To call the police on this family?

[catofdoom]

I live on a dirt road. It's single track and very windy. This particular part has a sheer drop off to the ocean.

Driving home with ds yesterday afternoon and out of nowhere two kids (between 10 and 12 I think) jump out at me and start pelting my car with water balloons. Trying to get them through the driver's window. (Luckily they didn't.)

They are my next door neighbours. They're only here for a month in the summer though.

It scared the absolute shit out of me. How I didn't crash in to a tree or go off the road I don't know.

I stopped and told them what a horrible thing to do it was and how dangerous it could have been. They laughed at me and ran off.

I drove home, turned around and drove back to go and speak to their parents (I'd seen the car home.)

Coming back they did it again!

I carried on past their house to go and sit further up the road and have a think. DH then came home and they did it to him too! He got out of the car and they ran off, their Mother was outside, dh told her what they'd been doing and she walked off and slammed the door in his face.

Turns out they did it to my brother in law the day before. They've been sat by the road with a big bucket of water balloons for a couple of days. Their Mother must have know, the only windows of the house and the porch look down at the road.

Anyway, so since we've had no apology. If it were my son I'd have marched him round there furious to apologise.

I want to lodge a complaint with the police (I've already spoken to the local policeman but he's not on duty until tomorrow night.) DH thinks we shouldn't stir things up. I think they could do with a talking to, I'm annoyed their parents clearly don't give a shit. Plus, if it happens again they could cause a nasty accident.

So I guess it's more of a - what would you do?

Also, we're in the States in an extremely low crime area (one burglary in 10 years) so I won't be wasting police time, they'd actually be thrilled to have something to do rather than sit on the side of the road trying to catch speeders.

Sorry I feel like I've hijacked my own thread. I just can't talk to anyone here because I can't stop crying.

You can't highjack your own thread, it's your thread.

I'm here and reading everything, you are not alone right now.

Oh sweetheart. Another one here you're definitely not alone x

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. Life can be so cruel. Xx

Thank you so much. I've never wanted to be home so much. I'm not getting any news from anyone, not surprising obviously, but it's really hard being so far away. They're turning off life support tomorrow and I just want to hold her one more time.

I'm so sorry to hear this. Sending you a virtual hug and making you a .

That’s so sad about your friend. Sending huge hugs to you

I'm so very sorry x

I'm so sorry about your friend OP.
Your life generally sounds amazing.

I'm so sorry about your friend. It must be so hard being so far away x

Sorry about your friend. It must be very hard.

Sorry about your friend op. Thinking of you

Regarding friends and neighbours bringing food, it's not just a rural or American thing. When DH died I didn't have to cook for weeks. It meant so much, as my DC were still at primary school. More recently a friend broke a wrist and a hip in a nasty fall and a group of us set up a rota to supply her and her family with meals until she was better.

And I live within easy striking distance of London.

When I lived in the West Country my local pub operated a barter system. The currency was trout, game, fruit and vegetables. That was many years ago now. I've no idea whether it's still going.

Regarding your coastguard story, a friend of mine sold a narrowboat to a man who took it through Avonmouth docks and tried to sail it across the Bristol Channel.

I happened to know someone who worked at the docks so I got both ends of the story. My friend had warned the bloke that it was for use on the canal only. Then when he turned up at Avonmouth the harbour master's office warned him formally that it wasn't safe and he wouldn't get across the Channel but he ignored them and ultimately had to be rescued by the coastguard.

He then tried to sue my friend for selling him a boat that wasn't seaworthy. She peed herself laughing and told him a canal boat isn't supposed to be "seaworthy". He couldn't get anyone who'd take his case.

So sorry you are going through this 💐

Oh, I was giggling so much at this thread and now I'm so sad for you! I'm so so sorry about your friend. Do you want to talk about her? That's the huge downside of being far from home. I'm only a 1 hour flight away (Irish in London), but it's enough to be really hard sometimes.

I am so sorry to hear your news... sounds heartbreaking xx

If here is where you feel safest to fall apart then know that we are here xx

Oh I’m so so sorry about your friend. This is also happening to a friend of mine. Her best friend is in ICU in a coma after a severe asthma attack. There’s no hope of recovery. It’s absolutely shit. Talk here if it will help. We will support you as much as we can. You are very welcome to PM me if that would help xx

Thank you all. She had some reflexes and coughs last night so they won't turn off the ventilator this morning as they'd planned until they've done another ct scan. I feel like it's just false hope though, yesterday they were saying she couldn't be anything but brain dead.

People don't actually come out of a huge brain haemorrhage and coma except for in tv shows do they?

@Prawnofthepatriarchy I can't believe someone tried to take a canal boat across the channel! I hope the coastguard made him pay up!

@MissConductUS they did indeed tow the boat back to the boat yard and fix it! Hence him getting back with the girlfriend (to pay the bill) I suspect.

@HumpHumpWhale it's hard being away from home isn't it?

I really want to go back to be with her but this is DH's busiest week of the year work wise and he'd lose his job if he took time off now. And it's just not possible or appropriate to bring ds with me.

If my parents in law would help I could but I had an ovarian cyst burst a few years back and they wouldn't take ds even for a couple of hours so I could get to hospital so I'm not even going to bother asking.