AIBU to let my son kick a ball around outside?

[somedogsdo]

I live in a small house that doesn't really have any useable back garden. It's at the end of a little rural drive/lane. My front door opens directly on to the tarmac area that both I and my neighbours opposite park on. There are usually 3 but can be up to 6 cars out there. It's a private driveway.

My 10 yr old son likes to kick a ball around in front of my house between my house and the parked cars. I've said no to a proper football but have bought him a light weight ball instead which he throws/kicks about on his own.

The ball sometimes hits my house/windows but it's light so not a problem (so far!). But it also occasionally bounces off the parked cars. It doesn't do any damage but I can see that it might be annoying.

My mum looks after my son after school some days whilst I'm working and has said she doesn't want him kicking the ball out there when her car is there. I'm a bit annoyed as I want to encourage him to play outside and be as active as possible - instead of just screen time after school. But I guess I have to respect her wishes.

I've asked my neighbours whether it annoys them and they've said it's fine and also invite him over to play football with their son in their garden (which is huge, complete with goal).

But my mum says it's disrespectful to play with a ball near cars as it's not teaching respect for other people's property.

AIBU to let him play outside like this? We're not close to a park/field and I really want to encourage active/outside play. But I don't want to encourage disrespect. And what about when there are visitor's cars at weekends etc. Am I right to encourage this or is my mum right that I should put a stop to it?

How about a basket ball net screwed on side of house?

What about something like [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Outdoor-MET00200-Messi-Training-Ball-x/dp/B01LYWKRHU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494496099&sr=8-1&keywords=messi+training+ball this?] It's basically a small football on a length of elastic that he holds, so he can still kick the ball but it won't go far. My DS has one and has had a lot of fun with it.

Link fail! this

A basketball hoop out up on the side/front of the house - a lot of people seem to have this where I live. I think if he only has to stop playing when your mum is there that he has plenty of other days to play football - she is looking after him to help you, so you might just have to suck it up.

MumIsRunningaMarathon

When we moved out of London, we were so surprised at the lack of public space for children to play in so many of the areas we looked at. Sure, there may well be a playground or a village green in a decent-sized village, but not necessarily, and much of the housing is some way away from the centre of the village anyway. Our school catchment area is about 4 miles in some directions - there's one playground, but four miles along narrow country lanes behind a tractor can take a while. It's not really the 'nip to the playground across the road for 15 minutes' that we had in London. Our DC have been to the playground maybe 3 times in the past year, so I can well believe the OP. We're lucky to have a huge garden but many rural houses are cottages backing onto private fields and woods (with gamekeepers!)

Get him a sponge football

My kids used to have one and it was really quite good. Not too light or anything, but still wouldn't do any damage.

Thanks - I'm liking these balls on a string ideas. And the basket ball hoop.

And reading all your thoughts I think I'll put a stop to the football kicking at any time whether my mum's there or not. She obviously had more of a point than I realised (reaches for the humble pie )

IMO a basket ball hoop is as anti social as a football kicked between cars! The pitch of a bouncing basketball is my idea of aural torture!

Sorry, I know that is not helpful! I feel guilty about this sort of thing because when I was young my mum let me bat a tennis ball against the wall of the people downstairs. it was only years later that I realise what a nightmare it must have been for them and how lovely they were not to complain. sorry Mr and Mrs Woodhouse.

Does your Mum drive ? I would ask her if she could take him to the park when she is looking after him. I'd also encourage the friendship with the child who has a big garden and goal next door .

We used to play tennis against the back warehouse door of a large 'country store' type shop close to our house, which had no garden. We'd hit a couple of hard forehands against it before running to hide round the corner .. if nobody came out or shouted, we knew everyone had gone home and would carry on...

Take him too a park?

I'd be extremely annoyed. We sometimes play piggy in the middle but it's always in front of our house and the only cars we'd potentially hit are ours (and we are both sensitive enough to not do it). Take your son somewhere where it's green, get him to a club to play.

My neighbour's grandkids kick a ball around their garden when they visit. Obviously I have no issue with this but the constant thud of foot meeting ball and the thumping of the ball against the fence is unpleasant for everyone else having to listen to it. I can zone out my own DSC's noise though so it's horses for courses. I guess your mum doesn't zone out your son's playing/ ball hitting the cars in the same way that you would and she is seeing this from everyone else's perspective i.e. your neighbours are just being polite. I think worra's sponge ball idea is a good one.

Nope you don't let your child play football where he or she is going to end up bouncing the ball off other people's property.

Swing ball then the ball can't hit anything