To think this is odd behaviour

[Eva50]

......or is it just me.

New neighbours moved in four houses down the road a few months ago. Nice couple with two pre school girls. We are the end house in a small cul-de-sac of detached houses so I walk past their house several times most days and say hello /stop to chat. We have an enclosed garden with a gate which is kept shut (because we have dogs) but not locked.

Ds, age 9, is playing in the front garden and I am in the living room mumsnetting working. I look up and the children and their Dad are playing with ds in the garden. He has just waved to me through the window and carried on! I am now hiding in the kitchen and not even pretending to work.

Fenced makes it weird!

your son will now assume that this man is a friend of his family. As you know nothing about this man except that he oversteps boundaries and has accessed your son in your 5 ft fenced and 5ft gated front yard,i wd let your son know that you are weirded out by this and he shd be too.If you put a proper fastener eg. a bolt not easily reached , on the front gate , that may stop the next encursion.

It strikes me as odd, but not necessarily malicious/macabre. Probably just trying to break-the-ice (it the weirdest way I've ever heard of)

I've got a mate who hugs every f*cker going. Weirds me out but that's just how he is.

A bit odd, but I can imagine a conversation along the lines of:

Your DS: Come and play
Man: Where's Mum? I should ask her first.
DS: She's working inside.
Man: Oh, I shouldn't bother her then, we'll not stay long.

I think it's odd having a 5ft fence in a front garden

I think it was odd that rather than go and talk to your new neighbour you hid instead.

If there is a next time, I'd go out and say 'did you want me?'.

I don't think I would choose those words

not too many 9 yr old boys calling out to passing preschool girls to come and play tho.