To speak to my neighbour about her cherry knocking granddaughter

[Jannerite]

On Friday night around 6-ish/6:30-ish there was a knock at the door. It woke my 5 month old nephew up, who wasn't feeling well and had just nodded off - he was staying the weekend. My mum, who I live with, went to answer the door, nobody was there. Obviously it was cherry knocking (for anybody who doesn't know, or uses another phrase, it's the act of knocking on somebody's door and hiding so they're left with nobody there when they answer). Most people have done it in their teens.

My mum came in to the living room a bit miffed at it. I just laughed. 15-ish minutes later another "knock". I answered. I waited. I heard a giggle - obviously girls. No boy would laugh like that. My neighbour's granddaughter and two friends then rounded the corner and were "shocked" to see me stood outside my house and then proceeded to get into a conversation with me.

There was about 5 knocks on Friday night. One knock yesterday. And another not long ago. My sister saw the girls knock tonight. She said it was 3 girls.

I am almost 95%, if not 100%, sure that it is my neighbour's granddaughter. I've spoken a few times with her, and get on pretty well with her. I'd say she's probably in her 50s. Would I be unreasonable to go knock on her door and have a word with her the next time there's a knock on my door?

Knock a door run here. (North west)
Couldn't get away woth it as a kid (very quiet cul-de-sac, everyone knew everyone)
But when I got older and could venture further a field I did.

Knocky door ginger here.

Cherry knocking sounds rude

We call it 'To ask for Lazarus before the thrice day'

we are very religeous

WTF is up with all the gingers?

Nicky nicky nine doors here (Canada).

DH claims never to have done it. He is either a liar or a loser

Knocker door run here. Up north.

We also did cotton a knocking, tie invisible string to a door knocker, hide and tap tap tap with the string.

Tap-door-run. I never did it.

Knock and run here. Very literal.

Ask neighbour gran for kids name, stick a note on the door:

"Kids-name, everyone knows it's you knocking. It's getting weird"

If it carries on, revenge-knock her nan for infinity.

I just want to know if the OP's gone round yet, and if so, if the child is being disciplined accordingly lol. Ding-dong ditch here as far as I know, but it's not really a big thing in my area so we may just have borrowed an Americanism.

Ding-dong ditch or Ring-and-Run in my neck of the woods...

I've never done this in my life but saw other kids doing it, i was way to worried about getting in trouble. not to mention i had a falling out with my friends in the street at 11, and a huge gang of local kids and teens terrorised our house for years after. Knocking on the windows so hard you'd think they were going to break, scratching the car, posting litter through letter box, shouting insults at you if you left the house. I didn't feel safe in my own home and it made my dad physically ill. I'd give anyone a bollocking if i saw them doing it, not to me but to anyone, it's seriously not funny.

The window hammering was daily. One little shit threw something at the window, my mum came out, picked it up and brought it inside so they couldn't keep doing it, she had the bare faced cheek to knock and ask for it back, and when my mum refused she threatened to send her mum down to beat my mum up!

We call it chappy.

I would do what pp suggested and go next door and ask if they've had the same thing, it keeps waking the baby, etc and see what they say.

If you want to look less like you're blaming them, chap another couple of neighbours doors and ask them too.

We called it cherry door knocking too. As long as you approach it in an apologetic way rather than a confrontational way, then you should mention it.

Bash-n-dash here.

Fascinating thread. So many different names!

I was a very good kid, afraid of getting into trouble, but even i did this once or twice. As well as ringing up a grumpy teacher that we didn't like and hanging up.

Camera mounted where it can pick up faces on those approaching the door.

1. Snap / video the little blighters and present the evidence to parents.
2. If parents fail - post the pics / video on Facebook - name and shame.
3. If naming / shaming fails escalate to Police as a nuisance / harassment - and provide the photographic or video proof.

If there is a time at which they are most likely to do it (pattern in their historical behaviour) try waiting in the vicinity of the door at the most likely time and try to catch them?

It's fucking annoying. Tell the grandmother. Take photos. Happened to one of my friends recently. Ignoring it didn't work for him, so he complained to the school. They took action, but he was prepared to go to the police.

Knock 'n' Nash here (North West)

Wait upstairs with a bucket of ice cold water then chuck it out the window at them!

No no no you don't tell on them! Get creative op. Lay in wait with a bucket of water (preferably cold and muddy water) wait for after school or whenever they normally do it and hoss it straight over the knocker. Or borrow a large rabid dog. 🙂

Knock a door run in Yorkshire
We called it something else when I was growing up in East Sussex, but for the life of me I can't remember what!

Why not ask if she's been having problems too and lay it on thick, then enlist her granddaughters 'help' in tackling it, saying how fed up you are.....or just bollock them if you catch them and hope she joins in?

I am almost 95%, if not 100%, sure that it is my neighbour's granddaughter. I've spoken a few times with her, and get on pretty well with her. I'd say she's probably in her 50s.

A grandaughter in her 50s is doing this? Thought she'd have grown out of it by now.