...to think this woman is being unbelievably precious about her grass?

[Jaylabelle]

Bought my ds a rather expensive football for his birthday - it was his main present. On Friday he and his friends were kicking it about as they walked home from school. They walk along a winding road with lots of big houses with big gardens, and they accidentally kicked it someone’s garden.

He rang the doorbell, but no-one answered, so we went round this morning to ask for it back.

A woman answered the door, we asked her, and she said she had seen the football at the end of the garden, but she couldn’t get it back as they’ve just had their lawn relaid and can’t walk on it for 3 weeks!?!

Is it just me who thinks she’s being incredibly precious over some grass? I can’t believe we’re going to have to wait 3 weeks to get back Ds’s football - he’s so upset. Her walking quickly to get it wouldn’t do any harm. I offered to send ds as he’s very small and light but she refused to let him.

I can't imagine taking a few big strides on tippy toes would fuck the lawn. I'm not an expert though.

Exactly - you are not an expert, that is the point. Everyone with actual experience or knowledge has said don't do it.

If it was wet concrete would you also 'tip toe' across it or would you ask them to wait until it was set? Why is grass different when the damage is even more expensive to remediate.

Do you weigh less on tip toes then?

No of course you don't weigh less. I suppose if you wanted to put less weight on the grass you would distribute your weight over a large area resulting in less pressure. Eg; stand on a plank or lie flat and manoeuvre yourself like a worm.

That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I coincedentaly am sitting next to a gardener at the moment and i have just asked him and he laughed. He agrees that it means consistent walking or running about on, especially on the same bits repeatedly. If a few foorsteps killed it it would be the world's most precious grass! Isn't she worried about the pressure from the ball on one spot of grass consistently for 3 weeks? He say that is more likely to make a bald spot.

How high is the fence from the road? Could someone climb up onto it and pull the ball back with a stick to retrieve it?

It’s in a flower bed luckily, or not, depending which side of the fence you are on

It's the other way round. Your being precious over a ball

I'm with the lawn lady. Why should she damage turf she paid a lot for just because OP's son was being a prat with his new toy?

Flomper you're far too sensible and rational to be posting on AIBU

We need dramatic responses about sabotaged lawns costing hundreds of pounds and inconsolable children crying themselves to sleep because their birthday present is being held hostage in a flower bed.

It's not impossible to retrieve the ball. It could probably be knocked out of the flowerbed with a long broom or something.

I can’t think of a single flowerbed in my garden that could be reached without stepping on the lawn.

I am surprised a lawn is laid all the way from one edge of the garden to the other. Usually there's flower beds/borders down one side at least.

A diagram would be really useful at this point Sparkling Although are we over thinking this? Probably

I have a suspicion that lawn lady is refusing to retrieve the ball simply to teach him a lesson. She doesn't like children and she doesn't like balls and it's inconvenient to attempt a rescue operation with a long rake.

Very possibly, and her lawn is not brand new at all.

Or she just likes holding footballs hostage having had a bad experience with one as a child...

I'm afraid I have never seen said garden so would be unable to provide a diagram.

It's a massive garden though, probably 1/3 acre.

That's a lot of grass.

You could study it on Google earth.

how high is the fence, just out of interest?

That's about the size of half a football pitch ironically.

Love the - She Hasn't Laid Turf She Just Takes Footballs Hostage- conspiracy theory

Will your ds return in 3 weeks Jayla to collect his ball? It might be ruined after a few weeks sitting in the flower bed though.

Can't you dangle him by the legs over the fence to grab it? Or is the flower bed in the middle?

It would have to be a mighty long stick to reach it if it’s that big.

If she was feeling generous she could easily take a few steps on her lawn. She obviously wasn’t.
Or maybe she very literal and thinks she actually can’t.

To be honest if this happened to me and I had just had a lawn laid I wouldnt walk on it if told not too. I would probably offer a tenner for a replacement ball to keep him going whilst waiting but that's because I couldn't be bothered with the agro.

^^fortunately I don't have a newly laid lawn and after getting up about 6 times in one day to answer the door to the kids playing in the street to ask if they can go in the garden to get their ball we just told them to use the gate and not worry about it in future. I love living in a place where children play out like we did. I just wish it wouldn't be considered weird if I went out for a game of Kirby with them

sentMai That was my thought - 'expensive' football, so presumably leather. What kind of heathen uses a good leather ball on roads and pavements? That's where leather footballs go to die, unloved and in pain.

How you handled this with your DS will stay with him. If you told him it was entirely his own fault he doesn’t have his ball as he should’ve taken more care then it’s a valuable lesson he’s learnt. On the other hand, if you’ve moaned with at how unfair the garden owner has been you’ve only yourself to blame when he disrespects other people’s property.

Unless she lays on her belly and manoeuvres like a worm she is being unreasonable.

This thread has also given me a mental picture of a kid being dangled over a fence. For a ball. Brilliant.

Seriously, waiting a few weeks for a ball is no hardship. A total non-issue imo.

I'm with the grass lady, OP. She's not being precious; she wants to give her expensively laid grass a chance. I'd be just the same.