Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

These bloody toys!!!

47 replies

ballerinabelle · 10/10/2015 18:39

Okay so I'm fully aware that I'm probably ring slightly unreasonable but it's annoying me.

I have a 15 month old DS who is too young to go out and play in my front garden. It's sloped and he just runs and falls down it. Anyway, my neighbour's son aged 6 and about 5 of his friends have started playing in my garden and the path next to it. No matter how many times I ask them to play elsewhere I look up and they're still in my bloody garden! Every night their toys (scooters, plastic guns and a big pink teddy thing) are strewn across the grass and I go out and pick them up because I don't want my house looking untidy outside it's a bombsite on the inside and leave them in my neighbours garden. Tonight was the final straw. My DS wouldn't eat dinner because he was distracted by the chaos in the garden. What would you ladies do with the toys that have now inevitably been left? I feel like putting them all in my bloody wheelie bin and when they come out the morning they'll get a bloody shock. Sorry I know it's not the right thing to do but they're doing my box in.

OP posts:

Perfectlypurple · 10/10/2015 19:59

Take the toys in your house. When the kids knock on the door for them tell them to send their parents round to get them, repeat and the parents will soon get fed up.

RandomMess · 10/10/2015 20:13

I completely get that it's perfectly clear that the garden belongs to you but if you fence it off it means they can't pretend that it's all one open space...

Fatmomma99 · 10/10/2015 20:54

I'm a bit uncomfortable with this thread. You all seem to be more or less in agreement, so it's probably just me, but it seems a bit mean to punish the kids when it's their parents who need to take responsibility. They're only 5 and 6.

So if it were me, I'd go with piling the up inconveniently for their parents, but taking them away and hiding them seems quite harsh.

dementedpixie · 10/10/2015 20:58

But they've been told to move before and have ignored it

CrapBag · 10/10/2015 21:02

Take the toys away, inside or out your back, wherever they can't see them. When they inevitably ask, tell them why you took them then fence the garden off. This would drive me up the wall and I'd have no patience for it.

Notimefortossers · 10/10/2015 21:05

Lol. I'm just commenting really cos I wanna know what happens :)

bloodyteenagers · 10/10/2015 21:09

Next time knock on their door. Tell the parents they need to watch their kids. They are still playing on your property and they need to come and remove the toys from your property.
Tell them if there is a next time
You are assuming the stuff is abandoned and you will be giving it all to charity.

MustBeLoopy390 · 10/10/2015 21:10

This would drive me insane. I'd bag toys and go take them to parents and tell them to bloody sort it! If that didn't work like pps have said I would be fencing off and looking at motion sending sprinklers

Original poster

ballerinabelle · 10/10/2015 21:19

fat momma I know where you're coming from but they're completely insolent when you ask them to move. Stare at you as if how dare you interrupt me playing in your garden. miraculously the toys have actually been cleared away tonight. I was quite looking forward to dumping their toys into bin bags

OP posts:

TheWitTank · 10/10/2015 21:21

Maybe one of the parents is on MN!

UterusUterusGhali · 10/10/2015 21:27

I'd make a creepy looking stack in their front garden. As high and obvious as you can.

Then plant a hedge.

ThatsDissapointing · 10/10/2015 21:39

How about a motion activated water jet. They are meant to deter cats, dogs, birds etc but they would deter kids too. Or is that too mean.

Original poster

ballerinabelle · 10/10/2015 21:40

wit one can only hope. I'm glad I'm not the only one who'd be pissed off at this. I don't get parents who'd allow their children to start playing in a strangers garden when none of the children have a connection to the person whose garden they're littering with their shite playing in! It seems really rude

OP posts:

Original poster

ballerinabelle · 10/10/2015 21:42

disappointing if they start playing again I'm going upstairs with a bucket of ice cold water and it's getting poured over them

OP posts:

WipsGlitter · 11/10/2015 09:14

Is there s management company you can speak to. Where we live you are not allowed to fence off your front it's all sortof open plan. Hmmmm are you one of my neighbours????

Original poster

ballerinabelle · 11/10/2015 10:21

wips I don't think there's anything to stop me fencing it off. I own the property. However with the layout of the houses it would look really odd to fence my house off. I know I'm ignoring the best solution but I'd look like a weird hermit

OP posts:

DisappointedOne · 11/10/2015 10:24

We own our house but there's a covenant banning fences or hedges around front gardens here.

Salmotrutta · 11/10/2015 10:28

I can't believe these neighbour's are letting their offspring play in someone else's garden!

And the poor elderly neighbour who isn't well - I feel sorry for him too.

I don't bandy around the word "entitled" very much on here but in this case it seems your neighbour's are!

StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes · 11/10/2015 12:39

motion activated lawn sprinkler?

Original poster

ballerinabelle · 11/10/2015 12:51

stepaway would love to but don't want to soak my poor postie or anyone who comes down the garden path!

OP posts:

whois · 11/10/2015 13:27

I would have already knocked on the neighbours door and asked their parents to stop their children playing in your garden.

Next step gather up any toys into a black bin bag and stash in your back garden.

If the children come knocking, ask them to send their parents over. Ask parents why children are still playing in your garden? Tell them it is not acceptable and they need to put a stop to it. Give back toys. Warn of toys are left in your garden again they will be binned.

Every time the children stray into your garden, go outside and say in a very firm voice "get out of my garden NOW and take your toys with you. You are NOT ALLOWED in my garden". Repeat.

I probably wouldn't actually bin the toys the next time if left. Stash in back garden again but I would tell the parents it isn't convenient for me to get them. Ask parents to come back at a certain time.

Unless you live in a shameless style estate in while case I wouldn't bother talking to the parents and would just get a bit shouty with the little shits and go mental at them every time they go into your garden.

Really don't see why you don't just get a little low fence tho.

Forestdreams · 11/10/2015 13:50

Bring toys into the house and don't always answer the door when they come knocking. Give them back to DC if they ask nicely, telling them to stay off your garden in future.

I think long term though, when your little one is playing in your garden the other kids will want to join in, and your own DC might not understand and respect the boundary from day 1, so I would try to avoid making enemies of the other kids' parents.

Flip

1 2