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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want to drop kick my neighbours son?

47 replies

Soddingepiphany · 29/03/2016 13:01

My neighbours teenage son currently has some friends round (his parents aren't home) and bloody hell they are being noisy! My son is 15 months and currently napping and they have already woken him up once but luckily he went back to sleep. They were out in the garden earlier swearing frequently and loudly! They were blaring music (the teenage son does this when home alone but only loud enough for it to be annoying if you are in the garden most of the time) but that has calmed down for now. Do I put up with it, knock and talk to the son or wait till his parents come home and talk to them? Or go with my original plan of drop kicking? Grin

OP posts:
MumOnTheRunCatchingUp · 29/03/2016 13:04

I'd just mention it to him.... Most teens I know would rein in the swearing and noise. Teens are usually accomadating and still a bit scared of mum finding out!

greenbloom · 29/03/2016 13:30

I'd go and complain if it gets noisy again. I do it if there are noisy lads playing football in the road in front of our hose for too long. They always go off and play elsewhere.

grannytomine · 29/03/2016 13:30

Not at all unreasonable to want to drop kick him, probably not a good idea to actually do it.

ScarlettDarling · 29/03/2016 13:37

A quick "Hey lads, mind your language will you?There's a little one here" will most likely do the trick. Probably preferable to the drop kicking Grin

Most teenagers are actually pretty decent, just loud and show-offy with their friends around. If this doesn't work I'd be having a word with the parents when they return.

wigglebum84 · 29/03/2016 13:39

The noise wouldn't bother me as its during the day but I'd have a moan about the swearing.

HighwayDragon1 · 29/03/2016 13:41

In your best teacher voice lean out of the window and shout 'BOYS will you mind your language!' Usually does the trick

specialsubject · 29/03/2016 14:06

hopefully it has stopped - but if there's any more, bang on door and be a frightening grown-up; no need for threats or bad language, just be obviously annoyed and scary.

this kind of selfish behaviour needs to be dealt with. Friends round, yes. Yelling, swearing, screaming and blaring music - no.

AugustaFinkNottle · 29/03/2016 14:10

I'd have thought a quick request that they keep the noise down for the moment due to sleeping child would be enough. They're probably just being stereotypically thoughtless teenagers.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 29/03/2016 14:15

Id understand if it were 2 in the morning, but It's the middle of the day.
You can't expect the whole world to stop and be silent because you have a sleeping baby. Harsh but true.

BertrandRussell · 29/03/2016 14:19

Ask them to turn down the music a bit and tone down the language because there's a little one in earshot. Don't know why you didn't do that when you were first disturbed, to be honest........

Andrewofgg · 29/03/2016 14:27

Address them as Gentlemen - not Boys or Lads. It may be much more effective and if it isn't you can revert to less formal words next time.

ArmchairTraveller · 29/03/2016 14:27

Knock and talk. Try and compromise.
If that doesn't work, talk to parents.
The world doesn't stop just because you have a baby, anymore than he can expect not to hear the baby crying at odd hours.
If you try and dropkick a teenager, you may end up flat on your arse.
As a parent, you yelling at my teenager for being a teenager rather than politely asking him to turn down the music would make me an extremely unsympathetic neighbour.

catewood21 · 29/03/2016 14:51

I would ask them to tone down the language, but turning down the music at midday if it's a one off is a bit unreasonable IMO.The world doe not revelve around your LO's nap patterns!

Notso · 29/03/2016 14:54

As it seems to be a one off I'd leave it. Especially as its calmed down now.
If it starts happening daily then I'd ask them to tone it down and speak to the parents if it didn't work.

witsender · 29/03/2016 14:56

He's a teenager not an alien. Just ask him.

JapanNextYear · 29/03/2016 14:56

Complain to them and if they take no notice go round and tell the parents later. Our neighbours would do this, and tbh I'm really glad they did. Firstly we knew and could tell them off, and secondly the neighbours felt comfortable enough to barge in on a party that had got out of hand and sort it out. (We were away and my DH had believed the big eyes, and we'll never have a party again baloney).

Millionprammiles · 29/03/2016 14:56

It isn't unreasonable to ask them if they could keep it down just for an hour or so while your child naps (and any considerate neighbour would agree to that) but daytime noise is something everyone has to put up with unfortunately. Whether its young children playing outside, teenagers playing music, braying middle aged adults who've drunk too much pinot with their BBQs or retirees doing DIY...

I do think people in general are less tolerant of teenagers than either younger kids or adults (and I include myself in that generalisation, am dreading dd becoming a shrieking teenage girl...).

BitchyComment · 29/03/2016 15:14

I would ask him to knock the swearing on the head. I've asked large groups of really rough looking lads and I've only ever had a positive reaction. They havent always totally stopped swearing but have tried.

angielou123 · 29/03/2016 15:19

I'd of hung out the window and asked them nicely to refrain from swearing and could they please keep it down as your baby is sleeping. He might not be as unreasonable as you're expecting and that might be all it takes. Failing that, i'd go round and talk to his mother. Btw, VERY annoying when someone else wakes baby!!

VelvetSpoon · 29/03/2016 15:22

I really wouldn't complain about a bit of minor daytime noise and swearing.

I certainly wouldn't be impressed if you were my neighbour and I heard you'd been round having a go at one of my teen DC for making a bit of a noise.

I'm frequently disturbed by my neighbour's 4 under 5s squawking loudly and shrilly in the garden at 8am most weekends, or howling in the middle of the night. I don't complain about the noise, but if my DC have some mates round for a kick about in the garden, I won't be expecting them to complain to me either.

BertrandRussell · 29/03/2016 15:33

"
I certainly wouldn't be impressed if you were my neighbour and I heard you'd been round having a go at one of my teen DC for making a bit of a noise."

Really? You'd object to a neighbour's coming round and saying "Please could you keep the noise and the swearing down a bit- there's little ones about"?

Blimey!

angielou123 · 29/03/2016 15:46

VELVETSPOON- Really? He's a teen, not 5 years old! I'm sure he can cope with a neighbour asking him to keep the noise down, he shouldn't be swearing anyway at his age. Btw, under 5's don't know any better, teens do. Well, mine do anyway!

Nanny0gg · 29/03/2016 15:48

I really wouldn't complain about a bit of minor daytime noise and swearing.

It's hardly minor if it can be heard indoors and woke the baby up. And swearing that can be heard by others is definitely not on.

And if you're not there to deal with it then you'll have to accept another adult doing it for you.

ArmchairTraveller · 29/03/2016 15:54

Bertrand, there is a difference between having a go, or wanting to physically assault someone and ' "Please could you keep the noise and the swearing down a bit- there's little ones about"'

One is reasonable, the other is not.

ScOffasDyke · 29/03/2016 15:54

I agree with VelvetSpoon. Next doors small children are constantly shrieking,mand start kicking balls against the fence before 8am. Our neighbours just have to suck it up if my teens have friends round and are making a bit of noise. I certainly wouldn't expect my teens to be quiet for a baby's daytime nap!