To let my sons stay out playing football

[shudacuda]

With the evenings being so much brighter and longer I have been letting my ds 1 and 2 (aged 11 and 13) stay out playing football at the weekends until about 10.30. They don't play on the road but use the green, which is about 3 minutes walk from our house. A couple of other boys are also out there at that time and they play together. Apparently last night someone from one of the surrounding houses came out and asked them to stop playing as it was 'too late' to be out making noise.

I was a bit surprised as I don't really think it's that late for a summer evening, particularly as they were playing on the green and not kicking the ball around directly outside someone's house.

I don't want to cause hassle with the neighbours so not sure WIBU to let them continue to play out there until that time as long as no one else complains?

[storminabuttercup]

I think legally it's probably not too late, morally i wouldn't let my kids as 10.30 is late and kids playing football outside my house would piss me off at that time, so wouldn't allow them to do it around someone else's

[balletgirlmum]

I think it's too late for a school/work night.

My children have finished school for the summer but I'm very aware the next door neighbours children havnt plus people have to get up for work.

My limit would be 9pm sun-thurs & 10pm fri/sat.

[SaucyJack]

I do think YABU- not least because you conveniently send them to play out of your earshot.

Nothing ruins a summer's evening quite like the thud-squawk-thud-squawk-thud of adolescent males playing football for hour after hour, night after night.

[shudacuda]

Thanks. Will reconsider it but am a bit surprised. When I was a child we played out until all hours.

[Snoozybird]

Well it's clearly loud enough for your neighbour to hear them even if they aren't directly outside the house. Just because only one neighbour has had the guts to complain doesn't mean that others aren't quietly seething (I'd personally feel too intimidated to say anything ).

If I lived in a house next to a green I'd expect to hear kids playing but not at 10:30 pm.

YABU and inconsiderate.

[daisywellies]

I agree with SaucyJack. I live beside a Green and its really annoying when kids are still out there at 10 and after kicking balls around and shouting. I don't think parents realise how wearing it is to have to listen to it all afternoon and again after tea and then to have some parents who just won't call their children in at a reasonable time ie no later than 10 and preferably about 9.30.

Just because people live beside a Green it doesn't mean they have no right to consideration and a couple of hours of peace and quiet at night time.

And I hate this argument that 'we used to stay out til all hours'. 'All hours' was probably about 9 o'clock but to kids back in the 80s or whenever it probably felt really late.

[PurpleHairAndPearls]

Too late, in my opinion.

If you have your own garden, I would normally say let them play there, but I still think 10.30 at night is too late to be disturbing neighbours.

Mine are in by 9 at the latest, there are a mixture of elderly people who I'm sure don't want to be disturbed after that, and babies/children who would also be sleeping.

[balletgirlmum]

At age 14/15 I had to be in by 9.30 & a neighbour called the police on my brother because he was supposedly making too much noise riding his bike.

I'm 42 & I don't think kids did stay out til all hours certsinly not in resudential areas. But we had a couple of parks/Rec grounds nearby where we wern't close enough to any houses for them to hear us playing.

[LifeIsBetterInFlipFlops]

Yes, it's too late and is inconsiderate.
9pm is probably late enough.

[mumblechum1]

Agree with pp. Let them play in your garden if necessary but not annoy other people.

[FurtherSupport]

I think it's too late too, but people do seem to have double standards for children's noise to other noise.

I'd say abut 8:30 is late enough for football but friends over for a BBQ and lots of chatting/laughing, 10:30 seems to be a "considerate" time to call it a day.

[saoirse31]

Wouldn't have an issue with it

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

It's too late for me, I'm often in bed by 10 and would hate that noise. It must annoy people with Young children who are trying to sleep, I would have thought.

[daisywellies]

I suppose the difference between a barbecue and kids playing out on the green is that a barbecue probably only happens a handful of times over the Summer, whereas if kids are let stay out until 10.30 it's usually every night or most nights and the neighbours get fed up and on edge about it.

If my neighbours had loud barbecues every night of the week I'd soon get pretty pissed off with them.

[coolaschmoola]

Our house backs onto a field. I wouldn't be impressed if there were kids playing football at half ten at night. Football makes a surprisingly large amount of repetitive, irritating noise. I have no issue with it up until nine, part of buying this house, but during the week I am up at six so go to bed at ten - listening to kids kicking a ball would keep me awake. It would also make getting my dd to bed harder if she could hear children playing. She's already still up at nine most nights but luckily it goes quiet then.

Sorry but you are being seriously inconsiderate. Your kids are making repetitive, loud noise outside other people's houses at a time when many people may be in bed. Your kids may be off school, but for many people work still goes on.

[RiverTam]

I think that's quite late, I know lots of adults who are in bed at 9.30. I know it's nice for them to be out making the most of the long evenings, but you/they need to consider others.

[nokidshere]

I wouldn't let my two boys be playing out till 10:30pm regardless of what they were playing!

[coolaschmoola]

My dd is three btw. Bedtime is 7pm. She's up until nine because she can hear teenagers playing football and on the park until then.

I accept it's one of those things until 9pm but I LOVE it when it rains in the evening or the nights start to draw in because she goes to sleep.

[pilates]

Now that it's been drawn to your attention you should bring them in earlier, 9pm would be more reasonable especially as they need to get up for school.

[Purplepoodle]

9.30 at latest if they are playing near people's house. No one wants to sit on an evening listening to thump, thump as they kick the ball.

[Purplepoodle]

Let them play in your garden after 9pm

[AndNowItsSeven]

At 10.30 the 11 year old if not the 13 year old should be in bed never mind playing out.

[BabyGanoush]

Let them play in your own garden after, say 9:30

It's the sort of sod-everyone-else-attitude that sucks in the OP, by letting them be noisy near OTHER people's kids homes (who may have an earlier bedtime than 10;30, and are being kept awake)

[sweetgrape]

Well if someone complained I should imagine it was disturbing them. The best way to look at it is....would you mind boys playing football outside your house till 10.30 at night? if the answer is yes you have your answer.

[BeeRayKay]

At 10.30 Im frequently in bed, or getting ready for bed. Especially if I'm at work the next day. Consideration for others is good.

At 11, there is no way I'd have been allowed out until 10.30.