How many times is it acceptable

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

to ring on someone's doorbell and ask for your ball back in one day?

The teenage kids next door have racked up 8 times in the last 3 hours and I'm starting to get annoyed. They can't get into our garden to get the ball back so I can't tell them just to get it without bothering me.

I've got a whole flipping summer of this to look forward to. Grrrrrrr

Just tell them that they are allowed kick it into your garden 3 times a week and after that you won't give it back.

just tell them that is it now for the day and find something else to do

suggest a parent can collect the ball later

Don't answer the door. Maybe the thought of not getting the ball back for a while will be an incentive for them to be more careful in future.

wot Zippi said was perfect. They most likely won't be so cavalier with the ball if they think they'll have to get a grumpy parent to come round on their behalf.

The local kids climb on to an NTL cable box thats fixed to the outside of our high garden wall to retrieve their balls, usually they ask but occasionally I can get quite a fright when they just climb over without asking.

Last week a boy about 9/10 did this and I jumped when he ran past my window. I shouted oi to him and got a cheeky "its my ball and I'm getting it back"

Oh the silent glee I felt when he couldn't climb back out

Eventually I helped him to get back over, but I was busy

Totally agree. There are probably ways of playing with the ball which means it won't keep ending up in your garden. But, because you are so nice and give it back so easily, they haven't bothered to find one.