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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to be at my wits' end with where I live?

28 replies

Bluewhitefloral · 09/06/2026 06:53

Just a rant. I feel like I’m starting to hate where I live. 3 bed semi in a suburban area, where my DH was keen on moving to be close to his elderly parents/our friends. I love the house but just wish I could pick it up and move it somewhere else.

I posted a few years ago about the neighbour’s kids kicking balls over the fence and being noisy early in the morning/late at night. Although the ball situation has improved slightly as the kids get older (it was up to 5 a day, now probably about 3 a week), they are still so, so loud and inconsiderate. Every night when I put my DD to bed (7-8pm) they are smashing a basketball around the garden or battering a punch bag. This went on until 1030 last night. She has to have her white noise on full blast and it still doesn’t drown out the noise.

I’m constantly seeing posts on our local community page about anti social behaviour in the area and witness this myself. We live on quite a busy road and every day see groups of kids in balaclavas intimidating others on their bikes/scrambler bikes. I hear about kids in local parks being beat up/robbed/threatened.

I just feel regret at moving here. There are plusses to it (being close to the schools, shops, restaurants/bars) but just feel trapped and miserable. The area we live in is classed as a nice one and as such the house prices are high but I can’t help but think we have made a mistake paying so much for somewhere where I’m so unhappy and I now have to just deal with it.

My DH thinks these things are merely an annoyance and that it could be a lot worse which I agree it could be. I just can’t shake feeling so negative about it and constantly wishing we had the money to afford a detached house in a quiet area with no immediate neighbours.

Just finding it so hard to put things into perspective.

OP posts:
Bluewhitefloral · 09/06/2026 07:31

@AlphaApple very unlikely that we’ll be able to move to anywhere without immediate neighbours- we are just about making ends meet.

Our road is right opposite a bit of a rough council estate so we’re kind of classed as on the edge of the ‘nice’ part! We also have rougher areas bordering on our town. That’s not to say the balaclava’d kids aren’t from our area. I could just be being naive in saying it’s nice when it’s actually not. I genuinely do believe it is a sought after location to live in though as the house prices reflect that.

OP posts:
BMW58 · 09/06/2026 07:29

Blimey I live in an inner city area (cheap for housing) and have never seen kids wearing balaclavas roaming around!

Have you got a neighbourhood watch? If not could you start one?

AlphaApple · 09/06/2026 07:16

Realistically, what are the chances of you moving? Life is too short to be that unhappy.

I didn’t think any area classified as “nice” had balaclava-d kids intimidating people in the local park, maybe I am hopelessly naive!

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