My neighbours are awful, started a thread about issues with them letting selves into my garden earlier this week. I found it really quite upsetting and am frustrated because I can't see any option but to move. I am planning to move but not for 2 years or so unfortunately. I guess I need some coping strategies in the meantime.
Another incident occured today - my partner and I (he doesn't live here) were spraying weeds in the front garden.
I don't speak to the neighbours children ever. Since a kick off with the mother several years ago. If they say hello I ignore them, as she told me not to speak to them (I told her kids to get out of my garden, she said I wasn't to tell them anything, screamed at me that I'm mental and everyone knows about me etc). So back to today...all next doors kids are mobbing about with some pals. One of the other (non neighbour) kids says 'what are you spraying, is it weedkiller or water' his mate laughs and says weedkiller obviously, I say yes it is weedkiller. Perfectly polite. All good so far. The mate then laughs, says 'sorry he's a bit stupid' and we smile, DP says clearly. Not mocking, just agreeing.
As this is happening I can hear one of the neighbours kids shouting 'you're not to speak to them she's crazy she has mental health problems she's mad' (meaning me).
The mother next door is sat in their front garden so hears all this. Says nothing. The kid who asked the original question has decided he didn't like his mate laughing at him so starts shouting to neighbour that we called him stupid and sprayed weedkiller on him. Neighbours kids join in 'yeah mum they spoke to us they're not allowed to speak to us cos she's mental'.
Also another neighbours dog (which is allowed to wander the streets as they don't walk it or care for it) was wandering around and in the middle of the road as cars were passing. I said to DP about the poor dog and how it really upset one of my friends (who is an animal lover) as she nearly ran it over once and couldn't believe it was left out to roam. Next doors kids then start shouting 'mum she's going to run over the dog, she's going to kill it'. Dog then comes in our garden, I shush it out (because of the weedkiller) and neighbours kids again start shouting how I'm trying to kill the bloody dog!
This nonsense goes on for about 20 mins, we ignore it because what else can we do?
Later in the back garden I heard them still name calling me in front of their parents.
All kids are under 12 btw.
I am really at a loss. I feel utterly victimised. My DP is a big bloke, weighs 20st and over 6ft. He would have scared me as a kid because of his size but not these little sods. I honestly would never have backtalked an adult like this when I was a child and I certainly wouldn't have dared to tell barefaced lies, nor call an adult names. I would have expected a good slap from my parents for doing so. That's not to endorse physical punishment but I am just shocked by this behaviour.
I am really upset about them calling me names, saying I'm mental etc. This is obviously something the parents say about me all the time. I feel there is literally nothing I can do but ignore which feels weak. I have been namecalled a lot in my life and although I know the advice is ignore it, I never found it stopped, if anything ignoring it made it worse. I'm just sick of little kids feeling they can call me fat, ugly, mental etc without any consequence. I have done nothing to them at all other than have the misfortune to be their neighbour, and keep myself to myself. Oh and once object to their kids letting themselves into my garden.
What do I do? There's nothing is there, I just have to live with it. It's fucking horrible and makes us prisoners in our home, I have a big back garden and front garden and can't enjoy either because of this crap.