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.

Nobody wants to be watched in their garden. The world is claustrophobic enough right now without parents allowing their children to watch their neighbours. Entertain them in your own garden and make sure they are not disrupting other people. My garden is a sanctuary right now for my family, I don't want people watching us try and relax.

They sound like arseholes; they have noisy barbecues and a dangerous cable sitting on your shared wall, but moan to you (shout at you?) about your no-doubt adorable little boy playing. They need to move and make safe their cable ASAP. (They're also maybe annoyed with over the noise of your recent renovations, so looking for a reason to have a go at you.)

I work for a large electrical distribution company, this wire shouldn't be there and should be moved. I deal with injuries and worse from incidents like this all the time, maybe it looks safe, maybe it is but it needs a safety check ASAP just in case especially if you leave them alone in the garden. Stay safe x

In the US building regulations would require the cable to be in conduit or buried in conduit. Surely it's not that different in Ireland. Can you call someone to have it inspected? They might be required to sort it then.

You are not at all unreasonable. It's good that your kids are out in the garden- it's contained, you can see them, there isn't a pond- what's the problem? (Other than your neighbours' stupid wire which should obviously be on their side and properly covered and what not). I would forgive a socially isolating four year old watching me mow the lawn and I think they are a bit miserable to be grumpy about it, but agree you should probably talk to your kids about not doing this for the good of neighbourly relations. I hate having this sort of conversation but I also think you should talk to the neighbours about the wire, as it's out of order on their part and a risk to your kids.

I hate when our neighbours kids stare and shout into our garden. It was making my own kids uncomfortable. Also 10 balls a day into our garden. 10.

I'd hazard a bad that your neighbours are annoyed over the popping over the fence by the kids. Like us - it's a 6 foot fence but they've houses and slides against it.

Maybe a card saying sorry is best!

Lunar1 he isn't out there all the time and he only watch's thing like mowing lawn/ cutting wood one day. Noisy stuff. He is a 4 year old boy. They don't encourage him and he doesn't try to interact with them. The neighbour on the other side (the garden is staggered so we have 2 different people to the back) gives him apples from his tree and has massive chats. The neighbours to the left and right have similar age kids so they talk over the fence. It is hard when you are 4... we are all in lockdown.., can we not be a bit more forgiving of young kids?

Devlesco right now the country needs my
Husband at work helping people with covid-19 be treated and discharged. My role is nowhere near as critical, but at the same time I can't just drop all of my responsibilities.

And yes, it does appear called DO have to be buried in sheaths and be connected to a specified RCD if the ate permanently outside. It looks like they have no right to be complaining.
Maybe suggest it's about time they should be doing it properly so neither of them have accidents - electricity can arc or jump a fair way and still elecroculte a person!)

Show them this.

www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/garden_lighting.htm

Also, it's bloody hard working and childminding at the same time. One reason to tell your neighbours to sort the wire out is because your kids should be able to play in their own garden.

Glam giraffe I definitely need to look at that. Thaa as his for sending it on.

Sounds like you’re gonna need a higher fence

Notjjimmy definitely. We had planned to do it in spring as well as other garden stuff like get a shed! If I get a tall one maybe I can block them out ( only about 2 m of length is back to back). The wall is ridiculous now the trees are gone!

We get it, your husband is a key worker and works in a hospital. There might actually be key workers on this thread.

Don't feel bad, you are not a neglectful parent. We have a 6 and a 3 year old and they ramble in the garden without close supervision. It's important that they learn to interact in their environment without someone else always being there, this is a great opportunity for them to do that in a fairly benign environment. Well done for coping so well and supporting your husbands work.

OhT00dles, your problem sounds quite different to
Mine. No balls or anything have been sent over the fence here. My son is so shy he DEFINITELY isn't shouting at them. At his brother maybe... but it takes a reasonable amount of encouragement to get any chat out of him.

Wow are people that sensitive that they mind a 4 year old little child looking at them for a few minutes of their life. Kids get bored after a while if they are not paid attention to. He is in his garden, he hears noise, he has the right to look if he wants he is curious. Hardly going to be out there hours on end staring over.

They are out of order putting a cable on a shared wall near a child's reach anyway. I be asking them to move it it, its not safe.

Can you fix a higher fence onto your side of the wall, thus rendering the cable inaccessible & stopping the overlooking?

You are not being unreasonable. My young kids are in the garden all the time. Don’t stop your children playing outside.
Do however tell your neighbours to sort the cable because it’s dangerous. If they won’t, call the council

Smarie

Are your children not your responsibility?
Does your country need your conference calls right now? Obviously the country needs your husband working, as they'd need any key worker man or woman

If in the uk, there are specific rules regarding a permanent cable in the garden ie a cable to a garage for example. I cannot remember the exact specifics, so advise you to look it up. However, from what I remember, it should be encased in ???, and either buried in the ground or over 6ft high. But don't take my word, as rules and regulations change over time.
If the cable is accessible by your children, then this is definitely wrong.

( I am obviously not meaning a trailing cable while you mow the grass).
I think you said you were in Ireland, so if you do not have regulations covering this, then at the very least, then maybe it should be clipped to the inside (their side) of the fence, where the children cannot touch it.

The problem was he was touching it.

Well done. You’ve realised the problem.

Stop him doing it or supervise him in the garden.

The wire may well kill him. Or it could knock out their power.

Supervise your bloody kids. Don’t blame your neighbours for doing it instead.

MintyMabel So the neighbours put in an illegal hazard in their garden and as a consequence the OP is negligent for not supervising her children in her garden. Rightio!

I know times have changed, but since when did people have to supervise their children in their own garden? I know there are a lot of hazards in the streets for small children, but what can possibly happen to a child in their own garden? Apart from having neighbours that are totally irresponsible, of course.

One of the children is 2 years old. Of course they have to be supervised at all times, especially when there is a known hazard.

OP you’re way too nice. Tell them they need to consider your incredibly difficult circumstances and tell them to move that bloody wire!!