Child using my front garden as a shortcut

[hairyheadphones]

Every single day two children (brother and sister 4 and 2) use my front garden as a shortcut.

I live on a corner house and they walk through to get to there road, their mum walks round the normal way.
I don’t like it as they walk right past my windows which feels like an invasion of privacy, they wind up the dog and it’s dangerous. One entrance is a driveway and there are high hedges all around the front garden, if the children are in the front garden I won’t see them when reversing my car.

I asked the mum to tell them to stop as it’s dangerous but they haven’t. AIBU to expect someone not to allow their children to do this?

Get a megaphone and just call out to her "stop being such a shit parent" over and over as she walks down the street. Your other neighbours will thank you for it and she will probably end up wanting to keep the kids out of the "mad ladys" garden

I think I would go out everytime I saw it happening and take the children by hand back to where they entered. By that time there mother would be on the other side expecting them to come out there so might get a bit of a fright that the children weren't reappearing and it might make her keep an eye on them better - on the pavement!

@PaperTrails agreed! Not too late for a diagram OP!

Diagram for you paper

I am a bit gobsmacked that she responded to you like that. How ineffective is she! I think you are definitely justified to tell the kids off yourself next time.

Love that you've drawn the mum on her phone!! Hahaha

Rig up an alarm mine, will scare them well enough so they will never willingly set foot in your garden again

Great diagram OP. Some cheap picket fencing is a good idea, you could take it down maybe once they've stopped? Also love the sprinkler idea, please let us know how that goes

Halloween is coming up isn’t it? Maybe you could be trialling your very scary werewolf outfit on your garden one morning? Terrify them

Can you lock the gate they go through.
So they suddenly find they have to go back?

yup I second the taser

Good idea @Chilver!

Top work on the diagram, OP.

Though slightly surprised they do not seem to be deterred by the area of glass in front of your house...

I'd be finding a scary clown outfit, stand very still and then pounce when they come in. That would teach the mother a lesson when they won't go to bed for a month.

If two tots were passing through my front garden I would smile at them and reminisce when my teen were that age, I would wave and smile at them from the front window. :)

A bit of wooden expanding fencing from Argos should do it OP

People suggesting water and tasers are being pathetic.

Best idea is to lead the kids back out to where they came in and wait for mother to notice. Tell her very clearly this stops now. If it doesn't I would report to nursery or school.

Manners fgs.

I have this exact corner garden, tall hedges, on the way to a primary school front path at one end, drive at the other.

I have roared at a child or two but their parents were mortified and stopped them doing it again.

I would tell the mother that all the neighbourhood cats use your front garden as a toilet and she should check their shoes every time they go through. It is true at mine!

My mum has a couple of rats in her garden, if she succeeds in killing them I can stand with one in each hand chanting at 3.40 (when I know they’ll be walking through) - that’ll probably stop them and scar them for life!

Love the hedges in the diagram OP. They look like giant rolls of barbed wire. Hey......

Why should you have to spend money to stop them OP, just keep telling them firmly to get out of your garden or block their path yourself and shout for the mum to come and get them.

Shout at the mum would be my answer. ‘Control your brats!’

Excellent diagram. That is all.

Dig a heffaalump trap for Poohs
Or bundle them into a sack.

This would annoy me too.