To think boys should be able to kick a ball in the street

[scruffybird]

We live in a new build close with no park or green area. There are a couple of boys who like to kick the football around by their back gate, the prolem is they keep getting told to stop doing it by this old couple, who live in the house right near them. They even phoned the police, who came round and told the parents that the boys needed to play it in their very small garden.
I find it really sad that children can't play buy their back gates without being shouted at. No wonder you don't see many children playing out side.
The mum was telling me she is considering moving because of this.
Is she being unreasonable to let her boys play football near someones house?

The No Balls Games sign is really sad when it usually placed on a green patch that would be perfect for playing ball games on. Far better to suffocate our children by our over protective/paranoid parenting that alot of parents adopt these days.

As for the sound of childrens laughter as they play in the fresh air god yes how annoying!!!!

I take it from all these posts no one played outside when you were young - or are you just all miserable sods like the couple op described!! What about the childrens rights to play out. Oh yes forgot children have no rights they are just an irritation. Especially with the deafening sound of kicking a football!!

Have you ever had a ball being constantly kicked against your wall/fence/windows, slipperandpjsmum It's extremely annoying at best, like water torture at worst. Why can't one of the boys' parents take them to the park? They are responsible for their children and making sure their children's behaviour doesn't negatively impact on other people.

We have children playing out around here and I like listening to them play. Funnily enough they rarely play football, although I do see the occasional child walking around with one so presumably they play elsewhere.

I am sure people are allowed to go to the park on their own before they arer sixteen! I have had a ball kicked at my fence yes it is annoying but they are only kids and if you go and ask them nicely to stop they will. I think chaotic you need to get a realproblem in life if this is like water torture.I am with you slipper children should have a right to play out.

YANBU I actually encouraged my DS to kick a ball in the road (and to skateboard). It's a wide road, one way, with speed bumps and good vis so drivers could see boys and vice versa. The boys were good at keeping the ball more or less under control, and never kicked the ball against walls or gates, just passed it to each other. TBH the skateboards were noisier - the trucks really rumble along tarmac and one neighbour did complain and the boys would pack it in when he got upset.
Kids have to be allowed to play somewhere. I agree bashing balls on walls and gates and cars is not on, but a bit of gentle passing and heading is surely not going to send the neighbourhood to the dogs. Sadly many old people do seem to be intolerant of any noise at all.

Sponge balls!!!

There has been a ban in our courtyard because of the noise normal footballs make.....so we have bought sponge footballs...no noise=happy neighbours and less likely to damage anything .

2 or 3 5 year olds kicking a plastic Ben 10 ball back and forth in front of their own house isn't really a problem but 8 9 year olds battering a leather ball 20 feet in the air with no idea where it's going to land its bloody annoying and dangerous. I have been hit by the latter in my own garden and it was downright painful. If it had hit my then 18 month old it would have knocked her into next week.
I have moved boys on from playing next to my garden wall and for the most part they are fine it's some of the parents who get stroppy. I have had peoiple screaming at my door that it's their children's right to play where they want and we shouldn't live in an estate with kids if we have a problem. I have kids, I like to think they respect other people and their property, but the majority of my neighbours don't and they don't want their gardens and cars damaged. There is a very large open grassy area about 40 feet from the cul de sac, where most parents would be able to at least hear if not see thier children from their own house.
It's not only old biddies or people without children who get annoyed about it.

Jbck... Agree with you. I think that people are fairly tolerant of children and of their neighbours generally. They just want to get on with their own lives. From my experience, the people who complain about children not being allowed to be children are the ones who have little respect for other people.

There's nothing to stop parents at home taking their children out to the park if they want to have a kick about with the ball. It's a parent's job to do that, otherwise why bother?

My ILS are the miserable old gits on their 1970's housing estate where they do have a green.

They bought their house brand new in 1970 opposite the green. Brought up their 2 sons my DH and my BIL in this house and both boys played ball games and rode their bikes on this green along with all the other kids growing up in the same street.

Roll on 40 years and FIL is out the front of his house at every oppertunity shouting at the kids to stop playing because it is dangerous - its a cul de sac fgs.

He has also made a sign with his other miserable git type neighbour saying "No Ball Games" and put it on the green. The other neighbour also had kids in the 1970's that my DH says used to play with him on the same patch of grass.

Not sure anyone pays much attention to this illegal sign but they do get shouted at by FIL when playing on the grass.

FIL is also very vocal on fat modern kids who do nothing all day except east crisps, watch TV and play computer games all day .

They make my blood boil - I think SOME old people just forget what its like to have kids tbh and dont realise kids dont have the same freedoms these days. Not many parents will let the 6yo walk to a park 10 minutes away with just their mates, thats just the way it is these days.

Also I think new build housing estates are hell on earth anyway. Why anyone with kids would want to live on one - with those shared driveways, not much pavement, postage stamp gardens for most houses with less than 4 beds - they are not really family homes. TBH - we will prob end up living on one such estate when we come to settle down - purely because thats all we are likely to afford - but I really dont rate them for family living. Its all greedy builders trying to squeeze in as many houses into the smallest amount of land to make the most money as quickly as possible. The recent boom in so called town houses is a prime example - ultra narrow homes mean even more of them can be built on even smaller patches of land. Why would a housing developer WANT to provide green play areas when they could squeeze a few more houses on the same patch of land.

If theold couple can't hear the children, they should be allowed to kick the ball. IMO it nonsense to try to keep children within their own four walls, even if this incorporates the garden. The old couple were young children once, bet they kicked balls around.

No ball games signs should be igonored, if playing football is not hurting anyone.

on a green, yes should be allowed.
On /near roads, never. My cousin got killed chasing a ball into a lorry's path.

Sorry that should have been 13, although I'm sure I heard NSPCC representatives saying 16 the other day, on BBC media outlets. Here's some of the news coverage.

There was a thread on here the other day about letting 7yo & 9yo go to park alone, and plenty of parents said they wouldn't dare.

I used to like it when neighbourhood kids played games in the street (this is 10 years ago, not the 1970s). Made it feel like a nice place to live.

The OP hasn't said exactly where the children are, so it's hard to judge.

Where we used to live, we had a wrought-iron gate across the driveway which the local kids would use as a goal. So it was constantly CRASH- CRASH - CRASH all afternoon. I think this is unreasonable as it's whacking someone else's property.

Equally, my mum's current next-door neighbours let their son climb over the fence to get his ball. My mum keeps her dog in the back garden during the warm weather and obviously the dog freaks out when someone climbs over the fence. I worry that if she bit the boy she'd have to be put down and it really wouldn't be her fault :(

But if it's just in the street, that's different and fine as long as they try not to hit people's cars.

RevoltingPeasant... No way should your Mum's dog be put down if she bites somebody who comes into an enclosed space without permission. If there's the slightest risk of that then your Mum should send a letter to her next door neighbours telling them to stop and warning them about her dog.

I don't think it's a big deal, but then again we're putting up a playset, trampoline, and pool in our backyard this summer and I'm sure will have the whole neighborhood swarming about. :)

If they are making a big nuisance with noise, mess, etc, I think it's fine, but if they are truly bothering people that's another.

Maybe water torture is a bit strong but it certainly reminds me of a dripping tap, drip drip drip...thud thud thud. It drives you mad after a while.

Like I said earlier, we have kids playing out around here, just not football for some reason so I personally don't have a problem but I've known people who have. It's not nice not being able to get a bit of peace in your own home.

RevoltingPeasant your mum needs to tell your neighbours not to let their child climb into her garden. I think they're out of order allowing their son to do that tbh.

CheerfulYank can I come and play

Definitely! Bring some popsicles :)

Did the police explain exactly what crime the boys were committing?

It's a bit annoying but I do put up with it, and let's face it, kids are at school all day and also in winter it's dark almost as soon as they come back, so it will only be weekends?

A bit of tolerance goes a long way. I know it's annoying as my neighbour's boys have often set my car alarm off/kicked my car/door/gate etc but it's not often enough to make a big fuss about it...

near where i love is an estate, in comprises of many maisonettes, 12, yes 12#! 10 storey flats with 2 beds and some more 3 storey 1 bed flats and terrace houses. there are plenty of green spaces around, including a largish patch in the middle, all say no ball games, there is a kids playground which is disgustingly falling apart and one swing, and a basketball court which is locked and says call to book! im sorry where are the facilities for all these kids? what are they supposed to do? they cant even play football outside there houses, what else is the green gonna be used for? having picnics? i find it so out of order!

nailak... Have you spoken with the council about the children's playground? Perhaps they don't bother to maintain it if nobody uses it or it's a trouble hotspot. Ask your councilllor about it if you can't get an answer directly from the council.

Are there no parks near you?

Of course there needs to be consideration, but I think it's sad that kids are no longer welcome to play in their own streets. Perhaps you could reach some sort of compromise with the couple? Perhaps allow games at certain times? Bet you THEY played out in the street when they were little!! Remember-kids are part of the community too and should be regarded as such, IMHO.

there is a park around 5/10 mins walk, but i dont think thats the point, when you have that density of population in one area you need the services for them their, i mean they have their own shops (offie nd betting shop!) and they have a community centre which is where the councillors have their surgeries so they actually have to walk past this playground to go to their surgeries lol, the community centre has mainly stuff for oaps, but to me playing football or catch is something that shouldnt be restricted so much.

i know another park where they erected 12 ft fences, (like net) on the sides of the green which are next to houses to enable safe football playing

When people say greens I always imagine a generous size piece of grass that kids could play ball games on without the ball constantly banging against someone's wall or going into gardens and ruining flowers. Now that I wouldn't have a problem with.

Are the old couple like my near to retirement neighbours - in that when they hear someone in our house is ill they drag on of their massively disinterested DGC out to play football kicking it against our brickwork but the second my DC dare set foot in the back garden festooned with their and other neighbours cat shit - we are unbelievably inconsiderate towards them?

As it is my DC are either in the house, garden or in the local park - the footpaths to the park are completely smothered in dog shit as is the park even the DC play area. Local walks you have to hose the shoes and pushchair down as so much dog shit.

They can not play on the streets or even the pavements because the neighbours drive like loons and drive along the foot paths with out bothering about DC or pushchairs as they want to park on them.