To despair of new neighbours' shrieking children?

[saraclara]

It's been a glorious afternoon, but I've had to spend it indoors, and even with my doors closed I can hear them. I don't know how they can shriek for this long without having really sore throats. It's not ordinary play shouting, it's just pointless daft shrieking as far as I can tell. They've been out there for at least four hours. There was a break for about 20 minutes, then it started up again. I'm guessing from the tone of the shrieks that they're about 7-9 years old?

There's nothing I can do about it, is there? This is it for the spring and summer.

I could weep.

I’d rather listen to kids shrieking all day long than put up with inconsiderate pricks playing shite music ridiculously loud with intermittent “Aleexxaaaaaaaa” squawked like a fucking seagull in distress.

Looking at you NDN with your shite outdoor speaker 👀

@Cosmos45 @Jennifer2021
So sorry to hear that you are both, along with other posters, going through this. We have been here years and invested a lot of time and money in the property because we hadn't planned to move. I expect to hear normal children noise, DIY, gardening etc but this noise is something else, the parents join in too. This afternoon has been awful. I've been searching on Rightmove for a couple of weeks, like you I think we are now resigned to having to move.

Went to visit my parents yesterday and their next door neighbour reminded me on bus thread. They have a trampoline in the yard (and has been for years) and their 7yo is now old enough to have friends over without a lot of supervision. I think his new friends are taking a bit of advantage of him because he has a trampoline. These kids are 11-12 yo and live in flats across the street (parents have been observing and they only ever come over to jump and then go home, no other games). There is 4-7 of them at a time shrieking. It really isn't joyous sounds of fun. It's unnecessary loud noise. My dad is going to talk to neighbour dad about moving the trampoline to the other fence so it's not next to our side. There really is a difference between natural noise and just extra noise.

@AliceMcK

What do you consider ordinary play shouting?

YABVU if someone complained that my DCs were making too much noise playing in their own garden I would respond telling them when they start paying my mortgage then they can dictate what happens in my home.

Children have also been impacted by covid, they have not been able to spend times at parks, swimming, sports clubs, after school clubs, not been able to go on holidays, days out, so for a lot their garden if they are lucky enough to have one is their only place they can let off steam and be children. I’m certainly not going to police that.

If you said that to my sister after her perfectly reasonable request you would probably find her playing exceptionally loud music or starting to jet wash the patio just as your kids are trying to sleep - after all you don't pay her mortgage so she is within her rights to not give a fuck about everyone else, right?

We live on parallel roads so about 20 houses back to back. Lots have kids, but there is only one house where the kids shriek like this.

Not surprisingly it is the one with the hot tub and the shouty dad that plays way too loud 90s music while getting pissed on Stella in the garden...

Judgy? Certainly, but there does seem to be a pattern with this type of household, and the adults are usually inconsiderate fuckers too

We don't have shriekers but we used to live near two bloody families who let their kids do the same! It was endless

I feel your pain, I'm very mindful of mine being the same ... they aren't neither is the dog one bark growl and she's in!
Same with the kids within reason.
Just common manners surely?

I don’t know why people can’t understand that different children play differently. My children are shriekers. It doesn’t matter how many times I tell them not to they do it anyway. They don’t do imaginary play with dolls or toys they do making obstacle courses and running around. Since gymnastics, rock climbing or even proper hiking has been limited this year they have been noisy. The only thing I can do is limit their play outside. But our neighbour will complain if they are in the garden for a hour after school.

Chamonixshoopshoop
Kids have suffered the most through this year Of lock downs.
Let them bloody play.
If you’re that sensitive to noise, you need to find a house in a more rural location.”

Alternatively, if you want to allow your kids to shriek and scream, maybe you need to move to the middle of nowhere where they will bother no-one.

You are not sensitive to noise if you dislike constant shrieking. Most children manage to play in their gardens without doing it.

AliceMcK

YABVU if someone complained that my DCs were making too much noise playing in their own garden I would respond telling them when they start paying my mortgage then they can dictate what happens in my home.

Children have also been impacted by covid, they have not been able to spend times at parks, swimming, sports clubs, after school clubs, not been able to go on holidays, days out, so for a lot their garden if they are lucky enough to have one is their only place they can let off steam and be children. I’m certainly not going to police that.”

Everyone has been impacted by Covid. If your neighbour had just finished the last in a long line of 12 hour shifts on ward and just wanted an hour’s peace in their garden, why does your kids’ need to shriek supersede that?
Take them to the park if that’s what you’re happy for them to do. Or tell them not to. Which is what most people do.

@Gothichouse40

I don't know why but I don't remember all this high-pitched screaming from children that seems to happen now. My own 2 were not angels, but If I felt they were disturbing others I asked them to keep the noise down. Im lucky with my neighbours children as it's mainly ordinary playing noises. I did ask another friend if she thought children and this high-pitched screaming had got worse than when our children were small ,and she replied yes, definitely. Is it food additives or what? It seems to be everywhere and not just in people's gardens.

My DCs first headmistress, 1980s, simply wouldn’t allow screaming in the playground. It’s not a necessary part of play.

The people thinking about moving- I don't know how you're going to be sure you dont live next to noise? And obviously you're at your wits ends but you know the kids won't be that loud forever? Just seems like a huge thing to do when you can never be sure what you're moving to (the house 2 doors down has sold since we moved in 2 years ago as the lady sadly passed last year unexpectedly)

@DenisetheMenace

Chamonixshoopshoop Kids have suffered the most through this year Of lock downs. Let them bloody play. If you’re that sensitive to noise, you need to find a house in a more rural location.”

Alternatively, if you want to allow your kids to shriek and scream, maybe you need to move to the middle of nowhere where they will bother no-one.

You are not sensitive to noise if you dislike constant shrieking. Most children manage to play in their gardens without doing it.

Exactly!

I live right next to a primary school. The noise at playtime is lovely. Laughing, shouting, playing. Any prolonged shrieking gets shut down by teachers. There is a difference. Kids shouldn't need to be silent. Play noise is lovely.
Allowing shrieking for any length of time is inconsiderate, anti social and, possibly, lazy parenting. Unless there are additional needs.

Sorry I have to disagree, my sons have no additional needs but when chasing the noises they make are shrieking (generally while laughing). And I do tell them there's neighbours, they have to keep it down etc, or I send them in or change the game but the natural noise they make are high pitched. And I have 2 who run and laugh and are practicallysilent! . It's like the people on mn who ask why people do so much washing when they have children who aren't dirty children (my 11yo looks at food and is covered and comes home from football like the kids in detergent ads, or home from art with paint on him even though he wears a cover all!)

Alternatively, if you want to allow your kids to shriek and scream, maybe you need to move to the middle of nowhere where they will bother no-one.

You are not sensitive to noise if you dislike constant shrieking. Most children manage to play in their gardens without doing it

Exactly. Shrieking isn't normal play at all.

@ItsAHardKn0ckLife1 I think you may live on my street. The Alexa screeches to play more shit music at stupid o clock at night with no regards for the adjoining neighbours who still have work in the morning sound somewhat familiar.

It’s the screaming like you would if you encountered a mutilated corpse that I can’t stand and you never hear an adult say Stop it . Thank god near door but ones kids are teens now

Everyone has been impacted by Covid. If your neighbour had just finished the last in a long line of 12 hour shifts on ward and just wanted an hour’s peace in their garden, why does your kids’ need to shriek supersede that?
Take them to the park if that’s what you’re happy for them to do. Or tell them not to. Which is what most people do

There appears to be a group of parents who think their darlings behaviour can never be challenged or corrected. They feel their needs to do as they want outweighs the rights of everybody else. Teachers meet these parents daily - fortunately they are in a minority.

Actually heard a parent say that they taught their children to shout in the street so they could hear them inside the house and knew they were safe 🤬. Seriously lazy parenting - lord knows how they distinguished the child screaming for help of just screaming for fun. Idiot parent thought that the neighbours should put up with that! Thankfully, they were not my neighbour.

If someone complained that my DCs were making too much noise playing in their own garden I would respond telling them when they start paying my mortgage then they can dictate what happens in my home

You deserve to live next door to neighbours who think like you - playing loud music in their gardens at all hours, having drinks parties and setting off fireworks randomly during the week or who decide to break motors on their front lawn and let the spares parts pile up. They pay their mortgage so it's ok. Geez - what a world some people live in.

I hate it too. Screaming children drive me bonkers. I’ve got three of my own. They’ve never screamed in the garden. They used to get loud and excited on the trampoline but nothing major, definitely no screeching or screaming.

We live on a block with lots of kids who run through yards (our youngest joins in). But, there's one family of shriekers...the other kids from the other families don't shriek. My kids don't shriek...though, to be fair, I don't think I had to teach them not to shriek (sorry, OP, it might be genetic).

Last summer, my rather mild-mannered sister called in to wish my dad a happy birthday - we all were sitting in the back yard (garden). When we put her on speaker, she spoke a bit and then stopped to say, "What the hell is that?"

It was the shriekers a full house away...we must be Stockholmed and can't realize how bad it is anymore...except every Spring, we are sadly reminded.

@FourTeaFallOut

I'll do you one better, I'm a few doors away from a mother who shrieks alongside playing with her children in the garden in the most emphatic display of performance parenting that you could ever have the misfortune to hear. The entire crew of cbeebies have nothing on her.

I choked with laughter at this one!

Children have also been impacted by covid, they have not been able to spend times at parks, swimming, sports clubs, after school clubs, not been able to go on holidays, days out, so for a lot their garden if they are lucky enough to have one is their only place they can let off steam and be children. I’m certainly not going to police that.”

A neighbour who lives behind us works at the hospital couldn't get her car out because the gang of visiting hoarded were blocking the road and being verbally abusive to anyone who asked them nicely to move. The other neighbour who is a carer had done a night shift and was disturbed and everyone else has been trying to work from home and the other couple still have work the next morning after everyone got treated to a loud party as punishment for daring to disrespect her by asking her quite reasonably to supervise her children and visiting children better. It's not about policing it it's about having basic consideration for others.

The parks were only closed during the first lockdown, our delightful Asbo Annie is a full on Covid denialist who's continually broke lockdown with gatherings through all three and still had her feral DCs in school during the last one under the keyworker provision even though she don't work whilst DC1 who is doing their GCSEs wasn't granted the same opportunity so I don't think it's fair to say all children have suffered. Some have done alright out of it. The park is literally across the road on our street and she's not taken them on there once to run off their energy since she's had them.

[quote Thiscantreallybehappening]@Cosmos45 @Jennifer2021
So sorry to hear that you are both, along with other posters, going through this. We have been here years and invested a lot of time and money in the property because we hadn't planned to move. I expect to hear normal children noise, DIY, gardening etc but this noise is something else, the parents join in too. This afternoon has been awful. I've been searching on Rightmove for a couple of weeks, like you I think we are now resigned to having to move.[/quote]
@Thiscantreallybehappening it is scarily similar to my situation - we were here 5 years before our neighbours moved in. They were a youngish couple and he arrived with a very big flash sports car. From day one he ragged that car out of the village and we could hear him up to 4 miles away. It shook peoples gates and windows as it flew past at speeds of upto 90 miles an hour on a rural lane. That really told us all we needed to know and they have slowly got worse and worse. Now with having the two screeching kids (not normal playing noise at all, I know my kids didn't do it and none of my friends kids do it). He also has the hot tub, full size bouncy castles, pools and thinks he owns the road. Just last week him and his friend got pissed out of their heads and were shouting in the hot tub at 1.00am - My husband went round to ask them to tone it down a bit and was met with a 45 min rant with lots of swearing and threatening behaviour and a promise to make our lives hell. This guy is a solicitor and runs his own law firm. This was our dream home, it is Grade 11 listed and we lovingly renovated it going through all sorts of hoops with the council and getting granted all sorts of special permissions etc. Now I have to walk away from it and honestly I am devastated.

@Cosmos45 You are right, these families do behave like they own the road. There is zero awareness, consideration and respect for other neighbours. The level of entitlement and "I'll do what I want, when I want" attitude causes so much stress. I understand exactly how you feel .