Noisy neighbour children

[AvenueQ]

They spend a lot of time in the garden and are incapable of playing without CONSTANT screaming and shouting. The parents never ask them to play more quietly. Usually the parents are inside with doors shut.
Is there anything I can do???

[Grumpybuttons]

@AvenueQ This is hard for me to admit....

But.... I just moved house because of the neighbours noisy children. And guess what - my new neighbours play sweary rap music at a higher volume than the children ever used to play. And that’s loud!

Try and find a way to get through this. Children grow up.

I’ve been sobbing my heart out for 2 weeks because of my HUGE regret

[sassbott]

@dontdisturbmenow don’t worry I won’t lose any sleep over people like you. One bit.

I am as considerate as I think I need to be. My children are never out playing before 11am and I ensure they stop their boisterous play by 6/ 6.30 (when I think my neighbours may be coming out for supper) so that they can enjoy their gardens in peace. I also repeatedly tell them that we have neighbours and to be considerate. Repeatedly. However they are 3 children on lockdown week 9 (?Ive lost count).

I’m glad you had young children and raised them well. Would you like a medal? I wonder. Did you also raise them through a period where the children can see no one else? No one. Not their friends. Not their families. No one.

No. You didn’t. So please take your supercilious attitude elsewhere.

I have lost count of the amount of people on here complaining about the amount of families in parks when those families have their own private outdoor spaces. I’ve also lost count at the amount of vitriol poured out for those who have gone to the beaches and packed them out. I’ve done neither out of respect of ‘keeping people safe.’

So you know what? You’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t.

My garden is not a communal garden. It’s my garden that I paid for. If people don’t want children shouting and playing then don’t move to an area that is a Mecca for young families due additional outdoor space/ Good primary schools/ commute to central London etc.

You hate your neighbours attitudes with their children? Move.

[LGY1]

@OchonAgusOchonO
Seem as one neighbour is a milkman as the other is out with the dogs by 7, 7:30 is fine for our group of houses!

[OchonAgusOchonO]

@ LGY1 - Seem as one neighbour is a milkman as the other is out with the dogs by 7, 7:30 is fine for our group of houses!

You've only two neighbours? Unless your sites are really big, I suspect the noise carries pretty well to the rest of your neighbours.

[JaniceBattersby]

As long as it’s not too early or late, children playing boisterously in their own garden is completely normal noise In a suburban environment. I’m not muzzling my kids. Nor am I telling them not to make noise in an outdoor environment that belongs to them. There are plenty of places to live that don’t have many families around. Just move to one of them if you don’t like kids.

[LGY1]

@OchonAgusOchonO Yes we are out on a limb on our own.
1/2 a mile from the nearest estate one side and an empty valley / golf course on the other.
Just the 3 houses & a boarding school down here.
Obviously boarding school is currently empty.

As I said in my post I’m very conscious of our neighbours as we are the only ones with a child and if they were still asleep we wouldn’t have been out.

[formerbabe]

Yabvu...children really don't have much in their lives right now. No school, can't see friends and family, can't go swimming or play sports, can't even play in playgrounds...now people begrudge them letting off steam in their own gardens

[shinyredbus]

My neighbours have asked that we keep our kids locked in the house until 9am especially on weekends so they can sleep in.

[OchonAgusOchonO]

@ LGY1 - that's fair enough then. However that wasn't at all clear from either of your previous posts

[OchonAgusOchonO]

@LGY1 - oh, and good on you for waiting until they are up and about.

[sixthtimelucky]

The little kids next door are screamers/shriekers and are out all the time at the moment. It can be distracting when I'm working with doors open but they are lovely children and it's a unique time so I'm shoving headphones in or closing doors when it gets too much. I think right now is the time to dig deep for patience.

[nekaTemanresU]

I understand it's frustrating but with everything going on I think you should let them be. I'm sure the parents would be stressed as it is and it's better to have kids playing outside being kids then on their iPads all day. Maybe try playing some relaxing music inside so you can't hear them as much.

[OchonAgusOchonO]

@shinyredbus - My neighbours have asked that we keep our kids locked in the house until 9am especially on weekends so they can sleep in.

That's a perfectly reasonable request. Not the locked part obviously, but I assume you're going for dramatic effect there. Equally, it would be reasonable for you to ask your neighbours not to make excessive noise in the garden after 9pm as your children are sleeping.

[Cosmos45]

I have had very noisy neighbours for years. We live rurally in detached houses with big gardens and I think they think they own the village. I could write an essay about the things that go on. Think screaming kids with their own bouncy castle, swimming pool, the father performance parenting and bellowing at them (not in an aggressive way but sitting just to the side of our garden and bellowing at them at the end of the garden to check they're ok etc). Comedic sneezing really loudly etc. This is not just a Saturday and Sunday but now as he is at home we are treated to it every day of the week. Most of my colleagues know the sound of his voice (we have a 1/2 acre garden and I am the farthest away from him in the house) and now certainly all of my husband's colleagues know him from the ridiculously over exaggerated sneezing. I spent the whole of last summer indoors and seriously thought about moving.

Considering though we lovingly restored our house from a decrepit wreck and spent 2 years renovating it and sinking lots of money into it, it is our forever home. This Monday it all came to a head. He started at lunchtime with the music on full volume, singing along full volume, then charging round the garden screaming at the children, dog barking, performance parenting and every single nerve in my body was frayed to within an inch of it's life..

About 7.00pm when they were getting ready to calm down after 9 hours of "fun" I went into the house and opened all the windows and played Lily Allens "fuck you" (after a suggestion from here) full blast on repeat for about an hour. He stormed round and we had the most almighty row and I explained in finite detail the extent of the noise over the years.

He has said he would tone it down and we haven't heard from him in 2 days yet. Thankfully.. I could catalogue and write a book about his antics but hopefully now at least they will have some respect for their neighbours and shut up. I warned him if he didn't keep a lid on it I would start taking a liking to gansta sweary rap music and play that very loud (as he plays his music) all weekend too.

Dick

[LGY1]

@OchonAgusOchonO as I’m two weeks away from having another (I’m presuming boisterous) boy, I’m always on the look out for a house with NO neighbours

[GuyFawkesDay]

I'm normally pretty chilled but the neighbours have taken to letting the kids out with the puppy at 7am

They've also moved the slide to by the fence so now the kids peer into our garden.

This I am pissed off about as it's invading our privacy. I've made a few pointed comments but will supersoak them "accidentally" whilst outside later if they insist on treating our garden like a zoo exhibit.

[dottiedodah]

My children are thankfully older now .Lovely children NDN .Like hearing them playing .Went to a local beach today to walk my dog(has adjoining Country walk) Lots of families there all enjoying themselves ,good to see.Amazed that our Council has signs up saying"Too busy ?,Head Home!" WTAF! Who on earth is going to go home ,when they have come out for the day FFS!(with DC in tow)And then when they get home cant play outdoors! It is a difficult time for everyone ATM,surely some patience is needed ? Hard enough to look after DC anyway without working on top as well!

[Sally872]

My kids aren't in the garden too often and they are fairly quiet.

But they have very little they can do, so I wouldn't be telling them to be quiet in the garden unless they were arguing. Happy, playing noise not too early or late is very acceptable especially during lockdown.

[OchonAgusOchonO]

@LGY1 - as I’m two weeks away from having another (I’m presuming boisterous) boy, I’m always on the look out for a house with NO neighbours

Very sensible approach . Congrats in advance on the new arrival.

[dudsville]

When I was young and of the age to scream and squeal with excitement whilst playing with my friends, I was very lucky in that we lived in a neighbourhood that was made up of young families, all the kids played in the street. It was ideal. As an adult without children I have chosen a neighbourhood that has more mature settled families. Not everyone has the ability to make these kinds of choices. We do all need to find ways to accommodate one another, including when someone's tolerance capacity has taken a hit and they just need a break.

[OchonAgusOchonO]

@Sally872 - Happy, playing noise not too early or late is very acceptable especially during lockdown.

Yes. But there is a massive difference between happy playing noise and screeching and screaming very loudly.

[Needamanicure]

I also think that parents can 'zone the noise out' whereas some people are hypersensitive to noise. Perhaps when someone is working from home more so since work related deadlines. It makes me think WFH isn't that great really unless you are prepared to use headphones or ignore

[JorisBonson]

I'm having the same from both sides at the moment, including new neighbours who enjoy 7am screaming matches on a Sunday.

However, trying to mellow my usually intolerant ways because no-one has anywhere else to go.

[ClassicCola]

Kids make a noise in their own garden shocker!

[ClaudiaWankleman]

Buy a house in the middle of nowhere if you want silence.

It's part and parcel of living with neighbours that children may play in the garden, and they might scream and shout. Especially during a half term where they have severely limited options to let off steam.