Children playing in garden

[SMarie123]

My neighbours have an electrical cable running along the wall between our two houses. I have a 4 year old and a 2 year year old, we are in Ireland so we have been home for 3 weeks already.

My husband is a front of line healthcare worker and is doing 13 hour days every day (including long days from home at weekends) I am supposed to be working but really I am minding kids... thank god for nice bosses. anyway yesterday I was on conference calls and I put them in the garden. There was no drama specifically, but I could tell I was causing the neighbours annoyance (they are retired and like to spend time in the garden. The man is always doing gardening and they watch him as they are home in the day just now).

Anyway the lady complained that the 4 year old pulled the wire (didn't break it or anything). She said she was concerned for his safety.., in the grand scheme of things it is just such a petty point but she went on and on.... Now I feel like I can't put them in the garden which is super annoying. He hasn't gone near the wire again but it was such a dramatic reaction.

I am torn between bringing round a card to apologise and just being indignant. Longer term I don't think it pays to fall out with your neighbours.

If you saw him pull the wire, why didnt you do something? Maybe that's what's annoying your neighbours?

Yes, it's a difficult time at the min, but surely your child's safety comes first.

Ilkthebred that is exactly our plan, but we haven't mentioned it to them. Tbh they are standoffish at the best of times. It is unusual because it is such a lovely community here. I guess they have opened the conversation for me!

They have a little decking area that the wire provides electricity for, they have bbq's in the summer. To be fair they are very noisy, but I don't mind that. My children have not overlooked any social gatherings, I would appreciate that would be annoying. It is purely since the lockdown this has happened. My mind has just been in too many other places, with minding the kids 24/7, keeping the house civilised, cooking, getting shopping in and lastly work. It is a hard time to riding solo and hoping my husband doesn't bring home covid-19 from the hospital.

Ignore those derailing the thread about supervision. You can see them. It’s a small garden. It’s fine.

Our electrical cable is under our garden. I really cannot understand why you would put it on top of the wall, unless it’s because you prefer it not to look ugly in your garden!

I would say, yes thanks for raising that. Actually I do think it’s quite unsafe. When will you be moving it? Since we’re all stuck at home, now would probably be a good opportunity.

I think they’ve done something inherently quite dangerous.

Why are you taking conference calls when responsible for small children.
I wonder what some parents think child carers do all day. They aren't taking conference calls.
Take some leave, or work around your husbands shifts.
Your child could have been hurt, but you seem oblivious to this.

Can’t you go back to them and say you’re concerned about the wire situation and could they please ensure it’s properly cased so it’s not a danger to your children?

My 2 and 3 yr old play in the garden all the time without me out there 😬

Your neighbours shouldn't have an electric wire running on your shared wall. They need to get rid of it.

We wanted to run a cable from the house to our shed so we could install a light. Our electrician was very clear that such a wire needed to be buried underground - It is illegal to do otherwise

It's no such thing.

I think your electrician wanted a bigger job tbh.

How sympathetic Devlesko! There are thousands of us working from home right now, trying to juggle childcare and work. No, I'd never normally arrange things like that, but hey I'm keeping my kids at home and away from school.

Devlesco I don't think he could have been hurt by what he was doing. He was looking underneath it the wire. It was attached firmly to the wall by clips. I wasn't really thinking he could get electrocuted until I started reading here..., They aren't saying he damaged it, they are saying he was touching it, which he was. I put mute on and went out and turned on the bubble machine. That didn't distract him but he moved on minutes later.

Is nobody else struggling to mind kids and work? I was actually doing a hand over and I am now working 3 hours a day, but that couldn't be organised until this week. Can everyone just take leave when the Creche's close with 3 working hours notice like they did in Ireland?

Tbf, I would find it very odd to see two young children in a garden on their own playing with electrical wires and climbing up to look into other people's gardens.

Maybe your neighbours are trying to help you out by pointing out your child is playing with an electric wire?

If it's their wire, then agreed, it should be moved but in terms of flagging your child playing with it, I really don't see what theyve done wrong?

My thoughts exactly trentbridge.

Tell your 4 year old to stay away from the wall. Show him exactly how close to the wall he is allowed (make a line with rolled up towels or something) and if he crosses it he has to come indoors. If he likes being outside he'll learn quick enough. The 2 year old will hopefully follow the 4 year old.

So this is just a bog standard electrical wire, outside in the elements, with no protection? Massive safety hazard! They need to move it or protect it ASAP. Your kids need supervising until it's moved/protected, as you being able to see them won't stop them getting electrocuted if the wire is worn at all and they touch it.

Weallhavewings good suggestion re towels. He actually hasn't been near the wall since. He couldn't wait to tell my husband in the phone that the neighbour shouted at me! I think he is worried he will be shouted at next.

Just because the area is small I don't trust him totally to take my eyes off him for a second, he is only 4. Like today a delivery came and I carried him to the door with me verses leaving him in the garden

Your neighbours need to sort out the wire, it is their responsibility and i would make that very clear to them. If your garden is safe there is no reason why your dc can't play out there alone as long as you are keeping an eye on them and checking on them regularly. The garden is the only thing that is keeping some parents sane at the moment. So what if the dc look over the fence, can't your neighbours just ignore them, especially for the moment.

There’s a global pandemic, your husband is an essential healthcare worker. You, like many other parents are in the very difficult situation of having to work at home AND look after the kids.
BECAUSE there’s a GLOBAL pandemic.
Your neighbours have run an electric cable along the top? of a wall within reach of your garden. Your children were “touching it”.
I wouldn’t apologise. I’d explain my difficulties. Obviously it’s not possible to arrange childcare.
BECAUSE there’s a GLOBAL PANDEMIC.
You have to work at home and your husband can’t help
BECAUSE he’s a essential HEALTHCARE worker.
So, you will keep an eye on your children, of course. But it’s possible they may just touch the top of the wall in your garden.
Hopefully they’ll just feel grateful that they’ve nothing better to do than whinge about their badly positioned electric cable.

DH is an electrician. He point blank refused to wire some lights to the ‘local celebrities’ fence as it goes against regulations and he would have to had put his name against it.

The wire should be protected and an electrician will do that job as it’s a potential emergency.

You firstly have my sympathies Op..Working from home is tough.. I am a childminder , trying to support my secondary school child with minding keyparents children is tough. I can say with phonecalls I am working can you call later..

Your origonal post did sound like you were supervising but the point been this wire should never be on your garden.. Why shouldn't you use the garden as you wish.They need to move the wire..

Nellieellie, this is exactly what I was thinking when she had a go at me.

I really wanted to say about my husband being a key healthcare worker, but I thought it might be like I was trying to be be holier-than-thou. Thank goodness my work have been amazing, I was really struggling to do any work. I know I wasn't minding my kids the way I would at the weekends, but I was doing the best I could. I couldn't abandon all of my paid work.

YABU. Your children are too young not to be properly supervised. They shouldn’t be pulling on the wire and they certainly shouldn’t be watching the neighbours.

Outdoor cables should be in an armoured sheath. A bird or squirrel not to mention child could break it causing a small electrical arc and electrocution.
Tell your kids not to touch id tell them I'd pointed it out to them again but I'd point out to them it needs a protective coating as it's not correctly done and they could get injured themselves, depending on what the wire is for you might contribute but hey shouldnt have an ordinary cable fixed up permanently.

Your neighbours should cut you and your children some slack. Do not apologise, tell them your children have every right to play in their own garden and you have to work. I would tell them that they need to move their cable to their side of the fence and that when the lockdown is over you will be erecting a six foot fence and that cable needs to be moved.

As long as your garden is safe from hazards and securely fenced of course your children can play in it.

Tell your neighbours their wires need to be in their garden and if they are not moved by the end of the week you will be reporting them. Also if they don’t want your children to look into their garden they are free to erect a high fence.

I think people are saying you make sure the kids are safe before they go out.
With little ones like this you do need to be on the ball, and if you were on a call you weren't giving them 100% attention as you said, you were concentrating on the call.
The neighbour is to blame for having what sounds like a dangerous cable, just as a car going the wrong way down a one way street.
You look both ways in case, you check your garden in case.

There are so many children unattended whilst mum and dad are trying to work from home, it's hardly helping the NHS when half will eb=nd up in A&E due to neglectful parents.

Why aren't people staggering their work, I'm sorry but with little ones who usually have child carers responsible for them I think it's disgusting to put them at risk. It's a bit different with older kids who have a bit more maturity and some school work to be getting on with.

This isn't just a criticism of the OP, it's widespread. Child carers don't have another job on the side whilst caring for your children.