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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Neighbours child constantly over the garden fence

111 replies

AmIRetirementAgeYet · 04/05/2025 18:20

AIBU

My neighbour's child is constantly climbing the fence and perching their head over to talk to myself and my child throughout the day.

They are constantly listening out for the door to open or close and shout hello as soon as one of us comes out into the garden. Then they climb the fence to talk to us.

Now I don’t mind a chat but this child is constantly interrupting our conversations or play. Asking to come over to join us or asking where my child is and if he wants to play.

My child will often go inside because he gets no peace or let up from this child even when he says he does not want to play. The parents leave this child to their own devices a lot of the time but even when they are in the garden they do not ask their child to get down and stop bothering us.

What would you do in this situation? It is making us very uncomfortable but we don’t want to be rude either.

OP posts:

Someonelookedatmypostinghistorysoichanged · 04/05/2025 18:38

Keep it brief and simple. Not to today. Bye.

HelplessSoul · 04/05/2025 18:37

AngryLikeHades · 04/05/2025 18:26

Are you serious?
At the least, I would have thought you may well get in trouble for this even if it was morally right, as in to stop burglary.

Show quote history

And that would be my defence - spikes/nails there as a deterrant.

If a kid gets injured - tough really. Parents should be doing a better job of parenting their feral brats.

legoplaybook · 04/05/2025 18:34

"Climb down from the fence sweetheart, it's rude to talk over like that/we're busy at the moment"

RaynorW · 04/05/2025 18:31

We’ve just had neighbours move in with 3/5 year olds that shout ‘heellllloooo’ and peer. They get left out a lot.

Frankly I am being rude, and not encouraging it all with any attention. I want to enjoy my garden. I say ‘no thank you’, turn around if possible and no eye contact or responses after that. It’s not child-specific either, I don’t want the adults talking over the fence either and invading my space. They can knock if they need me! I’d rather awkward than feel I can’t use the garden

WinterMorn · 04/05/2025 18:29

ilovesooty · 04/05/2025 18:27

Exactly. Just politely ask them to put a stop to it. No rudeness necessary.

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The more I see your comments on various threads, the more I like you!

ASimpleLampoon · 04/05/2025 18:28

We had this. I used tell the child we were having family time right now and DD would makenot be playing today, and tell them not to climb the fence as they could break it or hurt themselves .

I'd then ignore the child if that tried to interact further\ tell them to go ask their parents to play with them if they were bored

I eventually built a bigger fence was too big to look over.

ilovesooty · 04/05/2025 18:27

WinterMorn · 04/05/2025 18:22

You don’t need to be rude to resolve this. Just ask them to stop their child doing it.

Exactly. Just politely ask them to put a stop to it. No rudeness necessary.

AngryLikeHades · 04/05/2025 18:26

HelplessSoul · 04/05/2025 18:23

Put spikes / nails on the fence.

Problem solved.