Whatever happened to being neighborly and helping one another out?

On the 'community site' that I frequent the most, there is a Mumm (Make up my mind) discussion section. A lady made a mumm that went like this:

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"I have some new neighbors that are kinda getting on my nerves already. Our daughters are friends but they have started sending their kids here to play uninvited plus needing rides and even needed to borrow a cup of sugar....Who does that now days...geez sugar is cheap!


So....what would y'all do?

A...go ahead and nip it right now!
or
B. try to be nice and hope it'll get better once they get settled in"
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I responded a few times. The first time I said, "be neighborly? Maybe in their previous neighborhood they really counted on their neighbors for help. I'd wait to see if it gets better once they are settled in.."

But then I thought about it, and went back to the Mumm. Another lady had posted," Oh my gosh for you to be upset over a cup of sugar that is so awful. They might not have any money at all and really needed it and thought that you would be nice to give it to them....too bad I don't know your neighbor, I would tell them not to associate with you because you're such a shallow person. As far as the kids go, if they're aren't bothering you, why be so petty.......geeze girl get a life!~"

To which the original poster had replied,"For Jennifer...read the whole thing...they bum rides and sen kids here for hours if I let em...etc. I gave them the sugar and I'm not a greedy person but I'm not their taxi nor baby sitter! If you like, I'll send em your way and look for an upcoming mumm from you on the topic...sound good to you?"

To me, it sounds like she already has made up her mind long before she posted the question. She just wants verification to her stand of non-neighborliness. I would hate to be her neighbor!! Even when we lived in the *mobile home court*, we were pretty good neighbors with everyone around us. We lent food back and forth, the parents watched each others kids, and we gave ride back and forth.

I then posted, "Still, there are far worse neighbors out there. (In response to your response to Jennifer: Isn't it enough to be helping someone else out that may really really need it? What if they are short on food supplies? Maybe the children are really really grating on their nerves, and they need a break before they go insane?

It's much better to send the children to the neighbors where there is an adult present, then to send them to the park anymore. They could be abducted, or hurt in someway. It's happening more and more.

To discuss solutions, maybe you could invite them over for dinner or just a quick cup of coffee and talk about going back and forth for playdates, and maybe make arrangements where they can pay you a little for the rides."

Her response to that was, "Well, in response..I gotta say this.....I have 3 kids 3,7,16 yrs of age and I am on a set budget myself, not that I'm hurting in any way but my whole point is, I've met them, she even has my # yet she never uses it, they've been there about a month or two even and it's something new every week. I'm a single mom who gets very lil breaks so ....go from there and figure out the rest...."

I'm not going to get into an online battle with the lady, but maybe she should try to help others have the breaks that she hasn't gotten. Make life a little easier for those around her. It will come back to her someday, I am sure.