Couple 'tricks' neighbors into thinking they have a baby but aren't sure how to handle their generosity

Although lying about things is not considered a good solution to a problem, sometimes people might not see any other way out. However, lying creates an entire mesh of misunderstandings that can be very hard to get out of. A couple who lied about having a baby to their neighbors found themselves in a similar situation when their neighbors started doing nice things for them, but their baby did not actually exist. The 27-year-old wife, u/darklipstick686, took to Reddit to share the entire story.

"My spouse and I moved into a nice, family-friendly neighborhood a few years ago. We rent, and the price of housing is...woof. Our neighbors are mostly elderly couples and families," the woman began. She shared that during election season, they would get a lot of canvassing, which was very distracting for her due to her work-from-home setup. Their dog would bark every time someone knocked or rang the doorbell. "I am constantly on the phone and in meetings. To deter people from coming up to our door and interrupting all day, I put up a sign on our door asking them to please not knock, as I work from home." The sign worked to some extent, but people would still call for them from the door or come up to the porch, making the dog bark nonetheless.

So the 27-year-old took the sign down and put up another sign that read, "POLITICAL SOLICITORS: We are confident in who we are voting for and appreciate your great efforts in what you do. Please DO NOT ring the doorbell or knock. The dog WILL bark, waking the baby and interrupting my workday. Thank you and happy canvassing!" The sign worked, and people did nothing more than leave flyers. The couple eventually took the sign down after the election season was over. "We live in an area that gets a lot of snow, and since the beginning of winter, our neighbors are always snow-blowing and shoveling each other's sidewalks and driveways, including ours," she wrote. The couple would never get a chance to do the same, as everything was done before they got off work. But the wife wanted to find the neighbors and bake something for them as a thank you.

Finally, the wife's spouse found a man snow-blowing their driveway. "My spouse goes up to the man and tells him we've been trying to catch him and thank him, and tries to give him some cash. The man adamantly refuses and tells us to 'save it for the baby.'" He shared the incident with his wife, and the couple understood that the entire neighborhood thought that they had a baby because of the sign. They also considered that people may be helping them so much because the neighbors thought they had a baby. Consequently, the couple aimed to clarify the misunderstanding and show kindness to their neighbors in return.

u/LTK622 wrote, "When the weather is warmer, host a neighborhood barbeque in your yard. The best way to repay your lovely neighbors is to build community and friendship. (A hidden benefit will be to come clean about the baby.)" u/shewholaughslasts commented, "I bet most if not all would appreciate your ruse! Especially once you describe the context of your work-from-home setup and how prior notes were ignored." u/howtobemegoatzz remarked, "Warm weather means barbeque time! Let’s build community and friendship and by that, I mean let’s see who can flip a burger without burning it while dodging questions about my baby!"