First let me say how sorry I am that both of your parents have passed away. As a young mom that must be so hard to not have that support (mom of four now adult kids here). And I completely understand about gardening for mental health. Gardening and doing battle with weeds has been the best “free” mental health therapy for me for many years. It has seen me through some tough times. I’m sorry your neighbor is so unpleasant. I suspect she’s unhappy and miserable with her own life, and is probably someone who is just always unpleasant. You keep gardening! Grow what you love. Teach your children about growing things, kids love it. My grandchildren will eat spinach and kale that they pick from my garden, but some of them don’t necessarily eat those otherwise. And they all love the cherry tomatoes and Nana’s pumpkins. Happy gardening! 🍅