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?

Sad that it's seen as a problem. It's part of living on an estate surely? Couple of days ago I was mooching about in the garden about 10am still in my pajamas. I heard the nan over then fence say 'oh you've lost it now, it's in the neighbour's garden' I called over the fence to ask where abouts it had landed and I'd look in the bush for them. She said 'don't worry, we'll pop round now and look in your bushes' but I'm standing there in my pajamas and this nan happens to have taught 2 of my children and one of them was currently on the trampoline in his pants! I'm like 'oh no it's no trouble'. Thankfully she got the message.

Tell them you'll throw them back once a day at 6pm - or whenever is convenient to you. Knocking every 2 minutes is ridiculous. I'd buy them 10 balls myself if they only had one and tell them to use them carefully because once all ten are over none back until 6pm.

Just throw the balls back. If you want to live in total tranquility you need to buy a detached house in a remote area. Humans live in groups, accept it.

Ooh, great to know the Premier League balls are expensive, maybe that'll teach the shit kid who kicked his Barcelona ball into my kitchen last night.
I'm fucking sick of the neighbourhood kids screeching in my door, leaving rubbish on my wheelchair ramp, banging on the windows etc.
Their parents are aware, just couldn't care less.
The odd ball accidentally kicked over by polite kids is fine, feeling like you can't relax in your own home, not so much.

I don't think you can equate accidentally kicking footballs over the fence with keying cars!

Any one who wants to watch a sort and really lovely, uplifting film about young boy kicking a ball over to next door neighbour should watch

Miriam Margoyle's Honeysuckle

It's just lovely!!

*short not sort. It's 11 mins long

I'm astounded at how grumpy so many of you are. Fair enough for the people who have cars keyed, property deliberately damaged etc. But accidents from young kids playing - isn't that just part of community living?

Sure my kids kick a football over maybe once every couple of days, but that's it. I'm friendly with my neighbours - I've signed their passport photos, offered use of my drive when we're away, given them spare milk if I've over-ordered, bought cakes when their kids did little sales outside, helped look for their lost cat - surely it's all about give and take?

So none of these flying balls ever scared or hit your neighbours' pets, kids, or even adults? im imagining sitting in my garden reading peacefully, and a ball whistling through the air, dodgeball style. And I can't imagine I'd be able to sit in my garden for long, getting anxious about the next time a ball comes flying through the air.

Parks are for ballgames. Yards so small that balls whizz into adjoining plots are not.

It's annoying if it's constant. I don't think anyone would object to throwing them back a couple of times a day but I'm not going to interrupt a meal or cooking or a hobby to leap to attention.

Also we have a massive garden with shrubs and flower borders all down the side. I'm not going to trample through all that looking for a hidden ball if they have no idea whereabouts it went over. It'll turn up in the autumn.

Fortunately we have considerate neighbours now who wait for them to reappear on the rare occasions they come over.

My neighbours never sit in their gardens. One side is still a building site after an extension was built, the other side just don't sit out there.

I use to get balls over every,single.day and tbh after being expected to chuck it back after the 5th time, that day, it does get irritating. My poor blind Yorkie got hit a few times. I drew the line when I heard them laughing when they heard my dog yelp. I told them to stop knocking and I'd put it back when I had time, which might not be that day. It rarely comes over now. I have enough to do throughout the day, without sorting out other people's kids.

The child at the back sometimes kicks his ball over the fence, but it lands in a different spot and I put it back when I'm up there. He's a lovely wee lad and never bothers me. Strangly enough, the kids that were the worst culprits never kicked the ball into the garden on their other side, as it would have been binned.

I'm not a misery guts, I'd just like some peace in my own home.

Ds is under strict instructions to be careful not to kick his balls into next door as they never get returned. They have 2dc.
Ds had got a new football & was over the moon with it. Over it went. I went with to ask politely for it but they were out. I popped a note through the door apologising for it coming over but could they pop it over when they had a minute. They didn't. A couple of hours later,ds was in bed & I settled down with a glass of wine to see dh go out into the garden & get a chair. He stood on it & asked for the ball back,they were playing football with it,the dad & his ds. They were v surprised he wanted it back. Fuckers.

My neighbour throws back every evening. Dc only have 5 beach ball type things as I don't want them damaging neighbours things. Once they all go over they are gone until neighbour throws them back. I don't let them knock

Good example of NIMBY-ism really, isn't it? 'Oh how can we combat the obesity crisis? I know! Let's encourage children to play outside! Oh wait - not if it inconveniences me even in the slightest...'

Good example of parents being to lazy to take their children to their local park, so just throw them out into the garden, because THEY want peace and quiet. Entitled parents expecting the world to revolve around their little darlings.

The last 2 kids next door used to throw all sorts of stuff over, I just popped it back for a while but eventually collected a weeks worth into a carrier bag, half eaten fruit, toys, balls, litter and all, and hooked it over so the mum could reach it, and it seemed to make the point.

I can definitely see both sides to this! Obviously not all kids are little angels, and some of these examples are horrible! With kids tormenting neighbours and keying cars (and yes kids van be horrible!) that sounds like a nightmare and more like the issues are a bit deeper than just balls coming over the fence. When I was growing up I lived on a lovely little street, one neighbour had kids and a dog. They'd throw it back when they were there. Didn't go over there too often. Other neighbour were a lovely elderly couple who told us to climb over the gate and get the balls at any time. It's not lazy parenting at all. Not all parks are built for ball games. There was a park right behind my house growing up and it was simply a park, with swings and slides, not big enough for ball games or you'd hit other kids with the balls. I think if you're going to buy a house right by a playground you have to expect families. And how sad that lots of you are saying kids shouldn't play ball games in their own garden. Let's just stick them in front of the tv instead.

Just throw them back. You never know when you'll need a favour / consideration from your neighbours in the future. Consider it an investment.

Last summer my then 2 year old discovered with great glee that he could kick the balls over the fence. We made him wait before going round to ask for the whole collection to come back. Partly for our neighbours so they're not being constantly interrupted, and partly for us so that he knew he lost out temporarily while it went over.

We have a similar young family on one side, so they're quite quick to throw back the balls (and paintbrushes???) ,that come over. The family over the back are now young adults so it's not so long since their children were doing the same. The older couple don't seem to get so many on their side. We did resort to lifting the fence the day after he chucked his brother's favourite cuddly over. The neighbours were on holiday that time.

He does seem to be getting the message to be more careful now. That may change as he gets older and stronger...

I'd have a word with the parents and say I'd throw the balls back as and when I saw them but the children were not to keep knocking on my door.

If the fence is made of wood you can nail in horizontal slats that could serve as a ladder on your side.

Sod that! Having just found out how much fencing costs there's no way I'd be nailing anything to it or allowing them to climb it in case it was damaged!

It depends entirely on the age and intent of the children. If it's older kids doing it deliberately to 'prove' how far they can kick the balls, I wouldn't throw them back. If it's little ones, then chat to the parents if it's more than once a day.

We have lovely neighbours who are not so lovely to the kids that live over their other fence. They don't return balls and have been known to puncture them.

Neighbours often ask us to look after their plants etc when they go on one of their frequent holidays - so we throw all the balls back then.