Local kids banging on our door and running away

[jinsei]

We live very near a children's play park. It's a "naice" middle class area and most of the kids will attend the lovely local primary school which is known for having very high standards of behaviour in general.

So the kids have discovered that old game of banging on doors and running away, and it appears that our house is one of their top targets, presumably because of its proximity to the park. They're obviously finding it hilarious because it's happening several times a day, most days. It's harmless, I suppose, but pretty annoying.

So what do we do? Ignore? Go outside and read the riot act, bearing in mind that we may not know for sure which kids are the culprits? Talk to the local school?

Most of the kids are older end of primary age, so they are typically at the park without any parents.

Just kids? No, they are members of society who are behaving antisocially. If they are old enough to be on the streets unsupervised, they are old enough to take the consequences. Which should be video footage to police and schools.

Their parents aren’t parenting. There’s no excuse for it.

We’ve got one little shit who launches himself at the front doors. I just ignore it. He did it to the house next door twice and the bloke chased him off. Don’t think he’s done it since. We have both now got cameras on our front window sills.

Depends whether the children are wearing uniform etc. or not.

Ah come on, it's what we called "knockadolly", it's kids playing. Did you never do that when you were a child? I was only talking to my mum about it the other day, she's over 90 now and she remembers playing it. The fun is in knowing you are annoying the householders. Ignore and they'll get bored and move to another person's house. Otherwise you are laying yourself open to a summer kids playing at mischief. Nothing to do with the school though imo. Schools got enough to be doing trying to educate them, it's a parenting job if anything.

It's kids being kids. They will get bored of the game by next week.

It’s knock up Ginger
god knows why it’s called that ???

they think it’s funny / clever
it’s irritating, can be intimidating -

I’ve found going out and doing a Paddington bear hard stare was enough to deter further misdemeanour

It's called knock down ginger
LOL
Just not a big deal is it

Its antisocial and will undoubtedly escalate. It's not clever and not funny.

I'd get a ring door bell, have a word with the police to see if their community liaison has something they can do.

Ah come on, it's what we called "knockadolly", it's kids playing. Did you never do that when you were a child?

No - and I'd have been rightly given a bollocking if I'd even tried.

It's not funny for old people who are vulnerable, or who might injure themselves getting up and down. It's kids being a nuisance and they should be pulled up on it. Being a bored kid isn't a reason to piss off everyone else.

My father in law did this as a child, and his dad got the local bobby to stick him in his van and take him for a ride round the block. Ahhh the good old days 😆
FIL was born in 1940

That sounds like fun!

I didn't ever do it as a child. It was a common enough game at the time, but I was taught by my parents that it was antisocial and inconsiderate.

It's a shame that these kids haven't been taught similar by their parents.

An ex pupil of mine did knock and run on Mum and I last year... I put the fear of god into him and his cousin. I told them they were to never come near my door again... Two weeks later he apologised to me. A few weeks later his Mum asked for our old newspapers.. She said she would send her son around. I said there might be a problem with that and explained. Mum was livid with her son. I was working when she collected the newspapers. She took her son with her and made him apologise to my Mum!

Good thinking.

We sent footage of a boy wearing school uniform , who was running over our front garden, to the school. He was told off by the head master and sent to our house to apologise, accompanied by his mother.

You could do that years ago, but now you’d get a visit from the police, as it would be classed as assault! Lovely thought,though!

Depends if it's knocking on the door or something more violent.
We had a pair of kids kicking our door mist days for about a fortnight - and denting it. Community police were very interested. Got the local Secondary to ID him, and went round for a chat. He turned up with his father and stammered out an apology.

It depends on the scale of the knock and the occupier as to whether it's a game or an attack.

It isn't funny when they bang loudly and scare a nearly 90 year old lady which is what happened to Mum and I.

Hide in the garden and jump out at them?!

Alternatively, you could just ignore them. Don't answer the door and they'll stop coming.

Nothing to do with the school. You'd be better getting the parents' attention by posting blurred out face pics from Ring doorbell or cctv on your local Facebook

Knock down ginger where I live!

Super soaker from an upstairs window

Oh you should definitely snarl, it's immensely satisfying, and the little beggar who did knock and run on my door forever after walked down the other side of the road.

And I really roared at him, so much fun, you never usually get the chance to roar as an adult.

We get it all the bloody time as we live very near a school. It doesn't go away as one set of kids grow out of it but then the next grow up and start it.

We've just got a ring doorbell because the last lot were so rough I thought they would damage the door or break the window. The ring bell has massively cut down the problem. Firstly the kids know they can be identified, but even more effectively they know that I won't bother to answer if it's only kids.

We had a group of girls doing this recently. We ignored them and they have stopped as they got no reaction from us. We can see who they were from our living room window.