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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect neighbour's DC not to

33 replies

PowderMum · 04/05/2011 19:05

play football or other ball games against the side of my house.

Got in from work today and yet again found the DC from next door playing ball in their drive, this wouldn't be a problem except that my house has a lovely low wall and then the whole side of the house with no windows on it so it is great to play against. So they do and if they hit/kick the ball well all my pictures rattle plus even on the low wall there is the constant thump.

Each time I ask them to stop they do, but it doesn't mean they won't be doing it again tomorrow or as soon as I go out again.

My AIBU is more directed at the parents, so AIBU to expect the parents to stop their DC from doing this when both the DC and parents have been asked very politely before to do so.

OP posts:
FabbyChic · 04/05/2011 19:06

Knock on the parents door and ask them to get their kids to play elsewhere, tell them that it has knocked pictures off your wall and you are having to replace the frames.

theotherboleyngirl · 04/05/2011 19:09

YANBU

We had this problem in our old house - the walls literally shook. And the same thing - the kids would stop when asked but always came back.

I don't know the solution - I was scared of the parents of these kids, so was just grateful to move. But most reasonable people shouldn't see it as a problem.

ChippingIn · 04/05/2011 19:09

If you pictures are rattling when kids are kicking footballs against the wall you have a bigger problem than the kids.

I wouldn't mind them doing it - I like to see them outside having fun. If it was going on for a long time and annoying me I'd go and ask them to stop for a while. Also, if they're older (nearly teens) then it's time they found a park to play in.

I really can't see the problem when you are out.

lljkk · 04/05/2011 19:22

yanbu. I think you have to go zero tolerance about it.

Notsohotanymore · 04/05/2011 19:44

Glad we do not live next to you.Do you have any dc? Where do you think they should play?

cees · 04/05/2011 19:49

Yanbu, that would annoy me to. Let them kick the ball at there own home.

squeakytoy · 04/05/2011 19:51

Where do you think they should play?

Park? Playground? Field?

Kicking a ball against someone elses house is bloody rude and inconsiderate.

Why dont they kick it against their own wall anyway?

LostMyIdentityAlongTheWay · 04/05/2011 19:53

I think you are totally NBU. Not at all. Little bastards can go find their own wall to play against. I'm with pp - total zero tolerance.

Bah. That's made me all irritable now. In search of Brew

DooinMeCleanin · 04/05/2011 19:53

Blimey my old house was almost falling down but the walls never shook when next door used to hit their ball off them Shock

You ought to get someone out to see about that.

I used to ask them to stop, but only because we did have a winow a very large, single glazed window in a rotting frame. They would aim the ball between our window and their own (at the wall, not windows) but I was worried they'd miss.

Notsohotanymore · 04/05/2011 19:54

sorry op miss- read the posts.thought they were in their own garden/wall.mmmm maybe rather annoying.

squeakytoy it does depend how old they are.

fedupofnamechanging · 04/05/2011 19:55

I don't think kids have a right to play on someone else's property. I would tell the kids that it makes the pictures rattle and please would they not do it at all, even if you are not home.

Some kids are very literal and think that you want them to stop now, but won't mind them doing it again another time. Think you have to be very specific, but in a nice way, cos they are only kids and mean no harm.

squeakytoy · 04/05/2011 19:56

If they are too young to go on their own, then their parents should take them.

When I was a kid, we were allowed to kick the ball against our own house, but certainly not someone elses. That is just taking the piss really.

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 04/05/2011 19:57

That would annoy me too.

Can you put up some trellis and plant some climbing plants on the wall so that playing football against it is no longer an option?

Notsohotanymore · 04/05/2011 19:58

I agree.

Mylittlebubble · 04/05/2011 20:02

Powdermum I have a simular issue. Neigbour and sometimes random kids play footie against a neighbours garage which is attached to our fence. If they miss the garage it hits our fence. Or it comes over into our garden or hits our car. We have had our wall lamp broken off. a broken fence panel and my 3 day old car scratched. The constant noise of it hitting the fence annoys me so much.

I wouldn't mind if they were good at footie and just hit the garage but everytime it hits the fence I see red. I did think to let the dog get the ball and burst it next time it came over but apparantly thats criminal damage!!!

It is lovely that the neighbour's kids have somewhere nice to play close to home but I am getting more angry about. (Don't mess with a pregnant lady and all that)

BatmanLovesRobin · 04/05/2011 20:02

We had this at my last house - the entirety of one (windowless) side faced onto the road, so we used to get a constant 'thump, thump, thump' during daylight hours. If you haven't experienced it, it's hard to imagine just how irritating it is to not be able to relax in your own home.

We were surrounded by playing fields and swing parks in out area, too. The kids weren't even from our cul-de-sac bit - one had just made the prize discovery at some point.

I ended up parking my car in front of that wall in the end, or sometimes next door would put his van there for me.

Indith · 04/05/2011 20:07

We used to live in an end terrace.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

It drove us mad. It was OK for a little while at after school sort of time but in the summer they'd be there fro after school until late. Dh getting home form work, sitting onteh sofa just wanting to relax and they'd be thudding away. We'd ask them to stop but they'd just come back the next day. Doesn't matter if it shakes walls and pictures or not, the noise is bloody irritating and inflicting it on other people is just plain inconsiderate and antisocial.

ChippingIn · 04/05/2011 20:17

LostMyIdentityAlongTheWay Wed 04-May-11 19:53:04
I think you are totally NBU. Not at all. Little bastards can go find their own wall to play against. I'm with pp - total zero tolerance.

I really don't think it's your identity you have lost
Little Bastards They're kids playing footie not mugging old ladies

HecateQueenOfTheNight · 04/05/2011 20:19

why don't you suggest to the parents that the children kick the ball against their own walls instead of yours.

droopypoppies · 04/05/2011 20:21

Indith That's exactly how my DD's incessant headbanging habit makes me feel, exactly like that, thud thud thud thud thud thud. Sad

Sorry for thread hi jack. Blush

ChippingIn · 04/05/2011 20:21

They're probably middle terrace & don't have a wall!

ChippingIn · 04/05/2011 20:21

Well, you know what I mean Grin

A wall without windows!

LostMyIdentityAlongTheWay · 04/05/2011 20:24

Chipping, see Indith's comment. I would defy you to remain calm. I'm with her and would probably say as such to the parents if it got that bad. It's out of order. Little bastards they can remain....

Indith · 04/05/2011 20:26

They might not have a wall they can use on their own house but so what? If they don't have a garden that doens't give them the right to use their neighbour's garden instead so why should they have the right to use the wall? There are other options, having a kick around without using a wall at all (I'm not a big football fan but I believe the game is usually played without a wall) or going to a park for instance.

Indith · 04/05/2011 20:28

I don't want linking with "little bastards" though thank you, they are just kids who can't see how annoying it is, they just need reminding often and their parents should be asked to stop them. The parents can't know how annoying it is if it doesn't happen to their house and they can't know it is annoying unless someone tells them.

I reserve bastards for the idiot teenagers who race around the cycle path on their motorbikes Angry.

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