Earliest reasonable time for a five-year-old to play in the garden

[DriveVerySlowlyPastNumber23IWantThemToSeeMyHat]

What is the earliest reasonable time a child should play out in the garden?

We live on a VERY busy main road - even at 2am, there are always cars and lorries trundling past.

DD is 5 and has a naturally loud voice 🙈

Harder but not impossible.

9am every day would be reasonable. You don't know whether or not your neighbours, who usually get up at 6.30am, are having a day off and looking forward to a precious lie in.

I am surrounded by children in gardens and can only really hear specific ones - strangely they are usually the ones with the loudest parents too. The garden isn't a park when you are surrounded by houses, they should be using their indoor voices unless they live in a house with an acre for a garden.

One of our neighbours had a paddling pool out yesterday so I expected loud cheerful splashing but it literally went on from 2pm till 8pm, I had to go inside in the end as the shouting was too much. Another neighbours child practised the trombone at intervals all day with the windows wide open. Quite an early learner so not great to listen to, also started again at 8.30am this morning.
Yes, you can expect some noise from people around you but you should also be able to expect some consideration and moderation if you know your child is noisy.

I let my kids go outside as soon as they are up for the day, but if they're too loud they come in, no matter what time it is. I have to help/guide this heavily with the youngest (2) because obviously he doesn't yet understand as well, but the elder two (6 and 8) have understood for a long time now that "too loud" at 7am is different from "too loud" at 1pm. When they've been brought inside for a time penalty a few times, they soon learn 🤣

My middle (now 6) sounds similar to yours, she used to yap away to herself at the top of her voice. We gave her wireless headphones and a Yoto card (audiobooks), low volume so that she had to be quiet to hear it. It worked wonders for us in restaurants, church etc - it could help for you in the garden if it's early?

I don't see your logic here re. middle of the day. It's not as if people in the UK are having a siesta.

We live in a new build estate with loads of kids and I’ve never noticed anyone out playing in their garden before school. I’m usually up at 520 to go to the gym before work so it wouldn’t particularly bother me but we’re either an estate of late risers or neighbours thinking it’s too early to be out playing. I was dragging DS 8 up at 820 today to get ready for school so definitely the former for us.

Entitled. And you've no regard for shift workers, ill people, retired and any other reasons why they don't want to listen to a child screaming at 7am. 7am is selfish, even workmen can't start until 8am!

Can you tell that to my 40 something neighbour ( lives in the next road , but gardens adjoining.) He stands in his garden at 7 am every morning having very loud telephone conversations. 🙄😬

I wonder how many people, when planning garden parties/BBQs etc, think "I must have everyone inside or gone by 7pm because children will be trying to sleep then and I must have consideration for others." 🤔

8:00am on a nice weekday; 9:00 on weekends.
Neighbours are aware children live in the neighbourhood, right?
earplugs, turn the telly up etc, close your windows if they bother you.
The comment about not having regard for shift workers or ill people...
shift workers should wear earplugs - I do when I need to sleep - and ill people?

Ill people??? 🤦‍♀️

Neither side work as they're both retired. They've always said not to worry about noise and tbh, their now grown up grandkids were always much louder a few years ago 😂

DD doesn't scream or screech - she just has a loud voice 😊

We've got a family on the other side of the main road and you can hear them screeching over the busy traffic going past!

9am, 10 on a weekend. We live in an area with a fair amount of elderly retired folk, I wouldn’t want to disturb them!

This is a good point 😊

My days of young kids are long gone, but I’ve added sympathy to the OP because she won’t be able to let the children out later in the day as it will be too hot.

My sympathies on your lack of sleep. I’ve fans, curtains closed in the day time, getting up early to do stuff in the cool myself… an afternoon nap is the only solution to the morning din!

I don't know if your user name is an accurate description of how you view yourself but, if it is, do you think that this has led you to become, jealous, bitter, unmannerly and ignorant?

Of course you may instead be slim and stylish. If so, I wonder what has led you to become jealous, bitter, unmannerly and ignorant.

I would say 8am.

The family who used to live next door were awful. Well, the dad was. It was his ‘shift’ to have the kids before work but he smoked a lot and had to smoke outside so he took the kids outside from 5am so he could stand and have a smoke. 5am.

5am is definitely taking the piss 😐

Is this how you speak to people in real life?

It depends on the ages of your neighbours. We have a lot of young families and working people nearby and nobody is retired.

07:30 for us but reminders to keep their voices down and no loud activities early on.

How would you speak to Fat and Frumpy20, who declares that she will have her children out playing at 7 am and anyone who doesn't like it, should buy earplugs.

That would include exhausted new mums, people dying of cancer, people on shift work and bad sleepers.

She sounds appalling and I am interested to know why she is so appalling.

What would you do? Give her a round of applause?

Or maybe you agree with her.

Most people can explain opposing viewpoints without resorting to petulant name calling.

My dc go out at 7am earliest they are really quiet though

I think 8am is fine as that's when building work is allowed to start, and most people will be up by then anyway. If I choose to have a lie in, or I'm not feeling well, or I've worked a late shift or any of the other reasons people have given, I don't expect the whole street to be silent because of my personal circumstances. I put ear plugs in or I just deal with it. Children playing outside is just normal, every day noise that is to be expected in a residential area. It's not like OP is letting her play the drums first thing in the morning.

I did not call her names. I asked her if she had certain characteristics which made her comfortable with her behaviour and wondered if her OWN name choice, was a factor in this.

That is not name calling, any more than your snarky little cliched post was calling me names.

"I wonder what has led you to become jealous, bitter, unmannerly and ignorant."

"I did not call her names."

Ok.

A negative comment on someone's personality traits is not name calling. It is stating a fact.

Was Hitler just a rather naughty chap? Is a thief just someone redistributing wealth? Is someone who says , like Fat and Frumpy20 says, Fuck it, my kids can go out at 7 and the neighbours can buy earplugs just someone who wants to celebrate the glory of children's voices. I care not if they are dying from cancer, they have a new baby or work shifts.

I'm sure you're doing your best to be lovely and I hope it all stays fine for you but a lot of people like Fat and Frumpy are emboldened by people like you who ride to defend them. You are a part of society's current problems.

Nonetheless, I'm sure you are a lovely person who wants to understand rather than punish.

I will also wager that you have never lived next door to someone like Fat and Frumpy 20!

Have a lovely day @takealettermsjones and do feel free to come back to have the last word. You are welcome to it.