Kids playing in my garden ...I told them to get out,being unreasonable?

[Ananob344]

I live in a corner house
I have a front garden and a drive that fits a car then a small path which leads to the back garden which is quite large.
Yesterday it snowed a lot here.
I got home to 4 kids in my front garden building a snowman.
I thought ok they are doing no harm and I haven't lived here long so don't be rude.
About 25 mins later I'm in the kitchen making tea ..they start playing in my back garden..throwing snowballs.
At this point I'm annoyed so I go out and say that I'm closing my hate for the night and can they play somewhere else.
They say why?
I then say "just about to lock up for the night"
They look annoyed
This morning I'm putting my wheely bin out and 2 of the mums make a snarky comment
"Kids can't even play outside these days without getting wrong"
Eh
It's my gardens..why should they be playing in it.
Aibu ?

[Ananob344]

*gate not hate

[Soubriquet]

Not U

The parents are U for letting their kids go in someone's garden without permission...

[Nikephorus]

Your garden, end of.

[TwinklyGiraffe]

Do you really need to ask??!!

Random children should not be playing in your garden!

[Ananob344]

No I have 2 gates(which I close )
1 gate is to shut once car is on drive then the other the gate to get into my garden to walk to front door.

[Ananob344]

When I seen them building the snowman I thought
What the bloody hell

[LoudBatPerson]

YANBU - However the mums making snarky comments are being very unreasonable!

If they ever come into your front garden again I would shift them straight away. Make the boundaries very clear as it doesn't seem to be obvious to those neighbours.

[AlpacaLypse]

Yay it's a CFN thread!

It's quite likely that the 2 mums have only got half the story off their children and don't realise that the snowballing was not in your front garden - which you don't seem to have minded them doing - but in your back garden.

[ChasedByBees]

YANBU at all!

[Cornishclio]

YANBU. I think I would be saying to the mums their kids should respect private property and how would they like it if you pitched up and stuck your deckchair in their garden? You have a right to some peace in your own property.

[HildaZelda]

Absolutely NOT being unfair. It's YOUR private garden. not the neighbourhood park.

[BewareOfDragons]

They were trespassing and their mums knew it. CFs the lot of them, raising another generation of CFs.

[TimeIhadaNameChange]

Wasn't there a similar story during the summer when neighbour's kids would play on the trampoline in the back garden, and then hell was let loose when the house-owner's son (or someone) inadvertently locked them in the back garden not knowing (expecting) them to be there?

OP: YANBU

[Evelynismyspyname]

I also suspect that the children didn't tell their parents the whole story, and just said you told them off for throwing snowballs without saying they were in your garden!

Has your house been empty for a while before you moved in? If it's been empty a long time it's somewhat less surprising if perhaps kids ventured in and slowly got into the habit of playing in there and forgot it's not normal to play in a garden that doesn't belong to any of your group.

[ThisLittleKitty]

No way. I'm clearly mean as I would have told them straight away to get out!

[Ananob344]

I'm not sure how long it's been empty tbh.
We've been here since July now.
A couple of kids looked about 12/13 too so you would think they would have more sense.
I need to go and get my wheely bin but I'm actually worried to look outside just incase

[soupforbrains]

Time Yes I remember that thread. Although wasn't it kids and dogs being actively encouraged to play in the poster garden by the parents? Got their comeuppance I thought hahaha.

This is probably incredibly snobby of me but are the mums in question particularly lower working class/chavvy?

[ptumbi]

Jesus - every thread I read now has a poster asking if they/OP/we are lower/middle/working/upper class.

WTF has that t do with anything? I thought UK was classless these days?

[coddiwomple]

The mothers are idiots, and very lucky you are so kind OP.

Other people have dogs, or tools laying round, not necessarily a safe environment for random kids to play. It's just not acceptable to trespass into somebody's property, garden or bedroom.

[Evelynismyspyname]

My ten year old looks twelve or thirteen, usually he has plenty of sense but in a group with friends I'd be unsurprised if it went out the window. He only plays in his friends gardens and public green space though, honestly

There are lots of children's books in which children play in "abandoned" gardens... However it is certainly unusual in real life I think.

Don't be worried, just be polite but no nonsense. Chanel an appropriate teacher from your youth if possible :o

Most kids are pretty amenable to being told the rules pleasantly but clearly.

[RagingFemininist]

I suspect they told their mums they were in the green patch on the corner of the street an that they got told off.
I doubtbthey told them they were in your garden....

[flumpybear]

I’d have told them to use their own gardens to play in as they’re on private land. As for the parents ... how odd!! Perhaps talk to them next time so they understand about boundaries

[SouthWestmom]

How weird the mums were outside your house when you put the bins there. Were they waiting for you?

[Ananob344]

If they hadn't been throwing the snowballs I wouldn't of told them to move.
You have to take the bins to the top of the street as the bin Lorry can't turn round as its a dead end.