Will try to make a long story short, but will also try not to drip feed. This is a long-standing issue that seems to be escalating lately...
I am genuinely interested to hear if IABU or not, so please don't hold back (not that you lot need telling!).
Anyhoo, for the last three years, we have lived in an apartment complex on a residential, semi-rural estate. In our section, there are two blocks of flats facing each other with a private, walled, gated car park in between.
There is a bit of a "problem family" in the opposite block, who have five children, two of whom are boys around 10 and 11. Over the last three years, there have been issues with them and their friends (not from our block) using the car park as a playground: climbing over the walls; hanging off (and repeatedly breaking) the electric gates; blocking the road to the gates with their skateboard ramps; and giving neighbours a lot of gobby abuse when ever asked to stop it (they are all up on their "peedo" accusations if ever spoken to - no matter how politely!).
Aside from the gobbiness, I know this is just kids being kids. But it is now getting to near constant levels over the weekend and summer holidays, and gone from just a few kids to about 20 at a time (aged around 9 - 14, and not from our block), who all join in the jeering if anyone ever challenges them (I never have - cause I am scared of them, which I hate feeling just in itself!).
I say "problem family", as the father is a bit of a thug and will get aggressive with anyone even speaking to his kids. There is bad blood between him and the directors of the building - and (afaik) issues with the boys' truancy, SS and a police track record (one of the director's sons goes to the same school, and is bullied by them as his mum has gone up against them in the past).
I know this as my husband is also now a director of the building (and therefore on the neighbours' "shit list") - but collectively they seem pretty powerless to do anything about this.
I'm aware I sound a grumpy old fart (I'm just 32!) and possible snob - I do think it's a good thing for kids to "play out" generally speaking, and know they are only following their dad's confrontational example.
That said, we work hard in the week and would like to relax over the weekends when we have the chance without the constant screaming from a load of kids, all but two of whom don't even live here...
I can also imagine that none of the parents of the non-resident kids would be particularly happy about twenty kids rampaging across their own properties - so why ours...??
And if IANBU, what can we do about it....??
Absolutely dreading them getting older... :( :( :(
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AIBU?
To not want our car park to be a children's playground...??
42 replies
LadyShirazz · 27/09/2015 17:53
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