To complain about neighbours kids?

[FrauNeuer]

Hello all.

This has surely been asked before, but here goes:

Husband and I live in a semi detached house with a fairly large garden. Family four doors down (yes, FOUR) have two school age kids who regularly play in their garden . . . loudly.

I’m at work during the day, and at weekends when I hear noise from the kids I ignore it because I know there’s nothing you can really say about kids playing during the day.

However, in the last weeks I’ve been disturbed from inside my home (doors and windows shut) by the kids. I’m sitting in my lounge at 9pm tonight and all I can hear is screaming from the f*ing trampoline and it’s driving me insane.

Added dimension is that I’m 5 months pregnant, so obviously my tolerance is lower than usual but aibu to knock on the door and politely ask that they keep the noise down after, say, 7pm, or am I just being a hormonal grouch?

Thanks in advance.

Kids need to be kids, but they also need guidance and direction on how to behave appropriately and in line with social norms. Yes, 9 pm isn't too late for kids of that age on the whole, but it is possible to play outside without disturbing people 4 houses away.

And the baby comment is a total red herring. Not all babies scream all day and night, and even if they do...they can't help it. They have no control over their volume or impulses whereas I would expect a NT 7 and 9 year old to understand a request to quieten down and behave accordingly.

My children would be disciplined for screaming and screeching at any time of day, indoors or outdoors. I don't see why OP should be disturbed by someone else's lax parenting. Ask for them to stop and complain to the council if they don't.

Yanbu !

I have never let my kids yell and scream , it’s not hard to train them to not be noisy

Is it just me who always checks these threads in case it's their own children being complained about?

I'd probably be grumpy about kids screaming constantly outside tbh, whatever the time of day. But I would suck it up if before 9pm as I'd far rather kids were playing outside than cooped up staring at a screen all day.

I do try and make sure my own children don't disturb the neighbours as much as possible though - if they were yelling and screaming I'd be going out and telling them to keep it down as we don't live in the middle of nowhere and nobody else wants to hear it! They don't always take much notice though and I end up with the dilemma of do I end up shouting at them, thus making even more noise for the neighbours, or do I stop them playing when it is good for them to be outdoors and active... They do not make noise, indoors or outdoors, after about 8pm though. I am very strict on this as next door has to get up at 4am for work.

There's a big difference between a baby (who can't be reasoned with) crying and children yelling, banging and screaming - I'm sure DS2 kept half the street awake when he was a baby, but as soon as he was old enough he has been taught not to disturb other people's peace and quiet wherever possible!

I think kids should be quiet by 8 but I'm not sure I would say anything (next time!). I've had a fall out with neighbours in a terrace about something else and it was really unpleasant. I dreaded seeing them every time I came in or out of the house and found it very difficult not to think about them when I was in the house.

I can't imagine people who let their kids scream outside at 9.45 will be especially receptive to the idea they shouldn't.

That said, I don't think I'd be telling my kids to be quiet outside in the middle of the day. As city kids they get so little freedom and school is brutally boring these days.

Interesting the mother was out supervising the kids today and shushing them, FrauNeuer... makes me wonder if she's an MN-er and read this thread!

Just on the other side of this. We have a neighbour who seems to have it in for the kids on this street. There's about 8 all together with 3 being mine. She lives further up and across She came out a couple of weeks ago to ask them not to play near her house, they moved. She's now spent the last couple of weeks glaring at all the kids and shouting everytime they walk past. She is taking pictures of them when they walk past. It's a bloody nightmare. She finally knocked on yesterday and spoke to DH and asked that they didn't play outside her house, DH pointed out that they weren't, she backed down a bit and shifted to say she didn't want them walking past it and that she could hear them from her house even though they weren't outside and could we bring them in. This was about 5.30 6. DH was very reasonable.

Lady then marched a couple of doors down to do the same with one of the other mums. Unfortunately she's nowhere near as reasonable and told her to fuck off. My kids are older but I still wouldn't have them out past eight.