To stop throwing the balls back over the fence?

[Danielsss]

Those bloody balls. The kids next door constantly play ball games, the balls always go over our fence! We would always get a knock on the door, every 2 minutes. I ended up saying if just throw it back over, it's still as frequent!!! How do I stop this?

I've travelled to many countries on various continents, including the USA, most US citizens don't have a passport.

They learned that somewhere, you know. Somewhere along the line they learned that you can do whatever you like to someone or something powerless. They either saw someone treating someone else or something else like that or they experienced it themselves.

They had probably watched grown adults vandalising other people's property or "accidentally hiding" it so thought criminal behaviour was OK.

LittleCandle, there is nothing wrong with making them wait for the ball, I said that earlier if you have a look. The things that are wrong are bursting the ball, have a look that has been suggested, or "accidentally hiding" the ball. If the ball is in your garden it isn't theft, if you hide it or confiscate it or whatever you want to call it then that is theft. Doesn't matter if you agree or not, it is fact.

Well if we are going down that route. Constantly ringing someone's doorbell is harassment. Going into someone's garden without permission is trespass. Banging a ball constantly on a person's property to the point the fence breaks is criminal damage and all of the above denies people their right to quiet enjoyment of their home and garden. Who are children learning that behaviour from?

Not read the whole post but YANBU we have 2 children next door to us that continuously kick the ball at our fence and throw it over at least 10 times a day.

I asked them not to continuously knock the door and we would throw the balls back in the morning before work, as we had a baby and didn't want her woken up and disturbed- cue these delightful children shouting into my house from their garden for the ball, no please no thank you just shouts of "THE BALL". I eventually just ignored them.

I don't think you should damage the balls but just throw them back periodically

This thread is absolutely fucking surreal. I read the first page then skipped to the end, expecting a standard MN ding ding, but it's something about coyotes, dislike of Americans, and charity work, interspersed with pictures of a very cute Westie?

I'm lost, sorry.

*of American gun laws, that should be

Francis

Sometimes things just hit you.

Like stray footballs?

Go give that gorgeous dog a hug. Sometimes I just couldn't be arsed going out to return a ball simply because I've been at work all week while still running a home and family. So you don't need a reason or an excuse.

I'm sitting watching all the neighbourhood kids out on bikes and scooters having a fab time - it doesn't always have to be about balls.

Luckily I live in an area where it's safe for kids to be playing in the street or heading to the pitches with a ball. That's pretty normal I would say. Kids being confined to their back yard with one ball that they must have to play with 24/7isn't really the norm.

This bird (moorhen? Duck... thing?) just ate a nectarine out of my hand!

(And Francis )

Wow! (and yes, it's a moorhen). Did it think it was a ball? :o

This is what I love about MN! Answers range from 'chuck 'em back' to 'stab them all (the balls!) and wait a month before giving them back'. I flippin' love MN!

Bucket Cat doesn't care about balls, but he would like a Child Flap in the fence so he doesn't have to bother jumping over it anymore.

Is this still going? Just give the ball back if you can. If it's by the minutes tell them they'll have to be careful cos you're busy and won't be able to chuck it back til later. If you're bfing and tied to the couch ignore the door. Hardly rocket science.

Littleprincessara:
What a fabulous Catch-22 you've invented Math, there is literally no way for you to be wrong. Careful though, that hostility towards outsides can't create a positive atmosphere.

Someone in my neighbourhood goes around sticking up "hedgehog advisory notices" telling you what to do if you find a hedgehog. It's very cute. It's a nice living in an area where people care about all living creatures

Except perhaps children.
They wind adults on purpose and piss where they shouldn't and have the brass neck to ask for their balls back when they go over a fence while playing. The proper response to them is to show them how powerless they are and how trivial their concerns are to you whenever you get the chance.

Wankers:
Luckily I live in an area where it's safe for kids to be playing in the street or heading to the pitches with a ball. That's pretty normal I would say. Kids being confined to their back yard with one ball that they must have to play with 24/7isn't really the norm.

You are wrong that this is 'normal'.
It is in fact extremely privileged, and how dare you boast of your obviously fantastically affluent neighbourhood, with pitches no less, and you mention that the children have bikes and scooters .

You must really hate poor people.

And clearly you have no concern for the envy you are inducing.

Francis .

WankersHacksandThieves Sat 03-Sep-16 11:24:15
Well if we are going down that route. Constantly ringing someone's doorbell is harassment. Going into someone's garden without permission is trespass. Banging a ball constantly on a person's property to the point the fence breaks is criminal damage and all of the above denies people their right to quiet enjoyment of their home and garden. Who are children learning that behaviour from?

It's not harassment to ring a doorbell to ask for property to be returned. If a homeowner is interested in dealing with a lot of doorbell ringing, give permission for the children to retrieve their own ball. This is a solution too sensible to handle.

It's not trespass if the owner of the garden gives permission. So maybe give permission and don't set up children to be 'criminals' as well as poor ball players.

As for 'criminal damage' to fences by children?
You have to be kidding.

Basically you think the children who have kicked a ball over a fence are criminals.

Get a grip.

Who are children learning that behaviour from?
When you use a phrase that was first posted in the context of the tragedy of children learning violence and cruelty first hand at home from parents (who are in fact criminals) and try to equate inconveniencing of a garden owner with the violence that teaches children to torment animals you are choosing to callously mock the child victims of domestic terrorism.

So I am wrong 'Because gun violence'.

LOL. Quite the ace up the sleeve, in the land that sheltered Jimmy Savile and his cronies who included many members of the political and media establishment.

we know that unless our neighbours are criminals, our children can safely go into their houses because there is a very very small chance they will have a gun.
We are not likely to invite children into our houses or God forbid over our fences to retrieve their own balls, though.

We boast of not actually knowing our neighbours or our neighbours' children. We assert that knowing one neighbour makes one 'neighbourly'.

Children who knock on your doors are harassing you. Children who kick a ball in their own garden are hooligans and if your flimsy fence is damaged then they are criminals. Who would want such people anywhere near your homes? They might piss in a herbaceous border after all. They might demand to use your loo. And if you had one in, then they might be followed the next day by a horde of others.

You exhort on an open forum the bursting or hiding of balls that belong to children because apparently gestures of civility like returning the property of others would only encourage them to be children.

It's just a ball. Only sometimes it is so much more. Sometimes it is the thing that just tips you over the edge.

This is not fiction. This is what life is like for some people. This is what clinical depression is like for me.

So, what would you like to charge me with because I can't throw that ball back?

Charge you? What am I - the police?
How about just allowing a child to get his own ball back, thus sparing you some problems?

MH issues are a bit of a red herring really, unless you think children everywhere are responsible for helping all the adults in their environment maintain their equilibrium.

As we know, children behave like children and it is not their responsibility to look after adults in any way, or to be conscious of adults' MH issues. You are asking too much of children if you think they should be burdened with that.

All they need to do is be polite. In turn it is not unreasonable of them to expect that adults will be civil and if they are having an issue with the politeness, to come up with practical solutions.

OP and fellow thread users, as tempting as it is and as entertaining as it can be, can I suggest we no longer engage? Someone seems to be over invested in proving a point that really doesn't apply and I am concerned that they may make themselves ill in the process. I started to type a response and then realised its like arguing with a toddler I.e. totally pointless.