Woman keeps shouting at us to stop playing football

As a kid my brother and I would have told her to piss off. As an adult I'd ignore her.

It is not anti-social to use a play area for its intended use! People cannot just decide that they don't want DC to use a designated play area. When did it become ok to dictate to others that they can't use space for its intended purpose? The entitlement is mad!

If the woman concerned was reasonable, I would suggest agreeing to a time limit or not after a certain time. I doubt such a discussion could be had though.

The best option would be the now closed playing field being opened, so get your councillor to campaign for that. Meanwhile carry on as you are, and be prepared to report the woman for harassment if her response continues.

Why are you being so dramatic? You're actually making up lies. OP and her son are not battering cars and wrecking peoples homes. Stop it.

Who are you, the football police?

The kids in my street do that horrendous ear-shattering screeching, it drives me mad. I still wouldn't go out and say anything though. They do the ring doorbell and run away game too, we just ignore it. I imagine some people here would be ringing the police for that. 😂

Kids need to learn some respect. People don’t want a ball kicked about everywhere whacking into their homes and cars. It’s an anti social nuisance. When did it become ok to do exactly as you liked

Ah FFS. How condescending can you get? Just who do you think you are?

Haha. This is hands down the most dramatic and batshit post I've ever seen on Mumsnet.

I live in a (nice) cul de sac. Children play football in the actual road and run around all over the grass area. Some people on this thread would have an absolute fit. I played out as a child in the 60s and I'm glad these children are also able to do this.

WTF? Kids in charge? For going outside to play? I'm beginning to think these replies are from people who don't let their kids move from the locked back garden, not allowed to get buses until they're 18.

You can't dictate what a child does. It's a ball not a bomb. Kids are out in my street playing all sorts, making noise for hours. It's annoying but glad to see them out having fun. Half an hour is nothing.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Now there's a great idea. Do this. 🤣🤣

😂

Invite her out to be goalie

No, the parking is on this side of the grass. The cars would have to drive over the grass to get to the tarmac area.

my garage is at back of my house long side wall was being belted my local kids for hours , could hear it in my house i asked them to stop as they damaged some plastic on the edge of the top, we have a full football pitch 1 minute from our houses,one lads mum told him to carry on doing it she gave her permission,. i came home parked on my drive, the mum said i was not being very neighbourly not letting them kick the hell out of my garage wall, i explained about damage to the edge of the roof, she said it was the wind, other neighbours have cameras up ive seen the footage of the wide shots as high as the roof of garage, i had to walk away i was so angry when she said i wasnt being neighbourly,if its a play area for short amount of time go for it

Some of the replies in here are absolutely batshit.

A child is perfectly entitled to play in a play area, no matter if some random adult doesn’t like it.

The world doesn’t exist to pander to this rude neighbour’s wants, nor to the those of any of the likeminded weirdos in this thread.

I don't think it's ageist to say that, if she's in her 80s, she is almost certainly retired and probably at home for most of the time.

In the week, through the best part of the day, the kids will be at school and most of the adults out at work. She will have literally dozens of hours every week when she gets her own preference for quiet anyway.

Imagine getting to a point in your life when you really have nothing better to do than to deliberately seek to spoil half an hour of a young child's playtime at the weekend. How shameful.

@DrJoanAllenby

What a stupid thing to say!

Maybe it's not safe in their area. Maybe the kid lives a good way away from his school friends. Maybe Sunday is the only day of the week that Mum's not working and the family like to enjoy some time together.

Whatever the reason. there's no need to be such a judgemental arse!

I'd be tempted to put a note through her door stating that you've checked with the council, you perfectly within your rights to play there, that it's only for 30 minutes on one day a week you will be considering any further verbal abuse as harassment and will be reporting it to the Police.

It sounds like she's been gobbing off at kids for years. Don't let her stop you having fun with your son, OP.

I've seen a few complaints about noise recently and while I do like to be considerate no one has a right never to be disturbed.

One person mows their lawn and another fixes their car. Another has kids playing and laughing. We all must put up with those things (within reason) unless we can afford to build our own home in the middle of a 50 acre garden.

The woman who complained could have used that time to do some hoovering and probably not heard it at all.

She’s an adult. Why does what the kid wants trump her?

In what world do you live where kids don't have a right to play? Why does her obsession with no noise ever trump his right to half an hour of playtime? Or that of his mum, for that matter - who is also an adult?

We have a neighbour like this who obsesses about where people park, even though it makes no difference to him, as he has a double drive for his two cars and he always has plenty of space to get in and out of it. It's clearly his hobby to try to fall out with people by leaving notes on their legally, safely and not-in-anybody's-way parked cars and give them orders, making up ridiculous lies and inventing absurd projections. He wouldn't benefit in any way if people did 'obey' him - he must just like enemies.

It's just selfish, arrogant people who assume that their (sometimes random and silly) preferences should always take priority - and so anybody who disagrees with them is automatically in the wrong. She gets her wish 23 and a half hours a day and OP's DS gets his for half an hour - but she still feels entitled to demand her wishes 24/7.

Up until the last year or so when he’s started spending more time in the house gaming, our attached next door neighbour’s youngest boy would often be out (afternoons and evenings) playing football on his own, kicking the ball against their garage door, over, and over, and over again…..

Was it annoying at times? Of course. But would my DH or I ever have hollered at him to stop? Absolutely not.

Fun sponges come in all shapes and sizes and it seems you and your lad have unfortunately encountered one in the wild. Next time she shouts, tell her you and your son are playing football together, getting some fresh air and exercise and doing nothing wrong so she needs to mind her own business.