'My neighbour is driving me mad by asking same six-word question each day'

A woman is growing increasingly impatient with her neighbour who has taken to asking her the same "annoying" question on mornings she's not available to chat with her - and she's keen to make it stop. Maintaining cordial relationships with neighbours is a desirable goal for many people keen to avoid awkwardness or drama at home.

But sometimes, becoming close with a neighbour can have its downsides too, particularly if they're quite demanding of your time. One woman has learned this the hard way, as her neighbour takes it very personally if she doesn't interact with her each morning.

Though they get on - and even have weekly dinners together - the neighbour feels slighted if their morning "meet ups" don't occur, which is wearing the woman out.

Taking to Reddit, the woman tagged her post as a "vent/rant" and penned: "We have a great neighbour who has dogs, and loves our dog. We have weekly dinners together and while she can be somewhat annoying at times overall she is a great person."

She then detailed the "annoying" question her neighbour asks her on mornings that don't go the way the neighbour would prefer.

The woman continued: "She does have one habit I wish she would stop. We see her most every morning when she walks her dogs and we are having coffee on the front porch.

"If we miss a 'meetup', and don't check in that day, we get a message, 'why are you mad at me?' Sometimes we are processing bills, having personal discussions or dealing with our [own] business.

"At first I wrote it off, but each time we do not meet up, she takes a personal hit from the lack of interaction. I know internally it is her issue."

The woman sought "kind advice words" to help her point out to her neighbour that "not every day is a chat day".

In the comments section, people were keen to share their thoughts. One person simply said: "Ask her why she thought you were mad at her. That should open the awkward dialogue."

Another said: "It sounds like she could have a fear of rejection or abandonment or possibly over analyse situations. I would answer, 'no of course not, we just had to... today, what makes you think we are mad at you? X'."

A third asked: "Why does she think it's all about her?"

A fourth commented: "And this is exactly why I don't like being close with my neighbours. There's always a weird one."

Someone else advised: "I would say, 'I don't understand why you assume I'm mad at you? And to be honest, I do find it annoying that you ask this every time I'm not around at the same time. As I've explained before, I'm busy at times and I do wonder why you think it's about you?'

"Then (if it's something I want to hear about) ask if they'd like to talk about it. Insecurity sucks, and I don't want to increase anyone's issues with it. At the same time, I'd find the follow up texts over the top frustrating.

"Your neighbour needs to work this out, and you can set your boundaries as you wish. As it sounds like you're quite close, I wish you luck!"

Another Reddit user said: "You're busy? Your lives don't revolve around her? Seriously think about taking a few steps back here, this isn't normal in any way."

And another quipped: "I'm still processing that you have a neighbour you have dinner with every week."