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

Well it did me a lot of harm actually.

This was only part of what has gone on with the local children and youths and it's taken the involvement of the community police and the Council Anti Social behaviour unit to deal with the problem. It also involved an incident which resulted in me breaking my leg in 2 places.

But I realise us OAP's are just fair game aren't we and we should be able to stick up for ourselves?

Of course I wouldn’t be thrilled but what is it that’s so terrifying about children kicking a door? I’d go round and air horn them for her

Well that’s obviously a very different scenario from a few kids playing knock a door run at night isn’t it? That sounds like a community terrorised by teenagers who are causing criminal damage and affray NOT kids playing a game which is what the thread is about.

Im sorry about your leg.

Kicking doors and throwing eggs is too much, but knocking and running? It’s just so dull being a kid these days, cooped up on screens with everything ‘causing anxiety’. I had kids knocking to prank me a few weeks ago, obviously karma for all the prank calls I did from a ‘sex toy company’

Get in training so next time you won't have to rely on him to stop running!

Well done!

We called it knock and run, never heard of knock down ginger.

Would you be happy for them to give your car a good kicking?

A door has had to be bought and paid for and if some little shit damages it in their quest to be a pain in the arse, it is not ok.

What planet are you on?

Agree.

Well done, OP.

Knocking and kicking aren’t the same thing. They shouldn’t be damaging anything obviously.

And I don’t own a car.

Yes @StrawberryJamAndRaspberryPie except you very clearly asked what was so terrifying about a door being KICKED.

I was explaining the state of play to you.

Are you for real??

Imagine you are home alone. It's 11:30pm and you have an unknown person banging on your door. And then it stops, and 15 minutes later..it starts again, this time you can see someone kicking your door. You're alone, it's late at night and your female. You have no idea who this person is.

You're just cool with that? You think "oh well, what harmless fun!"

You'd open the door?
You wouldn't be scared? You wouldn't be worried?

Also my postman sometimes comes and knocks on my door at 10pm with parcels so I’m not sure why people think an ‘unexpected’ knock or doorbell ring ar night are so evil. Aren’t most knocks on the door unplanned?

How is it different?

Somebody coming up ypur path, especially after dark, and banging the door or ringing the bell and running away is a nuisance in any situation.

The fact that in my particular experience it was only one of the behaviours of the local children is not relevent. It doesn't mean to say the distress, upset and annoyance experienced by most people on the receiving end isn't very real. What part of that don't you understand?

I still don’t think it’s terrifying. If the door is undamaged and it’s just kids being twats it’s a nuisance not a horror show.

Of course it’s a bloody nuisance but as soon as you’ve established it’s kids there’s no reason to be terrified. I acknowledge this will be worse for pensioners who are more vulnerable and I wouldn’t be happy if my kids did this to a very elderly person.

Also, @StrawberryJamAndRaspberryPie who gives a flying fart if you own a car or not.

Are you saying that because you don't own a car you can't see the similarity of damage being done to a car and and a door.

That is a real worry for you.

That would be a Amazon or similar that you were expecting though...

It would be entirely different if you had someone come and kick your door at intervals.

Unless you're alone, vulnerable and scared....

How is it different?

Scenario 1:
Some kids under 11 knock on a door at night and run away giggling a few times.

Scenario you described:
Teenagers hammering on doors trying to break them, somehow breaking your leg, doing other crimes that cause chaos in the community and police involvement, people scared bc said teenagers are known for causing criminal damage and injury?

Idk how could those be different…

But how would you KNOW it’s Amazon until you answered the door? Exact same scenario as kids knocking on the door!

So you wouldn't be happy if your children did this to elderly people but any one else is fair game?

I don't understand how you seem to think children causing a nuisance and upset to other people is normal behaviour. Don't you believe in teaching them right from wrong?

Because Amazon/whatever tells you the delivery is on its way....

You're expecting a parcel at X time ... So getting a knock in the door near that time wouldn't be a worry...

Oh ffs… ok, you can all carry on cowering in your homes because children knocked on the door when the sun is down. As you were. The rest of us will crack on not living in terror in our own homes because we’re ok with people knocking on the door sometimes.

They dont always send tracking info. A lot of the time it’s just a gap of a few days.

I think everyone is a nuisance.

Elderly people on mobility scooters almost mowing me down are a nuisance.
Middle aged men driving their expensive cars aggressively and not stopping at crossings are a nuisance.
Big buggies coming down narrow pavements so I have to step in the road are a nuisance.

It’s called being tolerant and not tight arsed, we live in a society and everyone has to tolerate a level of irritation from everyone else (that or live in the middle of nowhere).

Kids need to be kids. They should be shouting, playing, doing (non-destructive non-violent) pranks. They should be riding bikes and scooters, getting up to nice mischief and building their characters, not shut away at home on screens developing anxiety.