think he forgot her something. Anyway, she saw me,

4:05did a double take and went, Jake? She was definitely super surprised and caught off guard, and my boss was already confused. So I was just like, hey Sarah, she shot me another shocked, wide eyed look and left. Suffice to say, the rest of the meeting was pretty awkward. The next day, it was obvious that my boss now knew our history. Things just turned so awkward, like he didn't know how to act around me anymore, or what to say. Now we're both awkward around each other. He's still nice and all, but things are just uncomfortable between us two now. It's not his fault though. I think that things will get better between the two of us, but as of right now, I actually feel kind of relieved that he knows. Something about how both of us now don't know how to act, and what to do, kind of makes me feel reassured. Sarah also called me the night that she found out I worked there, but I missed her call and forgot to call her back. It's good though. I've been trying to think of her less and distance myself a bit. But if things continue to remain really awkward to the point where both of our work is affected, I'll consider talking to my boss's boss

5:05about switching me to work under another grad student instead. But yeah, that's about it. Thanks for the help. I'm actually glad you didn't answer your ex's phone call or return it. I can't imagine for the life of me in a usefulness to that conversation. I mean, did she not know anything about the department you were in at school or the likelihood of seeing you if she kept her dating pool there? In my humble opinion, you really demonstrated an ability to be above drama by not immediately telling your boss or Sarah about your previous relationship. And I'm super stoked that instead, you just focused on your work and got praised by your boss's boss. Good for you. OP, actually me too. We're still friends and all, but I think I really need to put some distance between us and focus on myself for now. I'm glad I missed the call too. I applied for the job after we broke up and never mentioned it to her, so I guess she never found out. Am I the jerk for leaving my wife at a party and going away solo when she was making me late? I'm 28. My wife, who's 27, graduated medical school in 2021.

6:06They had a graduation party since everyone had had their shots, but it was still pretty small due to what was going on at the time. You could only bring one guest and you had to socially distance. Her medical school decided to invite all of the lockdown graduates to this year's graduation event. They planned this all out pretty last minute, only giving three weeks notice that it was happening. But my wife was very excited about it. She gets paid crumbs and works long hours as a resident, so I get why she wanted to relax and have fun. The issue is that I had a huge work trip the next day that had been planned for months. I don't travel a lot for work, so they went all out to make this comfortable and I had a lot riding on it. If I didn't do well, I would probably get fired. But if I did do well, there were two open positions I could be promoted to. My wife wanted to come with me, so my company comped her flight and we were going to make a vacation out of it after my presentations. We were flying out the night of the party to ensure I made it on time for the meetings the next day. I told my wife, we shouldn't go to the redo event since we had to fly out and since it would be very tight.

7:07She insisted we go since the party started at 3 p.m. and our flight left at 9 p.m. But the event was one and a half hours away from the airport. We made a plan to leave at 5.30 p.m. pack everything in our car beforehand so we could go straight to the airport. But by 5.30, she just started saying goodbye. I told her we needed to leave ASAP, but she said no. We don't have to be two hours early for our flight, et cetera. Around 6 p.m., this guy from Med School who had a crush and asked her out multiple times, grabbed her hand and pulled her off to another table. I went up to them and told him he needed to back off. He said I needed to treat her better and let her enjoy herself. I looked at my wife, but she just ignored me. At that point, I decided I wasn't going to try and convince her to stick to her word anymore. I told her I was leaving for the airport and I took our car. There was a ton of traffic and security was a mess so I only had a few minutes to spare before getting on the plane. She texted me horrible things. I never responded or engaged, but she kept texting me how I was horrible

8:07and don't understand what it's like to have a lockdown ruin a huge moment for you. I disagree. She still had a graduation party. It's not my fault she didn't get to dance. I don't see what the huge deal was and conversely thing, she didn't understand that this would cost me my job if I missed the flight. And since I make up around 70% of our income and a high cost of living area, we would essentially be homeless. We've been on tense terms since this happened in June. She brings it up a lot and is recommending therapy so I can learn how to behave in a marriage. But I don't think we need it since she's the one who caused this whole problem in the first place and should take accountability for that. But am I way off here? Am I the jerk? Not the jerk. You needed to catch the flight and not risk your job. She was being immature, wanting to party without managing her time. Not the jerk. You told her you were leaving for the airport. She didn't respond and didn't come. You guys also made detailed plans about when to leave and why. Your work trip is financially important and if you do end up going to therapy together, you'll probably find that your side

9:08gets more support than you're expecting. She was also pretty disrespectful by ignoring you when some dude made snide comments about how you treat your wife. I would expect her to shut him up no matter how she filled because that's how people behave in a marriage. But you really should respond if she takes you nasty stuff. Even just a, we will have to talk about this later. I'm in a hurry to get on a plane. I couldn't wait and miss the plane and I'm hurt that you disregarded our careful plans in order to party. Not the jerk. You compromised. She just did whatever she wanted regardless of what she promised and uncaring of any bind she was putting you in. Does she have a history of blaming others when she's in the wrong? If it's habitual, I'd leave. If this is the first time do marriage counseling to see if having a third party back you up gets through to her. Well, who do you think is the jerk? Opie or his wife? Finding a hoodie that lasts through the season can be tough. The American Giant Classic Fulze Putty is made to last a lifetime. So you can count on it to bring you comfort and warmth year after year. The iconic Classic Fulze Putty

10:09is the jacket that started it all for American Giant. Custom heavyweight fleece and side panels for mobility make it the best hoodie ever. And a double-lined hood and reinforced elbow patches means this hoodie will last. Born from a commitment to support the communities that create its products, every American giant piece is made in America and designed to last. No exceptions. The result is durable clothing like the premium Slub Crew T, no BS high-rise pant and slim rough neck pant that become part of your life. Snag the hoodie that will bring you comfort for life the American Giant Classic Fulze Putty and save 20% off your first order at American-Giant.com when you use code Staples20 at checkout. That's American-Giant.com Code Staples20. When you've got Omaha Stakes convenient everyday protein waiting at home that what's for dinner panic turns into your weeknight win and now's the time to buy during the Omaha Stakes spring savings event. Save big on their exclusive lineup

11:09of mouthwatering stakes, gourmet burgers, air-chilled chicken, pork, seafood and more. Go to OmahaStakes.com for an extra $35 off when you use promo code audio at checkout. That's OmahaStakes.com promo code AUDIO. Terms apply seasite for details. Please let us know. I know Reddit is infamous for jumping to the divorce solution. But bra, if my spouse ever disrespected me like that at a party, it would be so over. I overheard my boyfriend making fun of the gifts I gave him. It's making me rethink about our relationship. I, 22 female, have been dating my boyfriend who's 27 male for four years now. His birthday was a few days ago. I always struggled with giving gifts to him because he's way more financially stable than I am. I'm saving up for my post-graduation degree. Some money has been tight now. I decided to be creative about my gifts. I always had interest in arts and do it yourself projects. My boyfriend likes the stuff I make, crochet, et cetera. My boyfriend likes the stuff that I make when I crochet.

12:10So, I made a crochet doll of both of us hugging. The only expensive thing I got for him was a sunglasses which was $50. Other than that, I made a scrapbook of all of our pictures together and some boxes filled with love notes. That's all I could afford right now. But when he saw those gifts, he told me that they were the best gifts someone had ever given to him. I never had any indication that he disliked them. Yesterday, I was with him. My laptop broke down so I borrowed his for a school project. He was logged into his messenger account. I saw a message pop up from his friend, Becky. Becky said something about, please tell me you threw away that hideous doll. I know I'm wrong for snooping, but curiosity got the better of me. I saw chats from him and Becky making fun of the gifts that I gave him. He called me cheap and grandma because who in this generation does crocheting? It's not like he can use it in real life. He even disliked the sunglasses. Becky was instigating it even more. She had some of the most cruel comments and my boyfriend was agreeing with her.

13:11I also saw how much he praised Becky for giving him a VR gaming set. I felt so betrayed. Sure, my gift was cheap, but I spent time making it and organizing them. I did confront him about it. He just said I'm being dramatic over a gift. I've never been so hurt in my life. I don't know if what I'm feeling is right or not. I'm rethinking our relationship now. Like, he knows that the money is tight for me right now, but he claims if I love him enough, I would sacrifice a bit, just to shower him with gifts. Taking out hundreds of dollars out of my savings just for one time wouldn't have been a big deal. Am I wrong here? Definitely time to reevaluate this relationship. Him talking smack on you and your gifts was wrong and uncalled for, especially being together for years now. And instead of defending you to his friend, he joined in on the crap talking. Is that the kind of guy you want to be with? Opie, that's where I'm torn. I was not really in a financially better position when I met him. He let me borrow his car countless times. He even paid for some of my stuff when I was jobless during lockdown.

14:11I feel guilty because I can't give him back the same level of support that he's given me. I try to understand his side. I mean, in his mind, he must be thinking I had supported her so much, but she doesn't show me the same level of support. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to feel sad about it because it was cheap. His friends gave him gifts that were somewhat expensive for my standard. He must feel humiliated by my gifts. Did you call your handmade crochet project cheap? How could you say that? As a crocheter, I know we can underprice our work, but a crocheting cannot be replicated by machine. Every single crochet object has to be made by hand. You really need to look online how much crochet sales for. I'll give you a hint. These dolls get paid by the hour. They're sold so highly because of the expertise and time spent on these precious items. If you take three hours at a minimum wage, you're looking at $21. Does that seem high? Maybe depending on the person, but a true art enjoyer understands why. Respect yourself and your craft. Opie, I mean, it took me two weeks to complete it.

15:13I know it's too long, but I never had the time. Also, the materials were free because my aunt gifted me a new set of crochet materials last year. I don't crochet that often, but I do make a lot of handy crafts made from scraps. So in that sense, it is cheap because I didn't buy all of the things myself. Update, I broke up with him. That's it, I know my worth. I've talked to him about my feelings and he did apologize for being a jerk, but it wasn't enough. We argued, we fought a lot, but the conclusion is that he treated me like crap, even after I poured my heart into making those gifts. I asked him, why did he praise Becky's gift way more than he did mine? He told me because Becky's gift was way more expensive. I asked him if he was cheating on me with her. He lashed out and screamed at me and said no. I know the truth now, even if he doesn't say it out loud. I packed my stuff and left his place. I'm staying with a friend of mine. I've been crying a lot. My friends have been really supportive of me. I asked him to give me back the doll because he's not worth having my dolls. I will sell this one

16:13and hopefully one day make dolls for someone who appreciates them. I'm really sad and lonely now. I really loved him. I pictured our life together. I even drew an anime version of us and our future kids. He did try to call me and tell me that I'm making a huge mistake. All his friends were trying to get us back together, even that jerk Becky. I blocked all of them. I guess you can say I got the sweater curse because last year I knitted him a sweater and after one year we're broken up. I didn't believe in the sweater curse until now. Edit, for those who don't know, sweater curse is a superstition that when you knit a sweater for your significant other you will break up or divorce within one year. But it's a myth as far as I know. Why is it that whenever someone breaks up with someone the other person they got broken up with as the one that says, You're making a big mistake. Like no dude, the mistake was that I didn't break up with you sooner. Poor OP. Handmade gifts are always so thoughtful and unique. I hope she'll find someone that will appreciate her. Am I the jerk for being embarrassed with my cheap skate boyfriend?

17:15We've been dating for about four months and mostly it's been good. He's cute, smart, and very successful. The only downside is that he's almost addicted to buying things that are on sale or have coupons despite being a VP at his company. I'm not talking about sometimes or even most of the time. I would be all right with that. He never buys anything at full price ever. He plans his cooking around what's on sale that week at the grocery store. All of his clothes were bought on sale or clearance even as socks and boxers. Last week we were at my friend's house for dinner and she commented on his shirt. He proudly said that he got it on clearance last year for $20. I was mortified. Lastly, we don't go to any restaurants unless he finds a coupon or they're running some kind of a special. Things came to a head last night when we went out for dinner. He had a digital coupon for buy one get one free. For some reason, the restaurant's computer didn't recognize the deal and the poor cashier couldn't make it work. We were holding up the crowded line because he refused to pay for both dinners. Finally, the cashier called the manager

18:17but he was busy somewhere else in the restaurant. While we waited, the people behind us were getting annoyed. I was so embarrassed. I left him standing in line by himself and I went to the car. We argued the entire drive home. We were supposed to go to the movies because he got free tickets but I wasn't in the mood so he dropped me off. We haven't texted today at all. When I talked to my friends at brunch, they didn't see a problem with it and I found it frustrating that they didn't understand how embarrassing it is. Am I the jerk or is this normal? He never buys anything at full price, ever? What's so terrible about that? As long as he's never rude or demanding to retail staff, he's smart to chase the best deals on everything. He proudly said he got it on clearance last year for $20. You were mortified? Why? I doubt your friend thought any less of him for it. And the fact the computer didn't recognize the deal wasn't his fault. He had the coupon. He ate there with the expectation that the coupon would be honored. As long as he was patient and not rude to the cashier, he did nothing wrong. If the people standing behind him were annoyed,

19:17they should have been annoyed at the restaurant management, not him. Overall, this sounds very much like a you problem, not a him problem. And calling him a cheap skate, you've been dating for months. I can't see this relationship lasting you continue with that attitude. You're the jerk. You're the jerk. I spent most of the post thinking not the jerk, but you're really judgy of him. There's nothing embarrassing about mentioning a good deal on a shirt that someone complimented. Also, I missed the part where you were so embarrassed that you just paid the bill instead of walking away. No jerks here. You guys are just incompatible. He's not wrong for wanting to save. You're not wrong for not wanting to hold up a gigantic line of people for a coupon. Just different life approaches and you will drive each other nuts with this if you don't discuss and come up with a compromise. Maybe his clothes and groceries are free for all couponing, but occasionally dinners out can be full price. Well, who do you think is the jerk? O.P. or her boyfriend? Please let us know. There's two types of people in this world. Those who like to save money and those who like to waste it.

20:19I ruined my boss's life. A few years ago, I worked for a couple of months in a pastry shop. From lashes for days with the viral liquid lash extensions mascara to awakening your eyes with a lift and color from the brilliant eye brightener. Thrive cosmetics is the go-to when you want to amplify your every day look. Plus, every product is 100% vegan, cruelty-free, and made with clean skin-loving ingredients that work with your skin. And for every product purchased, Thrive cosmetics donates to help communities thrive. So every time you use your favorite Thrive cosmetics product, you're helping communities you care about too. Amplify your every day. Go to thrivecosmetics.com slash shine 26 for an exclusive offer of 20% off your first order. That's Thrive cosmetics, C-A-U-S-E-M-E-T-I-C-S dot com slash shine 26. Skin care experts and dermatologists have often touted the benefits of indoor humidity as essential for healthy glowing skin. But did you know dry air can start to harm your skin and as little as 30 minutes? For years,

21:19many people have relied on humidifiers for better skin, sleep and overall wellness. But traditional models, bulky, multi-prone, and difficult to maintain. That's where canopy humidifier comes in. Recommended by leading dermatologists, canopy is a completely reimagined humidifier designed to elevate any space, offering the ultimate in skin care and wellness benefits. Canopies clean moisture, combats dryness, dullness, and fine lines while strengthening the skin's barrier and boosting the effectiveness of topical skin care products. With its sleek design, canopy is the cleanest and easiest humidifier on the market. With its unique technology, cleaning is as easy as popping it in the dishwasher. Go to getcanopy.co to save $25 on your canopy humidifier purchase today with Canopies filter subscription. Even better, use code podcast to check out to save an additional 10% off your canopy purchase. Your skin will thank you. To work there, my boss promised me eight hours a day except Mondays, half day, and Thursdays closed, and 700 euros a month. Obviously all off of the books. Although I had some resentment about working off the books,

22:21I accepted anyway because I needed some money. The first day of work I was in there for 11 hours from 5.30 a.m. to 130 p.m. and then from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. I thought it was normal since it was my first day. Even if in reality some doubts came to me right away because all the others had been there as much as me and for them it was certainly not the first day. The situation continued to be this, ranging hours from 10 to sometimes 13 hours a day. Furthermore, for two weeks in a row on Monday, the day which we were supposed to only work in the morning, we instead worked with the schedule of the other days. At the end of the month, I asked for my will-deserved salary and my boss got angry, telling me that I was only thinking about money. When in reality, I hadn't even asked him to pay me for the multiple hours of overtime. He then told me that he would pay everyone at the end of the first week of the following month. The following day, after working as usual for 11 hours, at the end of the shift he called me aside, telling me that since I had been presumptuous, I had to show up for work on Thursday, even though it was my day off.

23:22Obviously, I got angry and replied that I had worked much longer hours than those agreed upon and that I would not show up for work on my day off and so I didn't. Thursday came around and I didn't show up, ignoring hundreds of calls for my boss and his wife. The next day I showed up for work regularly and was severely reprimanded and then sent home for bad behavior. He told me that we would meet on Sunday to give me the money and I didn't have to show up again, which I already wasn't going to. So Sunday arrived and he showed up with 300 euros, telling me that I had done little this month and that I hadn't been respectful towards him and his business. I got very angry and also went to call my father who was waiting for me in the car. The two almost came to blows. So I took my father and we left, saying it wasn't over there. I kept in touch with some of my colleagues with whom I had established a good relationship with and who were also working for him under the table. They told me that the next day, he had badmouted me by saying that I was a person without any form of respect and dignity. They had witnessed this scene the previous Friday

24:24and were speechless. They thought I had to do something and not let him walk all over me like this and they were right. So I decided to do something that no one had ever had the courage or the will to do. I went to finance to denounce the fact that he had made most of his employees work illegally and that he exploited them by underpaying them. Obviously not alone, but with my colleagues who were also tired of this to support me. So we decided on a day and time for a pop check and waited. The agreed day was Saturday morning from nine to 10. The day and time when there was usually more workload. It goes without saying that contrary to what is thought of in Italy, sometimes justice works and that day finance with a surprise check discovered the whole situation and immediately closed the business. Subsequently, the owner, as well as my former boss, was investigated and sentenced to I don't remember how many years in prison. The business was seized and now his family is having to pay more than a million euros in tax evasion for other reasons related to false receipts and other things that I don't quite understand.

25:25My husband of 16 years is having a baby and it's not mine. I, 46 female, have lived with my husband, 48 male for over 20 years, married for 16 and we have two kids who are 16 and nine. One year ago, he decided that he had had enough of his family life and went to live with his parents for some time. He was behaving like a bachelor for the entirety of his stay with them, found a girlfriend and was drinking all the time. He also spent a lot of his time playing games with friends on his computer. One year ago, he informed me that he found a girlfriend and was ready to move out of our apartment and cut ties, although he didn't quite do that. He left me, making close to minimum wage to care for our two kids and also left a collection of unpaid bills going back months. After that, I fell into a depressive episode that lasted two months and my two close friends managed to get me out of it. About three months after he left us, he came back. Well, not really. He started coming to our city, hanging out with the kids again and also with me, inviting me out for drinks and dinner.

26:26All was going well and my 16-year-old went on a week-long trip with him. For a while, all was going well. He said that the girlfriend was a lie and he just needed some time away to clear his head. Last night, I sent him a good night, love you, text as I usually do. But in the morning, he replied with, I don't deserve your love. I'm about to become a dad again. I'm sorry. I later called him to ask what he meant by that and he told me that he has a girlfriend in another country who's pregnant with his kid. She plans to keep it and he wants to cut ties with me and our kids to care for that kid. I don't know what to do. I requested divorce but he declined saying he wasn't ready for that. Can anyone give me advice regarding this situation? Can I divorce him anyways? Even though he doesn't want to? Is there any other way I can secure payment for my kids since with only my job, I can barely make ends meet for the basics. I do some odd jobs here and there, but it's not enough. Speak with an attorney ASAP. He doesn't want a divorce because he doesn't want to help with the kids. File for divorce and request child support and alimony.

27:29Even if you guys are split up, why isn't he financially contributing to your kids' needs? He doesn't get to just up and leave and have you deal with everything? If he wants to leave, then audio's but he has to financially support and assist. You need to talk to someone to take the next steps. Ask the friends that helped you before to navigate the lawyer process with you. Forget that guy. He's a loser. My neighbor keeps letting her kid trespass on my land so I called the police. I, 26 female, live in England. I own my own home and understand that I'm fortunate but I also worked hard for it. Any money I received or earned while working part-time till graduation went into my savings account. Most people on my street are social housing tenants. I'm still determining what that is but they've explained that you're eligible for this scheme if you're on a low income. It's more secure than the private sector as you mostly get assured tendencies even though they are different tendency types. For a while, I got on well with my next door neighbors, Emily and Ben. They also have three kids who are 13, nine, and four.

28:30But soon I started experiencing a lot of problems from next door. I work from home often and I could hear shouting next door consistently. Ben is 511, 145 kilograms, and quite loud and intimidating. Alexa, what is 145 kilograms in pounds? 145 kilograms is about 320 pounds. And quite loud and intimidating and I constantly heard their kids screaming. I had to ask them to lower their voices daily and I even explained that I worked from home. The next set of problems revolved around their 13-year-old son. I spotted him climbing over a wall to get into my garden to get his football back which at first I just ignored. Then after it happened 10 times, I finally decided to speak with his parents and I can't remember what I said entirely. Still, it was something like, hey, I just wanted to have a word as I've seen your son trust pass 11 times to get his ball from my garden. I would appreciate it if you could get him to stop as he's trespassing. And if he just came around to the front and knocked on my door and asked for his ball back, I would be happy to collect it for him.

29:32The neighbors apologized and said they would make sure their son doesn't do it again and that he knocks. A few days later, their son did it again while I was in my lounge. I walked into my garden, which made him jump and spoke with him. I told him I'd seen him trust pass to collect his ball on various occasions. I told him I had talked with his parents and that trust passing is a crime and I would appreciate it if you would just come to the front door and knock in the future. He didn't say anything and just went back into his garden. I informed his parents and they apologized, but it continued. I got fed up with it and decided to invest in some security cameras. I wrote a letter to residents on my road to give them a week's notice that security cameras were being installed at my address and it will cover my entire garden and it will also cover my doorway. I also wrote that I'm getting a ring doorbell camera. After installing the cameras, I thought it would stop the kids from trust passing, but it continued. I saved the footage, filed a police report against the sun for trust passing and sent all of my evidence to the cops. I knew there was a strong chance that nothing was going to happen,

30:32but I just wanted the sun to have some responsibility. When my neighbors found out they were furious with me and since then our relationship has soured. My siblings found out about it and they think I'm a total jerk for this. Am I the jerk? You're the jerk. You sound like an awful person to have in the neighborhood, calling the cops on a kid getting his football? Also, why did you put in the part about the council houses when it has no relevance at all? Admit that you feel better than these people. Low income housing isn't a scheme. It keeps lower income people, usually families from being homeless. Allegedly, you aren't the jerk, but as a neighbor, you really are. Warning, the following Zippercruder radio spot you are about to hear is going to be filled with F words. When you're hiring, we at Zippercruder know you can feel frustrated. For Lauren even, like your efforts are futile and you can spend a fortune trying to find fabulous people only to get flooded with candidates who are just fine. Fuck. Fortunately, Zippercruder figured out how to fix all that. And right now,

31:32you can try Zippercruder for free at zippercruder.com slash zip. With Zippercruder, you can forget your frustrations because we find the right people for your roles fast, which is our absolute favorite effort. In fact, four out of five employers who post on Zippercruder get a quality candidate within the first day. Fantastic. So whether you need to hire four, 40, or 400 people, get ready to meet first rate talent. Just go to zippercruder.com slash zip to try Zippercruder for free. Don't forget that zippercruder.com slash zip. Finally, that zippercruder.com slash zip. Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job to some job board, but then all you can do is hope the right person comes along, which is why you should try Zippercruder for free. At zippercruder.com slash zip. Zippercruder doesn't depend on candidates finding you. It finds them for you. It's powerful technology identifies people

32:33with the right experience and actively invites them to apply to your job. You get qualified candidates fast. So while other companies might deliver a lot of hay, Zippercruder finds you what you're looking for. The needle in the haystack. See why four out of five employers who post a job on Zippercruder get a quality candidate within the first day. Zippercruder, the smartest way to hire. And right now you can try Zippercruder for free. That's right, free at zippercruder.com slash zip. That zippercruder.com slash zip. Zippercruder.com slash zip. This kid sounds like he has a rough home life and is just getting his ball out of your garden. He probably doesn't want to talk to any adults in his life at all, much less the guy who keeps complaining about him to his parents. If he's not wrecking anything in your garden, you're the jerk for making his life harder. Why do you put negative connotation to the word scheme? Scheme is a system, social housing is a scheme or there might be some discrepancy between US and UK, understanding of the word.

33:33It is a US and UK difference. In the US, the word scheme definitely has negative connotations. It's a kid in his ball, good lord lady. When I was 10, I was bigger than when I was nine. I hit a ball straight into Mr. Russo Sedan, cracked a headlight, furthest I ever hit a ball. I was so proud for about half a second. I waited for him, came to him and said, sorry, not to tell my dad and I would pay for it. This Vietnam Marine with a glare that would scare Medusa looks me dead in the eye without a hint of emotion and says, no more hitting in this direction. Bat the other way, which made sense given the layout of the neighborhood. Never spoke about it again. Fast for 25 years and I see Mr. Russo outside when I'm visiting my parents for a month, we chat. One day I asked him about the headlight and he said something I'll never forget. Want to be a good neighbor? Don't ever be the reason a kid feels like they can't have fun in their neighborhood. And never give out crappy Halloween candy. You're the jerk. Karen Mother-in-law demands I stop playing video games.

34:35I, 27 female and my husband, 26 male, are big gaming addicts. Our parents hate that we played video games and we've gotten in multiple fights as kids and as adults over our hobby. It's a sore subject in our family and we've opted to lie and say we are outside if anyone asks what we're doing. We both work from home and right after we proceed to play video games until midnight. None of us like leaving the house so we're practically next to each other 95% of the time. There is no humanly possible way for either of us to cheat on one another. I'm currently pregnant and this has caused our in-laws to visit very frequently. Due to this, increase in visits, we've reduced much of our gaming time for the better health of the baby and so they don't see us gaming. We've gotten in arguments about how our hobbies are unacceptable, childish and that we needed to change. Sundays are known to everyone as the unavailable day. We always say we are on a date or something but in reality, we're at home getting our weekly gaming quota covered. My husband went to a gaming cafe with friends visiting

35:38and I stayed home last Sunday. Mother-in-law decided later to call me in the middle of a match and I suppose I was acting very suspicious because I wanted to win the conversation ASAP. She asked what I was doing and I replied automatically without thinking that I was on a date with my husband. According to my husband, she then later called him and he said that he was at a bar with friends. Mother-in-law decided to visit my house where I was undoubtedly in the middle of another game. I avoided any phone calls and pretended to not hear the knocking until my match was over, 20 minutes or so. Afterwards, I answered the door and pretended that I was sleeping, which is why I wasn't answering the phone or door. Mother-in-law exploded on me, calling me a cheater and said that the child I was pregnant with was not her sons because otherwise, why would I not answer the door? The idea that I would cheat and that it would even be possible to cheat on my partner was so hilarious to me that I burst out laughing, which angered Mother-in-law even more. She continued to berate me while I just smiled,

36:39sitting there, thinking how ridiculous all this was. When my husband came home, she berated me in front of him about how I was cheating on him. My husband was visibly confused the whole time and confirmed with his mother that there was no possible way for me to cheat on him. He explained how we are together practically every moment of the day and when Mother-in-law saw he was not getting on her side, she proceeded to get mad at me for leading her on. She called me a jerk for pretending to have an affair and never correcting her before she told other people. Although I never clarified that I wasn't cheating, I do think that it was not her place to come unannounced and proclaim that I'm a cheater. Am I the jerk? Stop letting this jerk through your front door. Not the jerk, of course. Not the jerk and your Mother-in-law sounds toxic. Your gaming is your business. You both need to tell your parents that it's not their business and to keep their opinions on your gaming to themselves and enforce it. If they start bothering you about it on the phone, hang off. If they start when you're at their house, leave.

37:41If at your house, tell them to leave. You are adults. Info, you do realize there is no law that says you have to ever speak to this dreadful person ever again, right? You're the jerk. His Mother loves her son and realizes that he's wasting his life away rotting in front of a TV screen. I imagine she resents you because instead of helping him become anything that a man should be, you're encouraging him to continue being a man-child who spends an unhealthy amount of time playing video games. As parents, we want to see our kids become something in the world. It sounds like he's a major disappointment to her and you are a part of that disappointment. What is your kid supposed to think as they grow up to see you two playing video games all day? I know everyone here is telling you that you're in the right and mother-in-law is a monster, but I honestly feel sorry for her and hope she goes no contact with you. Speaking of video games, do you ever play video games? And if so, which ones? Please let us know. If you play Fortnite, there's a good chance I've taken you out before.

38:41Am I the jerk for making my daughter share presence with my stepdaughter? Hi, 40 female, was a single mother to my daughter, Amy, who's 15. I married my wife Jenna, 42 last year. She has a daughter, Nora, who's 13. We all live together as I have full custody of my daughter. It was kind of hard for the kids to adjust, but they got along well. The girls have their birthdays very close, only two days apart, so we decided to have a joint birthday party for both of them. Since Nora had a hard time making new friends, they moved in with us and she's very shy. Most of my family lives out of the country, so the gifts were sent a week early. It was a huge bag with at least 20 gifts. The party was nice and we opened the bag at night once everyone left. Jenna handed out the presents as she took them out. After 12 gifts in a row, just for Amy, I checked the bag and froze to see that there was only one gift for Nora for my parents. She pretended it wasn't a big deal, but as she opened the present, I saw her eyes drop. It was a $15 tumbler from Walmart.

39:42Not to sound ungrateful, but Amy's gifts were much more expensive. Lots of gift cards over $100, a new phone, limited edition funcos, designer clothes, and lots of cards wishing her a happy birthday. Needless to say, I blew up the family chat, calling out my parents, siblings, and extended family who sent gifts for not considering Nora and my parents for the cheap gift. No one took me seriously since it's not our duty to give gifts to someone else's kid and Amy deserved them since I didn't even throw her her own birthday party, emphasizing that Jenna and Nora are my problem and not theirs. Nora was clearly hurt since it's not the first time my family has left her out. At night, I asked Amy to share some of the gifts with her step sister. Not all of them, just a couple of gift cards and some of the new clothes, Amy refused. This surprised me since she never had a problem with sharing and even though she and Nora are not BFFs, they usually get along. After asking why, Amy started crying,

40:43saying that she never wanted a joint birthday party and that I force her to share everything with Nora. They share a room for space and I make sure they're both invited to the same parties and sleepovers so that Nora won't be left out. If they don't invite both of them, then neither of them goes. Amy stated that she at least wanted her own gifts to be her alone. I scolded her for being selfish with her step sister, grounded her and took a couple of the presents to give to Nora. She turned them down because she didn't want problems with Amy and it felt like pity. Since then, Amy has been cold to all of us. I just wanted my two girls to be closer with a joint party and have the same things. Am I the jerk? Clarification. Jenna and I bought gifts for the girls, their own tablets, as well as their friends. Nora also received gifts from her extended family, but they sent for Amy as well. You're the jerk. You're basically asking your daughter to share her complete identity with Nora, her room, her stuff, her family, her friends, her birthday party, the party she goes to and sleepovers.

41:46Is there anything that's really hers? This can't be good for her development. She needs to be her own person. Yes, and Nora needs that too. How will she ever be able to be her own person and build her own relationships if everything in her life is based on a step sister who barely seems to like her? To be fair, the girls might genuinely get along with each other, considering that they're close in age and are going through the same situation of having to adapt to the new reality. At some level, I do think they understand each other. Nora had to leave behind her own life, room and friends. Amy is also aware of this, and now she's watching her step sister being forced to make similar sacrifices. Amy isn't allowed to have her own friends? You seriously don't let her socialize unless her sister is with her? Not to mention, maybe Nora doesn't want Amy there when she hangs out with her friends. Sounds like Amy has nothing to herself, and she can't even go out with her friends on her own. Do you see Amy struggles at all? Or are you so focused on the pretty picture in your mind and being Nora's hero that you don't see

42:48all the changes your own daughter is going through? You have compassion for Nora, and that's wonderful. But you are sacrificing your own daughter's happiness for Nora's. Just because Amy doesn't complain doesn't mean she isn't struggling and hurting. Yes, your parents are jerks. That was a horrible thing to do. But maybe they did her a favor if it wakes you up to just how awful you are being to your daughter. I'm wondering if she's complained to them or they just see how she's treated now. But you tried to fix it and you totally did it the wrong way. You punished Amy for your family's awful behavior. Listen to what Amy is telling you. She's been polite long enough. You are not bringing them closer. You are driving them apart. You're the jerk. Well, what do you think? Is OP the jerk for how she tried to handle this or not? Let us know right now. You can't force your kids to share everything. It never turns out good. Do this next. Tap here on your screen to come see our new podcast playlist where you'll find thousands of hours of the best stories you've ever heard. Or tap the one on the right. That episode is specifically just for you

43:50based on other videos you've enjoyed the most. Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job to some job board. But then all you can do is hope the right person comes along, which is why you should try Zippercrooter for free. Add zippercrooter.com slash zip. Zippercrooter doesn't depend on candidates finding you. It finds them for you. It's powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites them to apply to your job. You get qualified candidates fast. So while other companies might deliver a lot of, hey, Zippercrooter finds you what you're looking for. The needle in the haystack. See why four out of five employers who post a job on Zippercrooter get a quality candidate within the first day. Zippercrooter, the smartest way to hire. And right now you can try Zippercrooter for free. That's right, free. Add zippercrooter.com slash zip. That zippercrooter.com slash zip.

44:51Zippercrooter.com slash zip. Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job to some job board. But then all you can do is hope the right person comes along, which is why you should try Zippercrooter for free. Add zippercrooter.com slash zip. Zippercrooter doesn't depend on candidates finding you. It finds them for you. It's powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites them to apply to your job. You get qualified candidates fast. So while other companies might deliver a lot of, hey, Zippercrooter finds you what you're looking for. The needle in the haystack. See why four out of five employers who post a job on Zippercrooter get a quality candidate within the first day. Zippercrooter, the smartest way to hire. And right now, you can try Zippercrooter for free. That's right, free. Add zippercrooter.com slash zip. That zippercrooter.com slash zip. Zippercrooter.com slash zip.