Members of a popular internet forum were left disappointed after one homeowner revealed how her new neighbors took full advantage of her generosity.

In a viral Reddit post published on r/AmITheA**hole, Redditor u/RosiePosey101 (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said she kept a communal freezer stocked with cool treats for neighborhood kids until one group of children—and their parents—forced her to take extra security measures.

Titled, "[Am I the a**hole] for putting a lock on my deep freezer?" the post has received more than 6,000 upvotes and 500 comments in the last day.

Explaining that she lives in a small, tight-knit community that frequently gathers to celebrate holidays and share meals, the original poster said that to ensure children playing around the neighborhood stay cool on hot days, she filled an extra freezer with popsicles and ice creams and placed it outside her house.

"I left a note on the freezer telling them that it's ok to take more than one, just be mindful of others and don't take [too] many," OP wrote.

The original poster also said that the freezer was a neighborhood hit, until a new family moved in.

"Their kids would always take way too much, sometimes even taking whole boxes of popsicles," OP wrote. "Even the parents would come and snatch a few.

"I went to their door and told them that they had to slow down," OP continued. "They said they understand and that they'll tell their kids to slow down."

Despite their commitment to "slowing down," however, the original poster said she caught both parents taking multiple boxes of ice cream the next day and immediately devised a plan to stop their greed in its tracks.

"I decided to get a clasp lock for the freezer," OP wrote. "I also bought multiple keys for it and gave them to all my neighbors except for that one family."

"A few days later I had both of them banging on my door and yelling about how I'm making them seem like thieves to the other neighbors and calling me [an] over dramatic b**ch for locking the freezer," OP added.

On hot days when parents are at work or enjoying the fruits of their labor in air conditioned apartments and houses, children often stay outside to play, regardless of risk or discomfort.

But even the most resilient children need help to make it through the dog days of summer.

For parents, making hot days easier for children can be as simple as promoting proper hydration and mandating regular breaks for resting and recharging. And as parenting website Run Wild My Child notes, providing cold treats like popsicles and smoothies can make a world of difference.

Plus, making those sweet treats with fruits and other healthy ingredients can be a fun activity that keeps kids inside and out of the sun.

As is the case with pool-owning homeowners who allow neighbors and their children to swim throughout the summer, however, no amount of precautions can account for greed and willful ignorance of policies set in place.

To conclude the viral Reddit post, the original poster reiterated that she put the lock on her freezer because of her new neighbors, and that she will keep the lock because of their complaints.

"I simply told them that I gave them a warning but they didn't listen so now they gotta deal with the consequences of their actions," OP wrote.

Throughout the post's comment section, Redditors were supportive of the original poster's decision, but remained closely focused on her ice cream-stealing neighbors and the example they've set for their children.

"[Not the a**hole]," Redditor u/nocturnal_rainbxws wrote in the post's top comment, which has received more than 8,000 upvotes. "Their parents clearly haven't taught them to be considerate and keep enabling the s**tty behavior they learned from them."

"There is a fun saying 'you teach people how to treat you,'" Redditor u/National-Platypus144 added, receiving nearly 3,000 upvotes. "They are just [hiding] their [embarrassment] but were fine trying to move BOXES of ice cream they didn't pay for."

Redditor u/GrabOk6838, whose comment has received more than 2,500 upvotes, echoed that sentiment.

"[Not the a**hole] and that family ruined a really sweet gesture by being selfish," they wrote. "You tried reasoning with them and they didn't care how it could have been ruined for the whole neighborhood."

"Definitely keep the lock on," they advised.

In a separate comment, which has received more than 1,500 votes, Redditor u/ghostofumich2005 warned the original poster of future transgressions.

"They made themselves seem like greedy thieves because they are," they wrote. "What you were doing was more than generous and they took advantage of it.

"Don't be surprised to find the lock broken or the whole freezer gone one day though," they added. "I'd get a camera on it."

Newsweek reached out to u/RosiePosey101 for comment.

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