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?

I just came here for the diagram. Wasn't disappointed.

Run them over. Slowly, and make a big squealing tyre noise when you stop and LEAN ON THAT HORN. They may well get the message then.

A month ago I had a mum sit in the car and watch laughing while her brat threw a really big lump of concrete and brick at my front porch.

Some people are just that way. There's only one way: prevention.

Fit a gate
Plant firethorn, berberis and sea holly.
Water pistol, preferably pump action high pressure
Big growly terrier with very white teeth. I have one and it HATES the local kids. He's chased several. Their fault, they come in the garden and leave the gate open with him roaming around barking his head off a them ... frankly stupid as their idiotic ignorant parents.

I sacked a milkman once for taking short cuts across the garden to next door after being at ours, when we asked him to stop and the snow fall the next day showed he patently hadn't. Stupid, he was, no?

Other people's kids ...

Invite them into your house to pet your dog/cat/goldfish.

It'll soon be halloween, dress up as something scary and jump out on them? buy a fake severed hand and eyeball, leave on the path, tell the dog off for not leaving the last children alone? cover the exit with a giant spiderweb complete with fake spiders?

How tall is the hedge? If tal enough, just hose them down with water and when the mum complains tell her you have no idea what happened to her kids.

Alternatively, you just can say you enjoy hosing kids down they walk through your garden

You need Nerf Super Soaker .. it's Nerf or nothing!!

If I had a gate I would lock it. DH keeps saying we need to get one, will get round to it eventually.

For now I have ordered an expanding trellis. Should arrive tomorrow so will be up by the time they walk through Monday after school.

That would drive me crazy too. First thought was to wait in the car and when they are very close to it blow the horn long and loud, BUT that could scare them to run into the road adjoining your drive.

I'd be waiting for them and do the Miss Trunchbull 'Out' that sophiasnail suggested, before and if necessary after I'd had a word with school/nursery and asked them to do a session on respecting other peoples' property alongside the dangers of walking on and near other peoples' drives.Request that that parents are asked to attend the session with a follow-up article in the school's newsletter and on their fb page.

Otherwise locked gates across the path to your front door and at the bottom of the drive.

Motion sensor sprinkler 😭

Then they won't know until they've cut across. Feel a little sorry for the little kids who will get wet doing that though as it actually the parents fault for not stopping them.

Oops sorry, I took too long typing, crossposted, ignore me.

Tell them you have a dog that doesn't like children!!

Buy a skeleton and hide it slumped behind the hedge. Halloween decoration, plausible deniability!

My DDs would never forgive me if I they got wet by a motion sensor sprinkler which would be likely as they come home around the same time

I totally approve your dog shit idea OP.

Two words.

Air. Horn.

A very, very loud one.

Either get them with the hose every single time or grab hold of them and march them back the way they came. If mum doesn't appear take them into the house and pretend call the police about two lost toddlers. Mum will shit herself when they don't appear and might actually look after them.

OK, you've already demonstrated your diagram skills are excellent OP.

And you've got the matter in hand with the trellis order. Job done.

I'm sure you have nothing better to do now than update your diagram with skeletons, sprinklers, Miss Trunchbull, bins, prickly plants, puppies at the window. Go on, you know you want to.

Halloween's coming soon OP. How about a really realistic, terrifying mask and outfit then hide behind your car, leaping out with a big "raaaargh"!

'Get out of my fucking garden' to the kids and 'stop being such a shit parent' to the mum. They won't do it again and the kids might learn some new words

Just go and shout at them very sternly. Tell them to NEVER come into your garden again because it is DANGEROUS.

And definitely send them back the way they came in.

PinkSparkly

I was meaning manners were missing from the mother obviously

I had the same issue (and that included the postman who was always walkig just under my window).
I out a fence up. The cheap type and then added a few more shrubs. Stopped the issue immediately.

If you know when they are likely to turn up, I second lying in wait and bursting out and shouting at them. They'll soon learn which garden to avoid.

Apologies SunshineCake, I thought you meant OP was rude!

I wouldn't be shouting at the kids, I would be shouting at their mother the next time. Never too