We see absolutely nothing wrong with this, especially given the fact that she’s only 14 and some full-fledged adults still have stuffed animals. It’d be one thing if the OP’s daughter was still playing pretend with the stuffed animals and believed that they were alive.

However, if she’s just buying them because she thinks they’re cute and she likes having something to hold at night, then she’s maturing at a perfectly normal rate. Let’s not make her grow up too fast.

Given that the OP’s “stepson” is older than him, maybe the OP should be taking life advice from the 31-year-old, not the other way around. Furthermore, if the OP and this more mature woman are only dating, why’s he referring to himself as the “stepfather” of his girlfriend’s son?

We don’t blame the son one bit for wanting nothing to do with this guy. This son is grown and doesn’t need a father figure in the form of a child. Additionally, this whole relationship will probably last about five minutes.

Wow, OP, it’s almost as if there’s life after high school! Seriously though, we were all lied to for so long that we can’t 100% blame the OP for this ridiculous question. We’ve been led to believe that unless we get straight A’s and a Master’s degree, we won’t ever get jobs.

While that used to be somewhat true, times have changed, and companies are now more focused on experience and abilities than formal education. So if you got straight D’s in high school, there’s hope for you yet!

Truthfully, this looks a lot more like a thinly-veiled flex than a genuine question. On the off-chance that this person is really asking, we’ll try to answer. How much allowance is appropriate for a child is entirely dependent on the family’s financial situation.

It also has to do with what they want to teach their kids about the value of money. Some children get no allowance at all and turn out great! Others get $1,000 a week and also turn out totally fine. It all depends on your specific kid.

Obviously, we don’t know the circumstances that made this parent unable to be present for the past 12 years of their daughters’ lives, so we won’t judge that.

That being said, regardless of why they were absent, they can’t just appear and expect to be treated the same as a parent who’s always been around. Especially because the way they want to parent their daughters isn’t really age-appropriate. Maybe, in this case, it’s best to take things slowly.

No one can possibly think this is a good idea. It actually sounds like a terrible script for a rom-com from the year 2000. First of all, the OP’s friend should be honest with his parents. Second, the OP shouldn’t be getting involved in his friend’s family drama.

Third, if the OP doesn’t usually dress in traditionally feminine clothing, they’re simply not going to be able to pull this off. How about we leave these kinds of ideas for Adam Sandler movies?

Call us crazy, but we think the OP is asking the wrong question. It shouldn’t be, “Am I being harsh enough?” They should be wondering, “Am I being too harsh?”

We’re totally against skipping school, and we agree that there should be consequences, but taking away the kid’s bed is just too much. Basic necessities like food, shelter, hygiene, and a bed to sleep on, should never be involved in rewards or punishments at all.

First and foremost, no one needs permission to feel their feelings. Everyone is entitled to feel. However, the question is whether or not they should act on those emotions. In this particular scenario, the OP’s definitely entitled to express her unhappiness with her mom’s behavior.

We get that her mom just wants to protect her daughter and make sure all is well on the biological front. That being said, there still needs to be boundaries and a reasonable amount of privacy — even for a minor.

Given that the OP’s girlfriend explicitly said “goodbye,” there’s really no reason to ask if it’s over or if he should go to her house. She’s answered those questions perfectly clearly. He’s just not listening.

Either way, he shouldn’t need an explicit “goodbye” in order to understand how that conversation would end. It’s kind of like going to a party, slapping the host in the face, and then wondering if you’ll be invited back next time. It’s pretty self-explanatory.

One million subscribers is considered a success on YouTube, and most creators with that amount are making good money from their channels. So if this guy has 12 million subscribers, then it’s probably a full-time job in which he’s earning more money than a lot of other professions.

It seems that the OP is from a generation that didn’t really have the internet as a means to earn a living, so they’re struggling to understand how it all works. Times have changed, though, and so have profitable careers.

The OP needs to think back to the days when she’d tell her daughter, “my house, my rules.” That same policy stands true, but it’s now the other way around — while in her daughter’s house, it’s her daughter’s rules.

Being someone’s parent doesn’t give you the right to dictate their entire life forever. If that were the case, nothing would ever change because we’d all be doing exactly as our mothers have done!

We strongly agree that boys need to learn from a young age to respect girls. That being said, the OP’s strategy is simply not the way to go about it. This method won’t actually teach her son anything or give him a reason to respect women.

It’ll only embarrass him and potentially, make him resent girls. Instead, maybe teach him about all that women do and go through and why they’re worthy of just as much respect as men.

If the employees are good at their jobs and get their work done by 6:00 pm, why shouldn’t they leave when their workday is over? Sure, if they were slacking off all day, it’d be a problem.

However, if they’ve completed their tasks, are they really supposed to stay later just to say that they did? If you want your employees to stay into the night, you’re going to have to pay them accordingly. If not, then they have every right to go home when the workday is over.

The OP doesn’t need to convince their daughter to share what she talks about with her therapist; we already know the answer: She complains about her overbearing parent who won’t respect any privacy or boundaries and asks the therapist what to do about it.

We absolutely guarantee that’s at least one of the things those appointments are about. Therapy is extremely private, and being forced to talk about one’s sessions completely negates the point. Dear OP, have you really never heard of doctor-patient confidentiality?

Given what a Chad the OP is being, we can understand why his barber lied to him about being out of business. Judging from this post alone, we can imagine that this guy is the type of client who wants to sue over every little misstep the barber makes.

He didn’t like his haircut? Lawsuit! The parking lot was full? See you in court! This poor barber can’t even get rid of the client without being threatened with legal action!

Given that Albert Einstein’s IQ was estimated to be 160, we’re gonna go ahead and assume the OP is lying. Either that or there was a mistake in their results. In that case, the fact that the OP didn’t catch such a huge error kind of answers the question of whether or not they have an abnormally high IQ.

Or maybe, this person is so intelligent that they’ve managed to write, conduct, and calculate the results of an entirely new IQ test that us mere mortals can’t comprehend.

We’re usually all for being truthful, but there are definitely situations in which a white lie or a lie by omission is the way to go. Given that the OP’s kid is four years old, it can be assumed that her artwork sucks, and it really doesn’t matter.

It’s not like this parent needs to rent out an art gallery and invest in these drawings. Maybe this child’s skills will improve one day, or maybe not. But she definitely won’t learn how to do anything if she’s being shot down all the time.

This person has been spending way too much time cooped up at home if they’ve reached a point in which they’re counting their neighbor’s packages. Are they just jealous that they don’t get as much mail?

We suggest that the OP leave their house, make some friends, go for a nature walk, and if they’re still concerned about the packages when they get back… Move. Not for their sake, but for their neighbor’s.

For those who don’t know, an attractive nuisance is something that’s on someone’s property that can be harmful to children, and will knowingly attract minors, in which case the property owner can be held liable.

Since there was a fence around the pool, it doesn’t count as an attractive nuisance because the owner took precautions against someone falling in. Furthermore, given that the OP is talking about a lawsuit, they’re clearly not a child. So… yeah, this whole thing is ridiculous.

Either the OP needs to learn to separate from his parents, or his wife will separate from him! If he’s old enough to get married, then he’s certainly old enough to travel without his parents present — and to engage in consensual intimacy with his wife.

Does this remind anyone else of the honeymooning couple in the show The White Lotus? Things didn’t work out so well for them, so maybe the OP should take that as a sign.

This isn’t really how possession of property works. Let’s say you go to a friend’s house. Does that friend have the right to go through your wallet? After all, it’s in their house! What if you’re in a restaurant — can the owner go through your phone? It’s their establishment!

See the flaw in logic here? That being said, it’s important for a parent to monitor their kids’ internet access and make sure nothing dangerous is happening. If that were the OP’s argument, we’d be a lot more sympathetic.

Does it really matter if this kid has a beard? If anything, it’s pretty impressive that a 16-year-old can grow a full-on beard! If the OP is worried about the kid getting teased or feeling like an outcast, 16 is old enough to decide for himself if that’s a trade he’s willing to make.

But shaving this poor boy’s beard in his sleep is a whole new level of messed up. Who knows? Maybe his peers think his beard is pretty cool! In any case, the OP should really leave their son’s facial hair alone.

We hate to admit it, but we think this is an awesome idea! It’s definitely wrong, and the OP certainly shouldn’t do it, but we admire the creativity. Clearly, this person is a fan of movies like 50 First Dates and 13 Going on 30, and we’re right there with them!

We wish there’d be a moral way to go about this because we’re genuinely curious about what would happen. Can someone please pitch this idea to the creators of Black Mirror?

Look, we get it, kids are expensive, but everyone knows that before entering into parenthood. If you don’t want all the burdens that come with having a child, then… don’t have kids. Children don’t owe their parents anything at all. After all, they didn’t ask to be born.

Sure, it’s always nice to hear stories of people who grow up, get rich, and buy a house or car for their parents. However, that’s by no means a requirement for any child.

Does the OP really believe that he’s the only person in the world who wants to get rich without working? If people could get millions of dollars just by asking, we’d all be trillionaires!

Everyone wants financial freedom, but those of us with common sense are finding other methods to achieve it. You can get a high-paying job that’ll allow for early retirement, you can invest, play the stock market, or even try to win the lottery. But, no, you cannot extort people.

The OP’s wife is most definitely a keeper, and he should do whatever it takes to get her to stick around. You can always find a new job, but a baddie like her is rare! Not only is she laying down the law, but she’s even sending her husband on an errand at the same time.

We highly suggest he find a new job in Bangalore and pick up those vegetables on his way home because that woman is not messing around!

There are some adults who still love to watch Disney movies for nostalgia, or just because they’re great films. If a 14-year-old is still enjoying that type of entertainment, there’s absolutely no reason to be worried.

If she were exhibiting other behaviors or interests typical of a younger age group, we might see why the OP’s concerned. However, simply enjoying a film like Tangled is perfectly understandable. After all, a lot of those movies have jokes for adults, too.

The OP’s motivation is unclear, but regardless, the answer to the question is “no.” Does the OP want to change his son’s name out of spite for his ex-wife? We understand that divorce is tough, but you don’t spit on someone’s grave like that.

Or is it that the OP misses his ex-wife when he says his son’s name? In that scenario, we’re sure that they can agree on a nickname instead. His son probably loves having a name his mom picked out, so we definitely wouldn’t change it.

No one should ever dictate what another person does with their own body. It’d be fine and well if the OP wanted to gain weight for his own aesthetic preferences or for medical reasons, but to get the heat off his girlfriend’s weight gain is ridiculous.

We’re sorry that his girlfriend is struggling with her family, but messing with her boyfriend’s health isn’t the solution. So no, OP, don’t put on the pounds. And if your girlfriend won’t let it go, then let go of her.

This one kind of reminds us of those Reddit threads in which people ask, “Am I the jerk?” More often than not, the person is the jerk, but they’re asking because they want everyone to say that the other person’s wrong.

Well, this OP is about to be in for a nasty surprise because she’s definitely not the victim in this story. Her boyfriend broke up with her not because he’s insecure. On the contrary, he did it because he has self-respect.

We have a few questions for the OP: Do you watch sports games on TV? Do you play those sports yourself? Do you listen to music? Do you make your own music? Do you watch adult films? Are you really replicating all those scenarios in your own bedroom?

Yeah, we went there. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to watch someone excel at an activity that you may not always enjoy doing or be capable of doing yourself.

If you want your son to stop breaking the security cameras in his room, then we suggest that you stop putting security cameras in his room for him to break. We get that a concerned parent wants to keep an eye on their child if the kid perhaps has some behavioral issues.

That being said, making their son feel like he’s in prison isn’t the way to go about it. Of all the possible solutions one could come up with, security cameras are what the OP chose?!

Don’t tell us you’re unaware of this foolproof pregnancy test. No need to see a doctor or do one’s business on a stick; just see if someone’s willing to change a baby’s diaper. If they are, then congratulations are in order.

It’s like if you want to see if your child is eating enough vegetables. Just observe whether or not they’re drawn to the color green. With these types of totally scientific medical checks, who needs healthcare?

The only person who gets to decide who is or isn’t in the delivery room is the woman giving birth. Given that the OP and her son-in-law aren’t on speaking terms, we’re going to assume that the mom-to-be doesn’t want the OP present.

In that case, there’s no “getting past that.” The last thing any woman in labor needs to deal with is family drama. She’s about to make her own family, who’ll inevitably have their own drama, so let the old issues go.

Every few generations, we get a new type of music that older generations are scared of. They used to call pretty much everything “evil music,” and basically every genre had its turn. Blues, jazz, and rock n roll have all been given the scandalous title at one time or another.

The point is that people are naturally scared of what seems new and different to them. OP, give your son his phone back and just be grateful that he’s not listening to Billie Eilish.

It’s bad enough that the OP is violating their son’s privacy, but now they’re violating his girlfriend’s privacy too! Given the son’s age and the fact that the OP clearly doesn’t have boundaries, we’d say that this kid needs to move out ASAP!

Of course, that’s not always financially feasible, but if he can do it, he should. Sure, you save money by living in your parents’ place. However, you run the risk of being a 22-year-old who can’t even lock his own bedroom door.

Given that the OP’s son is in his 30s, nobody should be asking the OP for their opinion at all. Sure, they can tell their son what they think of this match, but no one really needs their permission at this point.

Also, what’s wrong with that age difference? It’s not a huge gap, and they’re both consenting adults. Is it because the woman is older? We think it’s kind of refreshing that a man’s interested in a mature woman for a change.

Physical touch that a person doesn’t like and hasn’t consented to is never okay. By this logic, you can say that it’s fine to hit a child if you hit them lightly and they’re a physically tougher kid. But you’re still hitting them, and that’s wrong.

If your children don’t like being tickled, then doing so would be inappropriate. Physical punishment is not discipline — it’s abuse. Find a better method to teach your children boundaries, and learn some boundaries yourself while you’re at it.

At the time of writing, there are roughly eight billion people in the world. Does the OP really mean to tell us that, out of eight billion people, they can’t find anyone else to date other than their ex’s mom?

No one else (out of eight billion) is good enough to make out with, or will consent to kiss this guy? Eight billion! Yeah, we’ve got to side with the ex here. Both the OP and the mom need to get out into the world and meet more people.

When your 13-year-old child is acting more mature than you, you know there’s a problem. A parent and their kids are a package deal, and if the parent’s partner isn’t ready to treat the kids right, then the partner’s got to go.

This mom needs to stop being selfish, get her act together, and grow up for the sake of her children. For the record, it’s not lost on us that a guy who mistreats his girlfriend’s kids will one day mistreat his girlfriend too.

Rather than dictating their daughter’s love life, why doesn’t the OP just go and marry a doctor themself? Sorry, but parents don’t get a say in who their children date (assuming that their child’s partner isn’t mistreating them).

The OP’s daughter is the one who has to have a relationship with this guy and, if all goes well, wake up next to him every morning for the rest of her life. Why would anyone listen to someone else’s opinion on who they wake up to every day?

To be fair, it’s not so much the question that’s the problem here. The real issue is the answer. Don’t get us wrong, we totally feel for this guy, and he has every right to be upset about his wife cheating on him. That being said, the way he chose to handle the situation is diabolical.

Whatever happened to just breaking up with someone when you discover they’ve been unfaithful? Tricking her into an accidental pregnancy, though… we think that’s something even Kanye West would find insane.

Let’s put it this way: Let’s say that you go to your neighbor’s house, and while you’re there, you answer a work call. You were breathing your neighbor’s air, in their home, while handling the call. Therefore, can they sue you for any money you made at work while on that call?

How about if you have a glass of water while in their home? Should they send you a water bill? No? Then stop bothering them about the honey.

Adult intimate content can be genuinely addictive, and some of that content includes anime. We assume that these are the type of movies the OP’s son is watching if he believes the fictional characters are his girlfriends.

In that case, he needs to seek the same type of help anyone with any dependency would need. It should also be explained to him that nobody has 20 girlfriends — even Brad Pitt could only get two women at a time, and Jennifer Aniston didn’t know about Angelina Jolie!

Well, OP, given that your son is 25 years old, there’s no getting custody back. No one can have custody over your son because he’s a full-fledged adult. Good for this man (not a boy, sorry, he’s 25) for trying to get out of his parent’s house.

He’s got a stable job, making good money, and can take care of himself; we see no reason that anyone should have “custody” over this guy. Given the question the OP asked, we’re just wondering how their son lasted in their house that long!

The Watcher has become one of Netflix’s most talked-about shows, as the true story has both terrified and fascinated audiences. The show about a family being harassed by someone who’s obsessed with their new house seems completely made up. However, the twisted tale is actually based on a real-life couple’s experiences. So, which parts were facts and which were fiction? Read on to find out…

Derek and Maria Broaddus are the real-life Dean and Nora Brannock who bought a house on 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey. The purchase was made back in 2014 and the house set the Broaddus family back a whopping $1.3 million.

Sadly, Maria and Derek’s dream home was about to turn into a nightmare. There’s nothing worse than feeling unsafe in your own home, but it’s a concept that’s all too relatable. Perhaps that’s why The Watcher has garnered such an audience.

Despite Netflix’s version of The Watcher portraying a family of four, the real Broaddus clan is a family of five. Maria and Derek have three children — two girls, and one boy.

Furthermore, the real kids were all under the age of 10 at the time, as opposed to teenagers as they’re depicted in the show. If you’re now worried about the storyline of Ellie dating Dakota — rest assured that part was entirely made up.

Three days after the Broaddus family moved in, they received their very first letter from the Watcher. The note was handwritten and the envelope was addressed to “The New Owner.”

Derek noticed the letter at 10 pm and immediately called the police — who were shocked that this was happening in their low-crime neighborhood. In fact, the responding officer is reported as having exclaimed “What the (…) is this?” Maria and Derek were officially spooked, and rightfully so.

The first letter read as follows: “Dearest new neighbor at 657 Boulevard, allow me to welcome you to the neighborhood. 657 Boulevard has been the subject of my family for decades now…”

“… As it approaches its 110th birthday, I have been put in charge of watching and waiting for its second coming. My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched in the 1960s. It is now my time.”

As if that wasn’t scary enough, the letter continued on to say, “Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard? Why are you here? I will find out.”

“Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I requested? Better for me. Was your old house too small for the growing family? Or was it greed to bring me your children?”

Lastly, the eerie note finished with, “Once I know their names, I will call to them and draw them too [sic] me. I ran from room to room imagining the life with the rich occupants there.”

“And now I watch and wait for the day when they [sic] young blood will be mine again.” The note was simply signed “The Watcher” with no indication as to who they were or what they expected of their new neighbors.

Given that the real Broaddus children were very young, and definitely not teenagers, they knew absolutely nothing about the Watcher. Derek and Maria wanted to shield their kids from the frightful situation.

In fact, the children only found out about the ordeal when it became a story on the news. Netflix’s reimagining of the Broaddus family was probably due to Maria and Derek’s request to Netflix to protect their privacy and not depict their children how they truly are.

The house’s previous owners were John and Andrea Woods, who were thrust into the spotlight when Derek and Maria sued them for remaining silent about the Watcher during the sale of the house.

Apparently, the Woods family received a letter from the Watcher one week before selling the house to the Broaduses. Maria and Derek decided to sue for breach of contract and fraud. The Chicago Title Insurance Company and the Watcher were also part of the lawsuit, despite the fact that no one knew who the latter was.

Andrea and John Woods claim that they’ve only ever gotten one letter from the Watcher in their 23 years living on that property, and it happened a week before the house’s sale. Furthermore, they insist that the letter wasn’t threatening so they simply threw it in the trash, never thinking about it again.

Their lawyer added, “My clients have gone through having to experience serious allegations that have made their way to the internet. They’ve been embarrassed and humiliated and subject to public ridicule.”

Eventually, the Broaddus’ lawsuit against the Woods was thrown out. It seems that Andrea and John tried to help Derek and Maria resolve the issue without getting into a legal battle. They accompanied the Broaddus family to the police station, where they showed the cops the Watcher’s letter.

The police instructed both couples not to say anything to anyone, as they were all suspects along with everyone else in the neighborhood. Interestingly, they were also advised not to tell new neighbors about the Watcher, which, given the lawsuit, seems hypocritical.

The second letter arrived on June 18th, 2014 — and, this time, it was addressed directly to “Mr. and Mrs. Broaddus.” The letter read, “The workers have been busy and I have been watching you unload carfuls of your personal belongings.”

“The dumpster is a nice touch. Have they found what is in the walls yet? In time they will. I am pleased to know your names and the names now of the young blood you have brought to me. You certainly say their names often.”

“Will the young bloods play in the basement? Who has the bedrooms facing the street? I’ll know as soon as you move in. It will help me to know who is in which bedroom then I can plan better.”

“All the windows and doors in 657 Boulevard allow me to watch you and track you as you move through the house. I am in charge of 657 Boulevard.” Once again, the letter didn’t reveal any information as to who the Watcher could be.

By July, the Broaddus family hadn’t moved into the house due to the Watcher’s letter. At which point, the Watcher sent a third letter asking “Where have you gone to?” and claiming that “657 Boulevard is missing you.” After receiving this third letter, Derek and Maria decided not to move into the house at all.

However, the couple was unable to sell the property as word of the Watcher had gotten out. Maria and Derek did bring up the idea of tearing down the house but the township planning board forbade it.

In 2017, Derek and Maria managed to rent out 657 Boulevard and made sure to tell their tenant about the Watcher. The two parties agreed on a contract with a clause allowing the tenant to leave if the Watcher were to strike again.

When asked if he was concerned about the house’s stalker, the tenant said, “That is not my issue.” Unfortunately, the tenant changed his tune when, less than two weeks after he moved in, the Watcher sent a fourth letter.

While the previous letters were undeniably creepy, they were written in a professional and almost respectful manner (as respectful as a peeper/stalker can be). The fourth letter, however, had a completely different tone — which was even scarier than its predecessors. It became clear that the Watcher was angry.

This message was addressed to “the vile and spiteful Derek and his wench of a wife Maria.” It went on to say, “You wonder who the Watcher is? Turn around idiots.”

The Watcher continued to taunt Maria and Derek by writing, “Maybe you even spoke to me, one of the so-called neighbors who has no idea who the Watcher could be. Or maybe you do know and are too scared to tell anyone. Good move.”

The letter then referenced “soldiers of the Boulevard” and claimed that they “carried out their mission and saved the soul of 657 Boulevard with my orders.” This message also contained threats, as the Watcher described starting a fire in the house or harming the family pet.

Despite the ominous letter, 657 Boulevard’s tenant didn’t see a reason to move out. However, he did insist that the Broaddus family install security cameras, to which they happily obliged. Derek and Maria were still hoping that the police could help.

But, the authorities warned them that catching the Watcher was like “trying to find a needle in a haystack.” The issue seemed to be that simply everyone around, or even remotely related to, 657 Boulevard was a suspect.

A lot of young families want to live in neighborhoods like Westfield, so many people suspect that the Watcher was someone’s way of getting the house back on the market. Or perhaps, it was someone who the Broaddus outbid for the property and they were upset about it.

Due to the Watcher’s knowledge about the Broaddus family, many people assume one of the neighbors was the culprit. However, there doesn’t appear to be a real motivation for any of them to antagonize the new homeowners.

Michael Langford was one of the neighbors who lived near 657 Boulevard. Michael was in his 60s but still resided with his mother, along with several of his siblings. Langford’s brother stated that Michael was known around the neighborhood for being schizophrenic, and that he would sometimes exhibit unusual behavior.

For example, he’d walk through neighbors’ backyards or peer through their house windows. That being said, the Langford family has always maintained that Michael was harmless. It’s worth mentioning that while neighbors called him “odd,” no one had ever reported him for a crime.

Derek and Maria decided to look into Michael Langford as a suspect. They hired a private investigator and two former FBI agents to do background checks on the entire Langford family and keep an eye on their house. However, they couldn’t find any evidence that Michael was the Watcher.

Sadly, Michael passed away in 2020, after which his family was vocal about the fact that they’d never forgive the Broaddus family for suspecting him. It’s worth noting that the Langfords never received an apology for the accusations.

Several more theories started to pop up about who the Watcher could be. Some people thought the letters were simply a prank while others suspected a real estate agent who was trying to drum up business.

However, there were those who had more dramatic theories about the Watcher’s identity. A lot of people believe that the Watcher is someone who lives in the walls of the house and has occupied the property for years. Others support the theory that Maria and Derek are actually the Watcher.

Many people believe that Derek and Maria wrote the Watcher’s letters and sent them to themselves in an attempt to get out of the sale of the house. The theory is that the couple regretted their purchase and needed a way out of the contract.

That being said, there’s no evidence at all to support this belief. Furthermore, the Broaddus family lost an estimated $400,000 when they finally did manage to sell the house in 2019.

The Watcher sent their letters locally and the first one pre-dated the announcement that the house had been sold — which means that all of the neighbors were suspects.

A lot of the Broaddus’ neighbors volunteered to participate in DNA tests in order to rule themselves out as being the Watcher. However, the general consensus in the community seemed to be that Derek and Maria were overreacting and the letters were nothing to be concerned about.

One of 657 Boulevard’s neighbors said, “I don’t think much of it, I don’t think it was anything scary. I would say the carjackings in this town are much more serious than the Watcher.” Another town resident claimed, “People haven’t heard of it.”

However, there were those who were sympathetic to the Broaddus’ plight and said they “felt bad” for the couple. One neighbor even admitted that they found the letters to be “creepy and spooky at the time.”

After the story of the Watcher was published in The Cut, producers started reaching out to the Broaddus family asking for the rights to tell their story.

However, Derek and Maria just wanted to be left alone and didn’t want their trauma to become a movie or TV show. The offers kept pouring in, though, with one producer even offering to buy the property and use it as an authentic film set.

Despite Maria and Derek’s insistence that they wanted privacy, Lifetime made a movie about their experience anyway. The couple was extremely unhappy with how the network handled their story, which led them to sell the rights to Netflix with two conditions in place.

Netflix was asked to change the family members’ names in their adaptation and to make sure that the fictional children were nothing like their real-life counterparts. The streaming service happily obliged and they paid Derek and Maria an undisclosed amount for their story.

Although Maria and Derek are keeping what they earned from Netflix private, one of their neighbors claims that it was almost $10 million. It seems to have been worth it for the streaming service, as The Watcher became their number-one show in Netflix’s Top 10 list and reached over 125 million hours of viewing in the first five days.

However, it’s worth noting that the platform changed more aspects of the story than just the ones that the Broaddus family requested.

Netflix made up the entire storyline about the tunnels hidden under the house — as those never actually existed. Furthermore, the house didn’t have a dumb waiter, despite that being a large plot point.

The real 657 Boulevard didn’t have rumors of a cult using the house, nor was the family pet actually harmed (although its life was threatened in one of the letters). Interestingly, the show did use the real text from the Watcher’s letters.

657 Boulevard now has new owners but they’re fiercely guarding their privacy and refuse to speak to the press. The house’s new residents are Andrew and Allison Carr but that’s all the public knows about them.

The biggest question of all — whether or not the Carrs received letters from the Watcher — remains unanswered. Unfortunately, now that The Watcher is a famous show, Allison and Andrew must contend with tourists trying to take morbid selfies on their property.

The Broaddus family has physically moved from the house but they’re finding it difficult to move on emotionally. Derek has stated that the experience is something the family thinks about “every day.”

It’s probably pretty hard to forget seeing as it’s now a popular Netflix show. Surprisingly, Maria and Derek don’t have any plans to see their story play out on TV. Apparently, they watched the trailer and found it to be “traumatizing enough.”

Derek and Maria moved their family to a new home that’s also in Westfield but they wisely used an LLC for the purchase so that their new location will remain private. Derek described the whole ordeal that took place at 657 Boulevard as “traumatic” and the worst years of the family’s life.

In terms of the Broaddus’ current emotional state, Derek says that they’re “trying to move on.” There’s only one thing stopping them…

As of November 2022, the Watcher still hasn’t been caught. The police say that they had several persons of interest but never enough information for a concrete suspect. They insist that the case is still open and being actively investigated.

Derek has expressed his concern, stating, “There is a mentally unhinged lunatic in that neighborhood.” Was the Watcher just a joke gone too far? Or did they intend to cause actual harm to the Broaddus family? More importantly, are they finally done with 657 Boulevard? We may never know.