To think that if you kick a ball into someone else's garden, you should ask for it back?

[lovehatelove]

Next door have 2 children, not sure how old but I think the older boy is about 6/7 and the younger boy is about 3/4.

They play football in their garden a lot which is fine and doesn't bother me at all. But they manage to kick balls over the 8ft hedge on a regular basis, but never come and ask for them back or shout over the hedge.
They never mention them. A few months ago I found 7 different balls in the back of my flower bed!

We were out yesterday and have come home to three balls on our lawn.

When I was a kid and I did the same, my parents took me round and I had to politely ask for them back, which was fine.
But the assumption here is that we'll just throw them all back every time.

I'm tempted to start binning them.

AIBU to expect them to just come and ask for the balls back?

For goodness sake just throw them back! How hard is it?!

Surely it would be more annoying if they kept knocking on your door? They’re allowing you to return them at your leisure. I can’t see the problem.

tbh, I have a bee-in-bonnet about people who believe "I deserve to be asked or thanked nicely for not behaving like a horrible cowbag." See it as maintaining good neighbourly relationships to return without being asked.

My DC kick balls over to our lovely neighbours garden sometimes, and depending on the time of day I don’t allow them to knock for them. I don’t want our neighbours being bothered at dinner time or when they’re relaxing. If we see them in the garden we ask politely or they just chuck them over anyway.

Maybe your neighbours don’t want to bother you

Ds has been told not to hassle our elderly neighbours. If he loses a ball over the walls, he loses the ball.

He s very careful about kicking them now, although the one time it went over it did reappear on our lawn a few days later.

My DD kicks the football over the fence frequently. The first couple of times she asked for it back, neighbours had no issue.

I feel it is annoying to interrupt neighbours so now I tell her not to ask just to wait the will chuck it over when they are next in garden (which they do).

Trying to be helpful, hope I haven't annoyed them!

I have been throwing them back. For 4 years. I'm just getting a bit pissed off with doing it tbh because it's several balls everyday - even in the winter.

I have children either side of me and they like to bounce on their respective trampolines and throw a ball back and forth to each other.
More often than not it lands in my garden .
If I go out to hang washing and they see me they will ask nicely if I can throw their ball back, which I do .

Only time its not so instant is if it has fell among nettles and such like (garden needs sorting out big time) but even then , once I cut them , I just lob them back over. No Biggie,

I think your neighbours have taken the view that it's less intrusive and therefore more polite to let you throw them back in your own time.

Riotgrrrrrl

That would piss me off too to be fair .

Oh regarding the neighbours (the parents)

I have heard both, more than once, tell their sons they will just have to wait until L is ready to throw them back over.

As a kid I used to drive my (lovely) neighbour nuts calling for my ball back. My mum was mortified and tried to get me to leave it as she didn’t want to bother the neighbour - maybe they’ve taken the same view?
I don’t see why it’s an issue - why not just throw them back? Willing to bet if you tell them to ask for them back you’ll be starting another thread soon asking whether it’s unreasonable to be irritated by the constant interruption!

Just throw the balls back. Hardly a massive inconvenience!

My jurnior school playground had gardens around it. Randomly a householder would go into their garden and throw 20-30 balls back into the playground at once. We would all be in awe then remember to shout "Thank you".

Maybe they did come round to ask for them back...but, as you said, you were out!

Just chuck them back. There are far worse things that neighbours could be doing than the occasional football over the fence. My parents old NDN's dog jumped over the fence and attacked my parents' dog completely unprovoked. There wasn't so much as an apology from the ignorant prick either. Just jumped over the fence, bundled the dog back over and walked round the house and out the driveway without a single word to my gobsmacked DM.

As a rule I find it best to try to get on with your neighbours. It makes life so much easier!

I used to find it a bit annoying having next door knocking on my door all the time to ask for them back, so I make my ds wait for them to either throw them back or if I see them I will mention it.

New neighbours moved in a few weeks ago. 3 Children. First time a ball landed in my garden, oldest boy came to my door to ask for ball back. He was very polite/courteous - I said, then, if/when it happens, it's ok to just come & retrieve the ball (no need to come to the door). Mentioned this to the mum next I spoke to her.
The angles of the houses mean no windows are going to get broken. Also, it's mainly grass, so no flowers or plants to get damaged.

If you know where they come from, why would you not just throw them back at your convenience rather than waiting until they come round?

How have they got so many balls? I think when we were kids you had to go and ask because you had one ball and if list it you couldn't play anymore.

If you are in the garden already that is different or if your neighbour has said they will just throw them back, but otherwise it is polite for the child to go and ask - it teaches them to be polite when asking other people and the hassle teaches them to be more careful.

You're overthinking it OP. And coming across as quite mean and petty. Just throw them back for goodness sake!

I think just leaving it is politer. I have this situation with my neighbours (and vice versa) and we just gather up balls and return them at the end of the day. I'd find it annoying to have them constantly knocking on my door.

I think waiting for you to throw them back is fine.
Constantly knocking on the door would annoy me.
You dont have to throw them back everyday.

Can't believe you've bothered to write a post about this. It's so petty! Two little boys are outside playing and shock... the balls go over the hedge.... as a punishment you want to bin their footballs!?!

If they knocked every time it went over, you be on here moaning that kids keep knocking on your door everyday for their football!!

How anyone can get annoyed about this is beyond me.
Just throw them back

Can't you just be pleased they're outside playing and getting exercise instead of inside.

You'll be ruing the day you posted this when they're adolescents and playing music and full pelt

Just throw the ball back!