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...

Maybe he is lonely sad and depressed and was brought up in a different time. He isn't an asshole and its sad that tolerance in the UK seems to be towards anyone except sad lonely old people. Why not visit him and speak to him? Maybe he has estranged family abroad, maybe he is a sad old person who would love some company. Haven't read the whole thread so sorry if he is in some way inappropriate to be around families

I only spent 2 years as a district nurse years ago but found the miserablist oldest gits responded to kindness and company. Imagine living alone with no family, friends or support with only the tv and newspapers for company.

Doesnt matter if someone thinks his garden is crap its his garden. I do remember what it was like to be a child. I wax allowed to go the park or cycle up my road. I wasn't allowed to play ball games incase of being hit or incase i annoyed people. I wasn't allowed to go in and out of peoples gardens because it was disrespectful. Now im an adult i can understand. If odd ball comes into the garden fair enough ill throw it back but i wouldn't like kids repeatedly coming into my garden to retrieve a ball and treading all over it.

YABU OP

Tennis ball in the street is not ok (they are hard!)
Sending them to the 'widest part' ie away from your house is not Ok.
Balls going into this guys front garden is not Ok.

Give your DCs a foam ball to play with.
Make them play outside your house.
Tell then on pain of no more playing out they are to stop balls going onto his property.

And then go round with a tin of biscuits or something and appogise in a nice neighbourly way and it might be the start of better relations which can only be a good thing.

Hope Clearwater - you did NOT take into account the time difference with your sarcastic post.

She was actually very shaken up and I was horrified. it was a terrible thing to go through. She has a 30cm laceration down her back. I just hope your kids never have to go through it.

Regardless of what you think, letting your kids play on the road is dangerous. Don't start a thread in AIBU if you aren't prepared for some dissenting voices!

Whois.. Read the bloody thread properly, the widest part of the road is outside the OP house..FFS

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

Goodness, so wound up over an Internet story?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

No, I call kids brats all the time

YABVU

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