Neighbours have an arsehole attitue to their children

[CadetMahony]

neighbours opposite have young children (about 7, 5 and 3) who are always out playing in the cul-de-sac with no parents in sight and making a pain in the backside of themselves to be honest. They stay out until 8.30ish every night screaming and shouting and often running all over our driveway and garden. Last night they had a bloody garden slide at the end of our driveway. God knows what would have happened if someone had come round the corner at any speed. We all have gardens by the way.

I just don’t understand how their parents are happy to just leave them to it. Once or twice they have asked for our DDs to play out with them (DDs are 6 and 4) but I’ve nicely said no. Now they wait at the bottom of my drive in the evenings for us coming home and try and pressgang me into it and it gets waring after I’ve been at work all day.

I feel like its none of my business how the neighbours parent their children but can’t help feeling judgy. AIBU to feel pissed off at them all the same?

We live in greater London BTW, not some hamlet in Dorset, so not exactly the safest of places.

I thought you lived by me for a second o.p.
Yanbu I had a neighbour I didn’t knows kids knock on my door six times when I was one day post partum some of it past 9pm to see my new baby!

Coffee I just don’t understand the lack of boundaries. Of course I played out when I was a child but wouldn’t have dreamed of bugging the neighbours - let alone knocking on doors!

They're far too young to be playing outside with no adult supervision. Anything could happen. I'd be reporting them to social services.

Don't bother with SS as you won't get any where.

Do you know what the parents are up to that is so much more important than their kids?

In our street we have a just turned 3 year old wandering about but I'm told It's ok because she knows not to go out of the street .

Yep in my street it seems 3 year olds are often left to their own devices.
They wouldn't get away with leaving them at home without supervision.
I had a 7 year old telling a 4 and 3 year old to keep knocking on my door and then running away.
I would never let my 3 year old out without an appropriate person to watch him.
My 9 and 10 year old have just been allowed out, I've told them if I see or hear of any bad behaviour then there in for good!

Tbh I don’t see the issue, all the children in my cul-de-sac are always out playing. The parents could be watching from in the house that’s what we all do. If it’s bothering you that much you could go and speak to the parents and just explain that you don’t want them running over your garden.

If I saw an unsupervised 3yo in the street I would phone the police. What is wrong with people? I second guessed myself.leaving my 3yo watching tv downstairs while I had a 5 minute shower.

Could be my street. One of the neighbours has 5 dcs, somewhere in the region of 14y, 8y,7y,6y and 6m. 8,7 and 6 year old always out on their own, often as late as 10:30pm (mid week as well, not just weekends) and are often drinking cans of red bull. We are a cul-de-sac too and the kids have no boundaries as far as property is concerned. Had to tell one of them off for pulling shrubs (not flowers...shrubs!) out of my front border last week. Have lost count of the number of times my car has been scratched from bikes/scooter. Forked out £600 to get a full length 'down to the metal' scratch repaired across the full drivers side of the car and then within a fortnight it had happened again so I've just given up. They have no road sense and actively play chicken with the cars - I've had to tell them off when I've been reversing into a space before. My DD is 5 and they did go through a phase of surrounding the car when we got home to hound me into getting him to go out and play. We usually only get in from work/after school club around 6:15pm. I always say no as it's 'almost his bedtime'.