Just caught 2 kids playing knock down ginger

[BitterlyLemon]

They had been knocking on the door all night to the extent that the dog was going mental.

What they didn’t realise is I have a camera on the front of the house so the 4th time they did it, I opened the door as they were about to knock

I meant to just scare them but for some godforsaken reason I chased them (god knows what got into me) and caught one 🫣

They were absolutely terrified. I told them to stop it as they were winding up the dog and asked them where they lived (on the street).

Have I officially gone mad? Will I forever be known as the madwoman on the street? They were only about 8 or 9

Wait, what have gingers got to do with it?

We used to ring all the doorbells on a block of flats at the same time. Absolute chaos as all the residents came out and blamed each other.

My youngest was brought home by the police (special constable) when he was about 8 for playing the same game. He was supposed to be in the park across the road not aggravating the neighbours so was grounded. Unfortunately all his mates were still allowed out playing and one mum even said I was unreasonable!

We played it back in the 80s. All my old man said to me was “if you get caught and get a smack around the ear, don’t come running home to me”.

Did get caught once, didn’t get a smack around the ear, but didn’t realise a teacher from school lived there. She certainly got her own back at school.

Isn't provoking a reaction part of the game. Unfortunately your house is now the fun target to dare each other to knock on.

This sounds like a good response, OP. Hopefully they won't do it again as they got caught and the parent got involved.

Didn't know knock down ginger was still a thing, thought were mostly kids spending their time on tik tok or gaming these days 🤔 I got chased and thrown into a hedge by a man when I was a similar age, was terrified but we must have driven him crazy, we did it so often. Never did it again. I don't blame you for losing your shit, probably wasn't the best thing to chase them but they needed telling. Coincidentally, I was watching a netflix documentary last night about a woman driven mad by the neighbours kids (The Perfect Neighbour). All I can say is don't end up like her, but she was actually mad!

👏👏 the old witch!

You will be remembered by those kids a they will talk about it and think it’s hilarious. They will tell their friends how they got caught. Maybe they will stop or maybe they will do it again but either way your in their life stories for life

It actually heartens me to hear kids are still out playing foolish games and being chased by neighbours, it's the way it's should be. Including the rollicking they got from the parents. Much better than being inside on screens.
I remember with my brother and some other neighbour kids getting fishing line and tying it to two door knockers of opposite houses, so when a car went through it pulled snapped and knocked both doors causing the home owners to come out and eye each other suspiciously 😂 the beano has a lot to answer for

For what? Being glad kids are playing outside instead of stuck indoors on a screen all day? Did childhood somehow magically pass you by or were you just a really boring kid who never did anything silly?

It actually heartens me to hear kids are still out playing foolish games and being chased by neighbours, it's the way it's should be. Including the rollicking they got from the parents. Much better than being inside on screens.

For children up to ten, perhaps. When it's teenagers banging on and kicking doors, as reported here, that's really intimidating, especially for someone who lives alone, or with small children.

Good job a cyclists or motorcyclist didn't go through it. You could have killed or seriously injured them.

The neighbours kid (DS1s friend) tried this a couple of times, we let his mum know and he got marched over to apologise 😆

It's possible to play outside without doing this. I'd heard of the game but never played it but I played outside a lot.

It's 'Ding Dong Ditch' here.

Where I grew up we called it 'ring the doorbell and run away'. We obviously weren't very imaginative!!

Well I can tell you it is not a " foolish game " when you are on the receiving end.

Do you have no imagination that you can't realise the distress and upset and problems this " foolish game" causes people on the receiving end,

I have been periodically terrorised by the children and teenagers in my area and at one point they were doing this to me after dark. And kicking the door so hard it left foot prints on it. I used to sit with no lights on in house hoping they would think I was not at home and that they would leave me alone.

The old, the ill, those isolated, those fleeing domestic abuse, those trying to get babies and young children to sleep etc.etc The list is endless of those people for whom.an unexpected bang on the door or even ring on the doorbell is a real problem, especially at night.

Yes it's good children are doing stuff other than watching screens but whatever they are doing shouldn't involve making other people's lives more difficult than they are already

Of course one shouldn't do that in principle but people are being harassed and someone actually did something about it, the majority of people agreed with it and the problem no longer exists. If that person hadn't done anything the problem would continue. On balance I think good on them. That said no way would I do something like that knowing the risks.

😂😂😂😂

It’s kids jobs to be little shits, and it’s our jobs to push back. Totally normal!

Yes it’s annoying but honestly aren’t kids supposed to be a bit annoying and do mischievous things? We did loads of knock chicken, prank phone calls etc

All part of growing up. I’m convinced kids have SEMH problems now as they’re not allowed to do anything fun, mischievous or character building. They have no life. I like seeing kids out and about being a little bit of a pain, in a nice way (not harming animals or criminal damage, just messing about I mean)

We called it “knock door bunk” but I was always too scared to join in!!

I remember going over to my grans house years ago when I was a young adult and she would have been about 90 at the time. I let myself in and she was sitting crying in her chair because she was so scared as kids had been doing this all day. The one time she managed to make it to the door in time they threw an egg at her. I waited and caught the little fuckers and roared at them that I was going to the police (I did and they were great). I also recognised one of them and went to his house when his mum told me 'it's just kids being kids'.

When they had a visit from the police, the dad of the other one, who was a thoroughly decent chap, marched him round to apologise to her and make his son do her garden every day after school for two weeks.

Why didn’t you just get an air horn and a video doorbell and blast it in their faces when they rang? It’s annoying but doesn’t sound like they actually ever did you harm.

Welcome to the real world... Kids are often left to their own devices round here.

I'm sure you wouldn't find it harmless if it was your 90 year old mother that was ringing you, terrified because of the kids kicking her door to at night. And I'll wager you would just go "oh mother, get yourself an air horn and video doorbell..."