to let my children play with a tennis ball in the road

[HopeClearwater]

Don't know what to do. We live in a small cul-de-sac of 3-bed semis. My dc are allowed to play with bat and ball outside at the widest part of the cul-de-sac. I can see them from my house. I don't let them play football there. An elderly neighbour is taking great exception to it, hates the ball rolling into his driveway (everything is open, tiny front gardens mainly converted to hard standing). He's just shouted at my younger child when the ball rolled into another neighbour's driveway.
He stands in his front room watching them when they play out and waiting for the ball to go somewhere he thinks it shouldn't.
I have a tiny back garden and my other neighbour complains when any balls land in his garden, so I feel that's out now as well.
I'm trying to be sympathetic to the old guy but I can't help thinking that he'd have spent his childhood in the streets of London and not stuck inside. He's shouted at me too, told me they shouldn't be playing out and it infringes his rights. I was very polite back but didn't actually agree or disagree with anything he said.
Help...

[ilovesooty]

Op I totally think you have done the right thing in not allowing them on the rude

That's a different thread

[Cravey]

Road even.

[Cravey]

Altinkum your response is all very well, but I certainly wasnt rude or sarcastic, merely stated what I thought. Op replied in a way that came across as sarcastic. No need for it IMO. Op I totally think you have done the right thing in not allowing them on the rude.

[HopeClearwater]

And he is a grumpy old git, although I did not use those words, so he won't be getting any tea or cake from me. His (very pleasant) wife can give him tea. I don't like blokes shouting at me, or my children. I bet he'd never have shouted at my DH.

[HopeClearwater]

Ah Altinkum thank you for your kind words. I did slightly lose it further down the thread with the number of assumptions and the amount of speculation.

I put it on AIBU because I genuinely wanted to see what the range of responses would be. My children are no longer allowed to play out in the road now. I still harbour unfriendly feelings towards the old man who shouted at me and (separately) my kids rather than coming round and asking me about it calmly. But I will be polite.

[Cravey]

But altinkum it's also shocking how rude and sarcastic some people are also. Such as the op.

[prettypleasewithsugarontop]

YABVU

[xylem8]

No, I call kids brats all the time

[Cravey]

It doesn't matter how old the man is. They are on his property. That must be annoying. Op was rude, dismissive and sarcastic. No need for it.

[xylem8]

'brats' is just a colloquial slightly disparaging term for kids.It doesn't neceassarily mean spoiled and badly behaved

[MintyChops]

If she is as sarcastic and unpleasant to him then I'm not surprised if he is grumpy......

[Cravey]

Lets face facts the op has responded with nastiness and sarcasm, the old boy across the street has every right to be annoyed if children are up in his driveway. It's private property. And re the thing about roads and kids etc, roads aren't safe. We all know that. Op was so so nasty to the poster whose child was hit by a car. It was uncalled for.

[DidoTheDodo]

Theodora, you've said roughly what I was thinking.
I'm sorry to see so many people calling the old gentleman "Grumpy Old Git". Maybe he is lonely (which is why he is looking out of his window such a lot) and frightened and nervous about damage to property and things out of his control.
Perhaps the OP could pop round and ask him for a cup of tea - and discuss the children playing out issue over tea and cake. Well, it might work.

[MintyChops]

Calling kids brats is not helpful and I think only one poster has done so. The Op has responded with lashings of sarcasm to others who have tried to say "Yes, I think YABU" and who have a concern for the safety of her kids.

[5madthings]

We have lived here eight years, there has always been kids playing out, no accidents and no damage caused to any cars or property etc. Children can play out and not damage things and some areas are safe to do so. It depends where you live, the layout of the area, traffic levels etc.

[kali110]

I read thread and dont think calling them brats is needed. Dont mind kids playing out but think tennis ball in road is bu. you could have safest road and still have an accident. Def get foam ball so no risk of damage. I do think though that the bloke has right to be pissed by people continuously going in his garden especially if thats his living room.

[theodorakisses]

Goodness, so wound up over an Internet story?

[JenaiMorris]

OP, the question 'aibu to let my children play with a tennis ball in the road? ' rather invites responses mentioning RTAs, no?