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?

Good for you, OP. Let's hope the trellis works!

Take it up with the mother again. They are toddlers.

I'd have another talk to the mother:

OP: "Do you know what happened to the last person and their children that ignored my request to stop walking through my garden?"

Twatty mum: "No"

Op: "Neither do the authorities"....(Evil laugh whilst walking away)

I’m shocked at some of the comments on here, my goodness I know it’s annoying but they’re TWO & FOUR, Shouting at them should be more than enough and sure put some dog poo down to punish the mother because she’ll be the one who has to clean it off but why would you punish children for their mothers lack of parenting, throwing a bucket of water over young children or kidnapping them to give them a scare is disgusting behaviour from grown adults

I know you haven’t agreed to do any of it OP but people making these suggestions!

cover the exit with a giant spiderweb complete with fake spiders?

Bugger that!

I've got plenty of real spiders if you want some.

Triple K I think most of these things are jokes.

OP, parents who fail to parent boil my blood. I wouldn’t want to shout at the kids as it’s not their fault their mum is shit, so I’d do the walking them back to where they came from and sternly saying ‘do not come into my garden again, walk round with your mum’. Every time. I’ve read you have a solution now but feel aggrieved for you that this was necessary. Cheeky ineffectual mum creating horrible children who think the world revolves around them. I hate them ( I know a few) and they get worse as they get older. I try to think ‘it’s not their fault’ but at 9/10/11 that wears off and they are just people you don’t want in your house. Great legacy huh.

Good grief! What kind of a shit parent is she?! The problem with air-horn/sprinklers/bucket of water/leaping out and shouting is that you run the risk of making it a game for them. “Let’s see if we can sneak through the garden without her seeing” kind of thing. Dog poo, so the mother is seriously inconvenienced or block it off. Hope that trellis works.

If you see the mother again, be prepared for her to be aggressive and eye-rolling as she clearly doesn't think she is doing anything wrong. Urrgh - people like this are so ghastly.

just be scary but firm. Little children should then burst into tears and run to mum. Useless cow that she is, but unfortunately there are no competency tests for parenting.

no need for hours of work, just a few loud sentences. 'this is MY garden and you are NOT allowed to walk through it. go back to your mum NOW'.

I retract my stroppy face, PinkSparkly, in light of your graciousness. Sorry.

I would simply make a point of being in the garden to turn them back explaining that they must not walk through people's gardens ever. I'd lead them back to the pavement and insist they go the correct way. If they tried again I would get progressively angrier until they got the message.
Children respond well to clear boundaries. Clearly the mother is unwilling to parent so someone has to if you are to get any peace.

Tell the stupid Mother again and again to stop her children,and tell her that she should have them with her all the time.,or you will take some action to prevent things. You should not have to do stuff,or pay out money for a fence whatever because the Mother is a nit wit type.

Love feckless mum on her mobile.

This thread has depressed me a bit. There are people on MUMSnet suggesting throwing water over a toddler? Really? Not the kids’ fault their mum sucks. In fact I suspect they put with a lot from her given she’s obviously selfish.

No no, not at all. Not over a toddler, just in the general direction of them. With a view to watering the garden they seem determined to trespass on

First of all, I’d snap a photo of them, then go to the school and let them know this parent is not supervising her young children and you are concerned for their safety

What on earth has it got to do with the school? As if schools don't have enough to be doing!

A 2 year old and a mud pit.

Yeah that child will be paddling before mum knows it .
No harm to child, but what a mess for mum.

I looked at your diagram and your garden is hedged in! It's not like it's an open pavement onto the road like I thought it maybe was at first. So they are actually walking into your garden to walk through. Their mum should be stopping them especially as you've had a word.

I'm an end terrace and we have a small wall around the front garden which seems to attract kids to walk along it and people to sit on it 🙄. I have roller blinds so they can literally see into my living room window. We also get the odd person that just jumps over the side of the wall and walks through the front garden instead of walking around on the pavement. It's so rude

That's a diagram!! 10/10. Mum is a CF. I can't believe it's actually used as a cut through.

@SunshineCake
People suggesting water and tasers are being pathetic.
FFS! Do you seriously think I was suggesting tasering a 2 year old and a four year old?
It was a joke!!!

Some people have had their senses of humour surgically removed Selma.

Great diagram

hairyheadphones this thread has really annoyed me!

We’ve now got to wait till Monday to see what happens 😃

How high is the trellis?

I have this problem house on a corner but it's a lot of people doing it we are definitely getting a fence up.