And lo, the screaming in gardens has started

[Lludmilla]

Kids have been off school 1.5 days. That didn't take long, did it??

(And yes, I know this is a polarising topic on here, but today I'm really struggling to wfh due to constant screaming from kids playing in gardens. And no, I don't mean shouting or laughing or giggling, none of which I'd have a problem with... I mean full-on, top-of-the-lungs screaming.)

I get that we have to make allowances/keep things in proportion etc etc at a time like this, I really do. I also get that it's nice that we at least have some sunshine during all this, and I think it's great that kids can play in their gardens. But the SCREAMING. It's like this every single year in my street as soon as the sun dares to show its face, it gets to me and makes it hard to concentrate on work, and sometimes I need to vent even though I know I'm likely to get a pasting for it.

Surely it can't just be me?

Could be worse. You could be stuck next to us. Bastard puppy won’t STFU today. I am trying.

You're not wrong.
This comes up again and again.
Its not on to let your children scream in public. I have 3 of my own and never allowed it. I despair of parents who can't enforce this most basic parenting skill.

Yes kids scream. I can remember my DF patiently (mostly) interrupting and repeating 'lower your voices, people sitting in their gardens do not want to hear you screaming', and five minutes later we'd get excited and forget, being kids, and he'd stop us and remind again. Parenting.

I’d usually agree with you but the entire country is in lockdown, something we’ve never experienced before, and children can only go out into public once day to exercise. Not got any kids with us right now but have been playing my music in the kitchen with the window open. Something I would normally be conscious about. Everyone else is out in their gardens making noise so I don’t care. It’s very different circumstances right now.

I agree. Kids do make noise. But there's a difference between giggling/playing/ excited shouts to screaming at the top of their lungs.

We've got a family who live across the street and a few doors down. So a good 300ft away at least. If I can hear them in my bedroom at 6am you know they're being too loud.

Every. Single. Day.

(And the mum and/or dad starts screaming at the kids at the top of their lungs as well...)

I absolutely hate kids screaming for the sake of it. It's not laughing or chatting, it's screaming. Mine do it, I've already had the talk, and told them if they carry on they're staying in the house. Doesn't help one is asd and she will fight in an empty room.

No more annoying than my older neighbour mowing her lawn at 8.30 on Sunday morning 🙄☹️

join in

YANBU
My garden backs on to other gardens with children and I like it in the summer when you can hear them all playing and laughing but screaming is awful.

I have dd9 and ds 7 and I always bring them in if they are screaming or arguing. No one wants to listen to that!

It very tough for the kids.

Order some noise cancelling headphones.

Misophonia? Sympathies, my husband has it.

Buy noise cancelling headphones from Amazon. Poor kids are stuck in the house fgs.

Of course your children never ever shouted, and you yourself were a silent child.

Ds4 has asd and screams a lot. He will be screaming even more over the next however long schools are closed. We are alternating house screaming and garden screaming

Do people misunderstand on purpose? All this simpering 'oh I just AFORE the sound of children playing, the laughter is like a rainbow in my soul' shit that comes up every thread screaming children are mentioned.

Screaming is not laughing, it's not a bit of yelling, it's not anything pleasant in any way. It doesnt make you think how nice it is children are playing. Screaming makes you wonder if someone has seriously hurt themselves. Then when you realise no-one is hurt its just infuriating.

You cant block it out and in most regular sized homes you cant even escape it by moving rooms. Its often for hours and every day. You end up getting twitchy at every outside noise just waiting for the first scream that heralds a new day of screaming.

If you don’t recognise any of this then lucky you, you've never lived next to screamers. Or maybe yours were the screamers?

Every flight. That sounds tough. Hang on in there.
Bastard puppy has found a squeaky ball. Bugger it.

Yes children are annoying, I can hear one who has been shouting and kicking a football for about an hour.

Sadly he’s mine so I can’t even tell him to bugger off:

I didn't let mine scream (unless they were being pursued by bears). It's not hard--you just bring them inside every time they scream and they soon learn that it's self-defeating.

And (occasional) shouting is different from screaming.

Oh I hear you. We also have shrieky bickerers ....quite a way away I think, but God they’re loud. They were out yesterday from 8.30 am to 6 pm and just don’t seem to be able to play nicely together. So we get the boy tantrumming and the girl whining.

Laughter, shouting while playing football etc would be adorable. I’m just sitting with headphones on enjoying the sunshine.

We used to live by a screamer, it’s so hard! It’s not ‘children’s laughter’ as some are saying, that’s obviously fine. it’s literally screaming at the top of their lungs. It’s a big difference and you can’t appreciate how disturbing it is until you live by it.

Think we all have to suck it up, I'm afraid. Kids will be incredibly frustrated and feeling trapped, too. So will there parents.

@MinnieMountain you didn't realise your kids were screaming until your poor neighbour had to mention it? How embarrassing for you

Tough.

Noise reduction headphones.

Our neighbours are walking their screaming toddler up and down the street, right in the middle. Thanks neighbour!

I generally loathe other people's kids but even my black heart couldn't begrudge them having some fun and games in their own garden. I do sympathise though.