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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be fed up of balls in my garden from next door?

234 replies

nomoreballs · 31/07/2013 19:41

Nearly everyday at least one ball gets thrown over the fence. The record was 5 in one day! I used to pick them up each time and throw them back but I am getting annoyed by it. If the kids are in the garden when I throw them back they never say thanks.

I had plans to get a greenhouse before they moved in but it's not worth even considering.

A few days ago I gave up throwing them back. I counted 4 balls in my garden this morning (plus one more that my dog was chewing on.)

Neither the kids or the parents have said anything yet. AIBU?

OP posts:
Tiredmumno1 · 31/07/2013 22:09

Shock Golf balls

TheSmallClanger · 31/07/2013 22:25

Our next-door neighbours are good friends of ours. Generally, if balls or other toys flew over the fence, the guilty party was allowed to nip in and get them if the gate was open. We didn't have the dogs at that point.
DD and her friend once invented a volleyball-type game using the fence as a net.

However, no-one kicked balls against the fence or repeatedly booted them into the garden, which I probably would have found a bit annoying, especially if they hit me or our pets.

BOF · 31/07/2013 22:30

I don't mind throwing the balls back over in my own time- what I can't stand is the ringing of the doorbell.

BrianTheMole · 31/07/2013 22:38

I wouldn't be happy with it, especially if they hit my greenhouse. The odd ball occasionally, fine, but 4 or 5 times a day is ridiculous. YANBU op.

MrsDonaldDraper · 31/07/2013 22:43

We have this, though 4 before 11am is the current record. I used to throw them back, but I now have a 12 week old baby and one of the balls narrowly missed her.

We have nicely asked twice If they could be more careful, but the other day we got another 4 in an afternoon.

So, to those saying its not a problem, what can I do to ensure I can use my garden and not worry about balls hitting my baby? (I'm genuinely interested). Also, other than that my neighbours are great and I don't want to fall out with them..

katatonic · 31/07/2013 22:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ThreeBeeOneGee · 31/07/2013 22:48

Be grateful it's just balls. Two of my children have managed to throw their shoes into next door's garden within the last week.

Dorris83 · 31/07/2013 23:13

I think the main issue here is the lack of 'thank you' when OP has returned the balls. I find that shocking and it would make me disinclined to return the balls.
YANBU OP for that reason.

opilo · 31/07/2013 23:21

Wouldn't it just be easier to give them permission to come into your garden to collect balls themselves.

minsmum · 31/07/2013 23:34

I stopped throwing balls back when I heard next doors kids shout to my Dd hey bitch get my ball. I do a trawl once a week now and throw anything back then

CrabbyBigBottom · 31/07/2013 23:45

Shock minsmum there'd only be one place their fucking balls would be going, and it wouldn't be back over the fence! Angry

Original poster
nomoreballs · 31/07/2013 23:46

Opilo - No way. They already tease my dog when hanging over the fence, I don't plan on letting have free reign of my garden.

I think I will just wait for one of them to be in the garden at 10:30pm playing the recorder (like on sunday night) I will then throw all the balls over at once.

OP posts:
babybythesea · 01/08/2013 00:06

Just read the whole thread to see if anyone else had a mind in the gutter.

Nope, looks like it was just me.

My first thought was "The bloke from next door should put some clothes on or take his balls back home....!!!!!"

Tiredmumno1 · 01/08/2013 00:18

Heehee baby naughty naughty Grin

moodymai · 01/08/2013 05:11

Wait until the parents are out enjoying their garden and then throw them back. See how they like it.

libertine73 · 01/08/2013 05:24

my neighbour could have written this, except for the not saying thanks bit. my boy is also football mad, and we buy him the light balls so they don't bang on fence loudly, or do any damage to property or dd. as a result though they do gp higher, or neighbours Chuck them back when they're out there and don't seem to mind, but we tolerate their dogs incessant yapping so....

MidniteScribbler · 01/08/2013 06:26

My dogs are convinced that any balls that arrive in my backyard are a special gift from the doggy god to say they've been good.

MiaowTheCat · 01/08/2013 08:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sparklingbrook · 01/08/2013 08:24

My DS kicked a ball in our garden and his shoe flew off over next door's fence. I made him write a note as they were on holiday. Soggy shoe was returned.

Then when he was about 3 DS2 dunked his pants in the paddling pool then threw them over the neighbour's fence. I sent him round to apologise and I was being stern and neighbour was trying not to laugh.

He also threw all the plastic recycling one by one over the other neighbour's fence, while they were away. Hmm

All balls banned in our garden after DH kicked one over the fence and smashed the roof of the neighbour's greenhouse.

ThreeBeeOneGee · 01/08/2013 08:44

Grin at the soggy pants. Mine haven't managed that yet.

yegodsandlittlefishes · 01/08/2013 08:52

In previous places we've lived in, with little gardens and easy access, I just asked the neighbours to feel free to fetch their ball themselves, unless we were in the garden, and then we would return it when ready.

Now we live next to a nursery and get a ball over the fence. every few days or so, and throw them back
Every few days. If we got 5 balls over the fence a day, I imagine it would be quite a collection to come back to after a long holiday!

We did have new neighbours on the other side who came and asked for their ball back and I explained that we wouldn't remember which ball was from where and his could end up in the nursery, but he would always be able to ask them for his ball back if that did happen. I've not noticed any more from that direction since.[ grin]

Sparklingbrook · 01/08/2013 08:55

I felt sorry for the neighbours who were on their patio as the pants splatted over Three. They didn't know they were wet from the paddling pool.....

Cakebaker35 · 01/08/2013 09:12

I sympathise OP but it's a tricky one to deal with if you want to stay friendly with neighbours isn't it. We used to have this all the time, tbh I just used to accept it when it was 4 or 5 balls, would generally just chuck them back at the end of th day, muttering under my breath. But then we started to get more and more, the most being 13 balls - I mean who even owns that many balls?! - so that evening I put them all in bin bags and then took them round and just said 'thought I'd return all your balls'. The Mum was mortified, went bright red and muttered 'oops, errrr, sorry'. I've never had a ball in the garden since.

LadyMilfordHaven · 01/08/2013 09:14

We had a lovely neighbour who returned ours. We kept her sweet with bottles of wine occasionally.

LadyMilfordHaven · 01/08/2013 09:15

Agree op is a moaner. 5 balls must take it our of you.

Either say to kids "Saturday morning is ball retrieval day"
Or throw them back.

You must have seen there were kids there when you looked at the house