Should children stop playing in the back garden after say 8.30pm?

[Owlingate]

You know most people don't let them out in the morning until 8am or 9am at the weekend? Does the same apply for the evening? Mine are trying to sleep in the back bedroom and next door's four year old is yelling and banging her toys on the concrete...

I do tend to get unreasonably annoyed about things disturbing my children's sleep but would I BU to ask the parents to keep her quiet? she should be in bloody bed

Just so not by stealth - we live in really small terraced houses so can hear every noise in every room not just back garden.

[XboxWidow30]

You can't say that the children have to be silent or in the house by a certain time as its up to the parents. ALthough I do get annoyed by it.

However, a 4 yr old. Gosh my 4 yr old is in bed by 6pm.

[Elgoogreven]

noooo, don't say anything.

[BoysAreLikeDogs]

8pm whilst they are still at school

a bit later after school finishes for the summer hols

YANBU

[BoysAreLikeDogs]

but seethe silently, don't say anything

[anniebear]

we have the same problem only in our road they are out till 10.30 pm

[Eglu]

IMO they should be in bed by that time. Especially at 4 years old.

[Elgoogreven]

oh dear, mine (5 adn 3)are usually still in the trampoline about 8.30pm at the moment. it's so light outside.

[CurtainTwitcher]

blimey my 3+4yr olds were snoring by 7pm.
I dont let mine play out in the garden before 10am and after 8pm and that is on weekends and school holidays etc. They only stay up later on special events like BBQs

[IlanaK]

My kids are in bed by 8pm, but my neighbours 2 and 4 year old are out in the garden yelling and screaming until 11pm most nights. I think its unreasonable, but they think it is unreasonable that my kids don't go to school and are often playing in the garden during the day.

[Owlingate]

She is having a tantrum now. It's cos she's bloody knackered. The houses are so close I couldn't tell at first whether it was one of mine . Feel like I should let mine out early in revenge but I like the couple on the other side..I shall seethe silently then thank you!

[minipie]

What about if it was the parents who were out in the back garden making a noise (say if they had people round for a BBQ or something).

Would you think that was BU as well?

In other words is this really about noise from next door, or is it because you think the child should be in bed?

[just curious]

[Owlingate]

Tis the noise really. I think it centres on the kid because she's often noisy really late. Have no probs with the odd bbq. I do think she should be in bed because she's keeping my kids awake though

[castille]

Maybe your DC wake the neighbour's DD up in the morning...

[minipie]

Well ordinarily, I'd say 8.30 is a bit early to expect there to be quiet from next door.

On the other hand, if there is frequent loud noise, that's annoying at any time of day really.

So in conclusion... YANBU if this happens often, not because it's 8.30 (or rather it was) but because it's frequent loud noise.

[minipie]

Has she gone to bed yet?

[Marjoriew]

There's a couple of 4 year olds out on the alleyway playing by house right now, and it's nearly dark.

[Galena]

Our neighbours kids are older, and so are often out at 9ish playing football in the back garden. I've found that DD actually manages to sleep through it normally (which is amazing considering she'd do anything rather than sleep normally!). So I'm glad I haven't said anything.

[PosyPetrovaPauline]

yes

[Owlingate]

Yes (are you my neighbour PPP?!). The 6 mo did wake up but he is light sleeper. Maybe if he spends his early months in this house then he'll be one of those kids who'll sleep through anything.

I just wasn't built to live in a terraced house...champagne tastes gin income unfortunately. How did anyone sleep in the old days when it was 2 or 3 families to a house??!

[PosyPetrovaPauline]

i dont like my children shrieking at any time of day ... i shush them constantly and our garden does not border anyone!

[gingertoo]

Had to click on this to make sure it wasn't my kids that you were posting about!
Mine were just about to get into bed when grandad called round. I was talking to him in the front garden (he was just dropping something off) and all of the kids saw this as an excuse to pile into the front garden in their PJs and start shrieking

[porcamiseria]

yabu

yet again this "early bedtime" UK thing

tough! although even mine would be out of the garden by that time

get a detached house!

[toccatanfudge]

Unless it's a party/social thing I do get my children into the house by 7pm latest and I certainly wouldn't be letting them play out loudly at 8.30!

I think noise from a BBQ or something is different from kids making lots of noise on a regular basis.

It's all about consideration, just because it's light doesn't mean it's ok for them to be out making a noise.

It gets light at 5am here now..........should I let my kids go and play then???

[greenbananas]

It's fair enough to expect a bit of peace and quiet in the evenings. You could explain to your neighbours that your LOs are in bed and ask them to encourage their 4 year old to keep the noise down a bit. However, it's completely unreasonable to expect your neighbours to share your opinions about appropriate bedtimes. Different families do different things and as long as the kids are getting enough sleep to be healthy, nobody has the right to judge.

[weblette]

Yanbu, it would be my kids wanting to be out late but they know that during the week it's an 8pm curfew so they don't disturb the younger kids living next door and over the back. Weekends/holidays a different matter but we still expect them to keep the noise a little lower.

We get on very well with our neighbours, they'd do the same if their kids were older.