Screaming children in summer gardens

[user1468698069]

There is a house that backs on to several other houses mine being one of them. Every summer once the schools are out our gardens become no go zones. They have a few children who scream and scream and scream. You can't read a book, listen to music, or relax in the sunshine without your ears being assaulted.

I'm a mother and one of five myself, so by no means do I expect children to be quiet but the screeching, squeeling is constant and outrageous. Other neighbours (and it's not just my street but streets whose gardens are back to back with them separated by a jetty have asked them to please be reasonable. Somehow we are supposed to appreciate their chidrens' laughter. It's high pitched screaming that goes on for hours until I can't use my garden now, the noise is unbearable. AIBU or are the parents' for not teaching these children that they are cool to enjoy their gardens but to keep the screeching down? I chose my words carefully to accurately describe the noise. The parents just don't give a hoot.

[SheHasAWildHeart]

The other day I heard lots of kids screaming and assumed there must have been 10 of them, but when I looked there were only 3 :/ But they were making such a racket.
This is one of the reasons why I love where I live because it's just elderly retired people or older couples whose children have left home. I can quite often see them sat in the garden reading and it's lovely.

[user1468698069]

I am not sure what to do about this, the schools are just out and weeks of this will make sitting in my own garden unbearable. I've felt like recording it and playing their own noise back to them full power at 11 pm, see how they like their own noise when it's inconvenient for them. I wouldn't do it but it's tempting.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

DD has ADHD. She finds it incredibly difficult to be still and quiet. She has to at school, she has to at people's houses, she has to in shops, restaurants and anywhere else indoors.

We just had a thread about keeping children quiet at the beach FFS. Now in their gardens. I get that's it's annoying and I do jump on the screaming but can't kids use their outdoor voices anywhere?

Thank goodness I live somewhere with proper wilderness. I can take her out into the woods and leave her to run around and scream at the bears and cougars.

[facepalming]

Unless they are going on until late at night then yabu

Kids are kids and they are entitled to make noise in their own garden.

It is annoying I know (I have a communal green next to my house - I hate the summer holidays!!!) but they aren't doing anything wrong

[MyKingdomForBrie]

Well you did kind of answer your own question there mrsterry

I don't mind 'outdoor voices' if by that you mean laughing, calling to each other etc., but mindless screaming is very different, and I can't see how it's justifiable or beneficial to the child on this kind of frequent basis. Just because the space is 'outside' doesn't mean it's not proximate to other people.

[Owllady]

There was a thread about this yesterday (actuallg I think there were two/ and Sarah vine has always also wrote a piece 're screaming children today too

[user1468698069]

It's not the children who are doing anything wrong it's the parents. What's the big deal in asking them to pipe down, keep the noise down, stop screaming. My son has ASD it is just was just as important for me to teach him it's OK to have fun but not at the expense of others. I have heard other neighbours getting to the end of their patience and shouting at these kids to pipe down. It's screaming, high pitched and goes on for hours. 20-30 peoples' homes should not be made hellish so a few kids can scream their heads off and their parents' can abdicate responsibility for teaching them any consideration for others whatsoever.

[specialsubject]

talking, occasional yelling, laughing - fine.

but the hideous endless shriek/scream needs to be stopped, unless there are special needs which mean it can't be helped. Family members used to live near an adult with this problem, the only thing they could do is repeatedly tell themselves that it was much worse for the carers.

kids without special needs need to be taught not to scream.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Well you did kind of answer your own question there mrsterry True but I don't have a proper 'screamer' so it's easier. My DF has three girls who are and you couldn't stop them with a fire hose when they are in full screech. Thankfully they live in the arse end of nowhere.

[honkinghaddock]

Its about consideration and compromise. All children should be able to play outside but if they are loud don't let it go on for hours non stop if you think it will be annoying to neighbours. I would apply this to any loudness including ordinary children playing loudness, grass cutting loudness etc.

[WhereYouLeftIt]

Could the other homes collude with loud boomboxes placed near this garden playing maybe gangsta rap with lots of loud and audible motherfucker' etc.?

(Not serious, but maybe imagining it might help.)

[phoenix1973]

We should have the opposite scenario and I can't wait.
I back onto the school field and my god, what a bloody racket!!
They sure out all day and some look over my fence whilst I'm out in my garden.
It's great that they are being active and not stuck indoors. My child goes to said school.
However, the field is massive so why do the need to play right near my fence when the other field is empty with no back gardens?
It's the VOLUME and screeching........and that's just the boys.
Plus the fact it's constant plus after school clubs...then the parents like to nose as well.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to quiet this summer 👍🏻😀🌞

[hooliodancer]

I feel you pain. Last night next doors 2 children screamed at the top of their lungs from 3.30 to 9pm. They do not have any special needs. Their parents don't try and stop them at all.

Their house is 'minimalist' so when they are screaming inside the echo is awful. We are the only neighbours, so I guess the parents, who are both utter cunts, don't care. It must drive them mad, so I have no idea why they don't try to stop them. They have also kindly removed the hedge from around their whole house so the noise carries even more.

[MrsBobDylan]

I think the fact that some kids shriek is just a fact of life. That said, I live a minutes walk from a school in an area which is packed full of kids and it is pretty peaceful here. I find it worse when they reach the teen years and play really awful music loudly in the evenings, then get picked up by their friend's souped up corsa pumping out even louder, awful music and repeating it when they get dropped off at 1am, shouting goodbyes at each other.

But it's life and I would rather keep calm about it because it'll never change.

[Babyroobs]

My neighbours kids have been screaming all morning. Fortunately they've gone in now. It does get unbearable in the summer. I have kids myself and have no objection to kids having fun laughing, splashing shouting, it's just the high pitched screams that are intolerable.

[LavenderRains]

YANBU
For the last what seems like billion summers our ndn was a childminder with a garden full of bouncy castle, trampoline, paddling pool, Wendy house, tree swing etc etc. Summer was unbearable.
She had 4 or 5 children in there most days. More if friends visited and omg the noise!
Like pp said I can cope with talking, laughing, occasionally shouting but the screaming and screeching went on for hours.
Ndn used to feebly tell them to sshh to no avail. I never sat in my own garden.
If they were on the trampoline they could see right over my fence and used to shout at me to watch them
However, they moved out a few months back and a professional couple moved in who I've seen once!
Happy days are here again until they produce children

[handbags88]

We had this the night before last - kids out screaming/crappy pop music blasting until 10:30pm.
Eventually I went upstairs and slammed the windows in a very passive aggressive manner
Their mum shouted 'darlings, be quiet please!' but made no effort to actually stop them screaming.
They screamed until 11:15.
I had my 3 month old sleeping in her moses basket downstairs and couldn't take her upstairs until the noise had stopped. Some people are just bloody inconsiderate buggers.

[Goingtobeawesome]

I'm forever telling ds not to be so loud. I'm really conscious of the neighbour's. I do wonder though if I'm being mean.

[Oblomov16]

Screaming is a problem. Laughing and having fun is not what op asked about. I tell my ds's to keep the noise down if they get too loud. I think thats respectful.

[Floralnomad]

We have a similar problem ,there is a house that's garden is near ours and they have 2/3 children one of whom screams constantly at the top of her voice , whether she is arguing with her brothers or just asking for a drink it's all done at screeching levels . I have had young children and I don't mind noise but I've never once heard her parents ask her to tone it down and frankly they need to .

[RortyCrankle]

My beady stare is available for hire if you're interested. There was a screamer in the supermarket earlier, one look with my beady stare rendered them silent

Seriously, you have my sympathy.

[RortyCrankle]

My beady stare is available for hire if you're interested. There was a screamer in the supermarket earlier, one look with my beady stare rendered them silent

Seriously, you have my sympathy.

[supersoftcuddlytoys]

I'm in West London and we're packed in like Sardines here. This is why I dread Summer.. They were out here screaming, (the neighbours two children) 'till around 10 last night. Come the weekends and it's the parents' turn / party time. Shouting, screaming, music blaring all night. No one says a peep to them, only me.

[CalmItKermitt]

Try living here. Theres a block of flats a few doors down and in the summer they all congregate in front of it.

So I'm being assailed by a constant barrage of dogs barking, regular shouts of "FUCKING SHUT UP FUCKING DOG", screaming children splashing in a paddling pool, women squawking "I SAID NO FUCKING SPLASHING JAYDEN!!! PACK IT IN NAAAAAAH!!!" and other such relaxing sounds.