WWYD kids playing with a ball in the street

[Sleepplease1111]

My house is opposite a bus stop which is a pick up point for secondary school children. Yesterday morning I’m guessing the bus was late because I could hear a food ball being bounced/kicked around for a while, it then his my front gate and then either my house or next door ( I wasn’t looking) I knocked on my window to tell them to pack it in, this morning I could see they were more purposefully kicking it against the gate and next door (this is across the road). What would your course of action be?

[quote Jahebejrjr]@MaMaD1990 Yes they do. I have boys who are football mad. My house takes an absolute battering but it’s still in one piece. Even the windows[/quote]
You sound like a Saint. That would drive me absolutely bonkers.

@MaMaD1990
I am just happy they are playing sport rather than languishing inside.

A friend of mine had her car windscreen shattered by kids who were throwing a ball around. Thankfully it was parked on her drive at the time.
My neighbours children have destroyed 2 fences in their garden by repeatedly banging a ball against them.
So unless it's a foam ball it can well cause damage.

It’s a school bus so the school should know which kids catch it.

They are doing it across the road so there is also the possibility of causing a car accident.

Just to be clear I have no issue with kids playing ball and yes it is lovely for them to me together but it’s not the time or the place for it.

IN that case I would definitely contact the school. Tell them that you have asked them to stop, but they have just increased the intensity of their behaviour.

I think you overreacted to a ball hitting your gate tbh.

mm difficult but for future reference I wouldn't have approached it that way - maybe a smile & a discussion about road safety? & if that doesn't work a word about watching out for a nasty (fictitious big male -yeah I know! ) aggressive neighbour down the road etc who has a camera etc etc
diplomatic lying - rather than confrontation
as pp has said saying oi stop it! to some kids is like a red rag to a bull
& they will want to show off to their friends (group think/peer etc) approaching them sympathetically & with concern MIGHT work better (& yes I had a slightly different scenario with dc & I said I was worried about them being hurt by something they were doing on a bit of the road in a friendly way & they stopped)

If you think they're now deliberately doing it because you told them not to, contact the school. Even if it's not deliberate, over time footballs cause damage.
Most decent schools will listen.

I wouldn't have said anything in the first place as it sounds like they were largely keeping to themselves and it occasionally straying.

If you've now escalated it to the point where they are deliberately hitting your property, I'd let the school know rather than approaching them directly.

I did talk to a teenager doing stunts on his bike on the road by my house which is a through route that tends to get people doing 40+ in the evening (should be 30mph). Rather than telling him not to, I suggested that it would be safer to go down a side road, admired his skills and pointed out that the other drivers are a problem and might panic and harm him.
It went down a lot better than just telling him to pack it in!
Most teenagers have some wriggle room if you massage their egos a bit!

If it bugs you that much you can contact the school, it’s all you can do really. I don’t think kicking a football is illegal so the police won’t be interested. The school might have a word with them if you take down a general description and times they’re kicking the football.

I wouldn’t personally do anything because it sounds like it’s happening for 5 minutes a day while they wait for the bus and I probably wouldn’t even notice.