What's a reasonable time to expect children to be quiet in the evening?

[MrsWinnibago]

Is 7.40pm too late for my DC to be in the garden?

Not screaming or anything...making normal playing sounds. Bit of laughter etc.

Neighbour has just threatened to call the Housing Association and complain. He approached us as I was calling them in as their friend's mum had arrived to collect her.

He was red in the face and shouted at me in front of my guest. I might complain about HIM I think!

I'd say about 9pm during the summer holidays. Tbh children playing out late don't annoy me anywgere near as much as folk coming in from the pub noisily.

Yes, very few things bother me but 'Late Night Buh Bye Beeping' is

Why do people do it Singsong? It's senseless.

His granddaughter is 5. He seems to think the world should revolve around her bedtime for some reason. My own DD is only 6...her bedtime is usually about 7.30 for story, teeth and then lights out at 8.30. I respect the fact that he obviously puts his GD to bed at 7 or something but that's nothing to do with me or my children.

If he had asked politely then I would have apologised immediately. As it is, he shouted in my face and it's not the first time.

How dare he!

I have complained about him. I won't be shouted at in the shared area of the flats...I just won't. He will be getting a letter from the Housing Association and I hope it makes him rethink his attitude.

I told him "Be more polite please...I'm just seeing my guest out." and he continued to shout the arse.

I won't let him dictate to me aggressively. I will now rethink all of the small courtesies I do for him which he obviously does not even notice.

Good for you Mrs.

Do nowt else for the grumpy bugger.

It really is about him shouting rather than what he was shouting about.

MrsW' is this the guy with the gate-locking obsession?

I can't see any problem with little ones playing outside at that sort of time on a summer weekend evening. But whatever, there's no excuse for shouting into your face, it's disgraceful, bullying behaviour.

9 here. Its summer now and they're in the garden or on the street if other kids are playing out.

The children around me get called in at 9pm. It can be riotously noisy until then with football, trampolines, laughter, shouting but without fail it stops at 9. I can handle that.

However, mine was always taken back into the house when younger if he was being too loud or if he started grizzling, whining or crying.

Goring yes it is...but it's not a gate he locks it's the entire back door! Meaning whoever is in the garden is locked out of the building.

It's happened too often for it to be an accident if you ask me.

I'm making a sign to say "Garden in use...do not lock door thank you"

I was going to make it out of cardboard but DH said that will be too "disposable" and he might pull it off, throw it away and claim it was never there...so i'm making a solid, wooden one...painting it properly and putting it on string and hooks.

He can think again if he thinks he can bully us.

I thought it was, MrsW... you come across as a great neighbour, reasonable and considerate. You're neighbour, on the other hand, sounds like a mean-spirited bully. I think you've said before that in other respects he's okay, but these things show him in a very bad light.

And he might not know it yet, but he's met his match in you! (This is a compliment, even if it sounds a bit back-handed.)

Keep it up, you and your family deserve better than this.

Your neighbour is a twat who has ishoos with people using the garden. Either because he perceives it as his because it's outside his flat or because he's generally a twat who likes making people miserable.

Time to complain to the HA - and ask them to fit a more appropriate lock.

I used to live next door to a screamer... a teenage screamer. I can cope with most noise, but screaming, engine revving and car horns make me feel slightly murderous.

Normal playing out noise should maybe calm down around 8.30-9.00 IMO.

your neighbour...

9pm if it's light! Mid may-mid August.

Summers evenings are a precious.

8pm in winter.

Toddlers don't actually turn into pumpkins if they aren't in bed by 7.30. They are massively more flexible than routine addicted parents dare admit.

Ring the housing association and ask them. That way you know you are in the right should he complain again plus you know the ha will tell him the same if he calls them.

9 pm in the summer I would say.

We've never had silence when the kids go to bed though - we've always lived around the noises of other kids playing out when ours were little, and after mine were in bed was when I'd do housework etc. I think that's why they've always slept through anything with no bother.