Kids scootering in the road making a racket

[HushingDusk]

They are from a small block of new build flats nearby (flats are visible from our upstairs windows, I’ve seen the kids go in and out). I get it’s annoying not to have a garden but they’re using the road and pavements instead, no adults in sight!

Aged about 10 to 5, a group of 6 or 7 children. The youngest was riding his scooter up and down the middle of the road for an hour, wearing nothing but boxers, being chased by an older girl on a bike! Then 2 boys fighting and hitting each other over the head with branches.

They hang around on the pavement right next to our garden wall, screeching, shouting and bickering all day.

Should I suck it up or send a letter to the flats asking them to keep a closer eye on their children and reduce the noise?

It’s a quiet, peaceful rural area apart from these kids treating the road and pavement like a park.

There’s a proper park less than 10 minutes walk away.

I was tempted to go out and speak to them (especially when they were fighting with branches!)

The only time I’ve seen adults around is in the mornings, they stand in the car park by the flats in their dressing gowns chatting and smoking.

WWYD?

And if old enough to be unsupervised wouldn’t they go to the nearby park to ride and scoot? You can be old enough to be unsupervised when your parents are only a flight of stairs away, yet not old enough to be unsupervised when parents are half a mile (10 mins walk) away.

Oh I wouldn't do that to the poor snails.

@MrsTerryPratchett

Absolutely...my neighbour looked at me funny over the fence - what are my rights...blah blah

My 5 year old plays out. What else am I supposed to do? Lock him up?!

^^ that was in reply to workinghardeveryday

@BakedTattie

My 5 year old plays out. What else am I supposed to do? Lock him up?!

Well, quite, yes. We do lock up our children when we want to keep them safe!

5 would be too young for me and they absolutely would be locked up unless I was with them.

But each to their own.

There's a hint of an undertone of snobby judginess just starting to seap through the cracks of your post OP. Kids have played out in the street since day zero. I think, although yes the screeching can be a bit grating, the poor little sods don't have a garden and the weather is lovely so you're being just a tidgy but unreasonable. Sorry!

I think the noise of dc playing is a normal noise of daily life.

5 would be too young for me and they absolutely would be locked up unless I was with them.

People's tolerances for risk are wildly different. On one end is a group of very young children out alone. I've seen toddlers with no one in eyesight. I wouldn't. On the other hand is a 12 yo who isn't allowed out with a group including one or more parent. I also wouldn't. Everyone thinks their risk assessment is correct.

It’s kids playing get a bloody grip

I think you are somewhat unreasonable because they aren't actually doing any harm. Yes it's noisy but kids are noisy so whatever they do will potentially cause someone an issue.

I would raise an eyebrow at the them being unsupervised if they are young and being half dressed but for the most part I would just accept that other parents parent differently.

I have 2 kids aged 3 and 5, we have a garden and we live right next to a small kids park but I still let them ride their bikes on scooters on the road because it's the only decent stretch to get up some speed. It's a dead end so no real traffic worries, for the most part I'm stood in the way of cars with them both or I'm in the park with the youngest keeping half an eye on the other. They are always fully dressed and not causing any actual harm so if someone has an issue with it then that's their problem and not mine.

Feel like kids can’t do right for doing wrong with some people! Cant stay in and play video games because that’s not fresh air and exercise, but according to threads on mumsnet they also can’t ride their scooters in the street, bounce balls, make too much noise playing in their own back gardens, or gather in parks over the age of 8 or 9 because they’re for younger children.

@HushingDusk do you have children?

Poor kids these days can't do anything 🤷‍♀️
Threads on here about them making noise in garden, groups in park ect ect
It's warm weather there stuck indoors half the year 🤷‍♀️

they also can’t ride their scooters in the street the OP said in the road not the street.

Be prepared for them complaining about your mum's anti-social behaviour though

For throwing snails over a very high wall? She’s in her late 70s and has a thing about snails eating plants! I hardly think an ASBO would be issued to a lady tending the garden, and tossing snails 😊

Did I read right that a 5 year old is playing out in the street on a road? That’s not on. Who here would dream of letting their kids do that? Kids playing in underwear outside on the street? Also not on. Would anyone here let their kids do that? I get kids play out on the street, I did as a child. Not at 5 and not in my knickers.

Yes, it was a 5 year old scootering up and down the middle of the road wearing only his boxers (I’m guessing he’s about 5 as he’s smaller than my 5 year old). No helmet, no knee pads, no adult outside with him. It’s lucky there were no cars at the time. Guess the parents think the older ones will look after the younger ones but older ones were too busy fighting!

You sound somewhat unhappy about the new block of flats

I say newbuild but it was here when we moved in. The rest of the development was built in the 80s, according to neighbours the flats are more recent. I have no problem at all with the building itself, just the behaviour of the kids!

You can be old enough to be unsupervised when your parents are only a flight of stairs away, yet not old enough to be unsupervised when parents are half a mile (10 mins walk) away.

True. But a residential street is hardly a substitute park or playground. The pavements are narrow, the road is quiet but not one of those rarely used rural lanes. The children were well out of sight of the flats by the time they’d passed the T junction.

do you have children?

Yes, I have 2.

It's a dead end so no real traffic worries, for the most part I'm stood in the way of cars with them both or I'm in the park with the youngest keeping half an eye on the other

You’re visible, supervising them and blocking any traffic, plus it’s a dead end. Sadly no parents have been visible here, even with a 5 year old scootering down a road, apparently oblivious to any risk of traffic.

Has anyone been hurt Op?
If not mind your own business carry on chucking snails at the proles. You sound like a NIMBY

For throwing snails over a very high wall? She’s in her late 70s and has a thing about snails eating plants! I hardly think an ASBO would be issued to a lady tending the garden, and tossing snails 😊

Vile

There's a hint of an undertone of snobby judginess just starting to seap through the cracks of your post OP. Kids have played out in the street since day zero. I think, although yes the screeching can be a bit grating, the poor little sods don't have a garden and the weather is lovely

Can you be more specific about ‘snobby judginess seeping through the cracks?’

Sure kids have often played out, especially in the 49s/50s/60s/70s. But wasn’t that more kids exploring the local area or playing in the fields, building dens, looking for sticklebacks? Not screeching up and down a residential street on scooters and bikes all day. I’m sure the neighbours back in those times had something to say if kids hung around their gardens yelling and fighting.

It is grating, because I’ve taught my 2 to play quietly in the garden (no screaming or shouting unless it’s an emergency) and I hear other neighbours reminding their kids about noise levels.

Sometimes you just want to sit outdoors and relax. There’s no need for screeching, and when it’s a group of unsupervised kids its horribly loud and must spoil the peace for multiple house holds.

Get up early tomorrow and write in chalk in big letters - NO SKATING HERE.

children have got to play somewhere, especially if they live in a flat and there’s not much space

Of course, but what’s wrong with parents taking turns to accompany them to the park, where they can scoot, cycle and play safely and screech as much as they want?

There are also multiple footpaths nearby, woods, a nature reserve, so it’s not as if we’re in the middle of a city with nowhere green to walk.

A grown adult pelting small dc with snails?

Picking snails off clematis has never occurred to me (can’t stand touching them!) let alone throwing them over the high wall. I’ve seen people throw snails onto roofs ‘for the birds to eat’.
It’s impossible to see over the wall unless you’re upstairs, so she was hardly ‘pelting’ them! I’ve no idea if a snail landed near the kids or not.
My mum was fed up with the constant screeching and I don’t blame her, people should be able to chat in their gardens without a group of kids fighting and screaming the other side of the wall.

You were judging them for standing outside chatting and smoking in their dressing gowns

What an odd comment. I often put the bins out in my dressing gown and slippers, stop to chat to a neighbour (also in her dressing gown). I wouldn’t judge her for smoking!
It’s the only time I’ve seen adults outside the building, so it’s not like I can approach them for a friendly word.

@BakedTattie so you are telling me you actually let your 5 year old child play out on the street on a road with cars around? Really?!!!.... 5 years old?! That is truly shocking.
@HushingDusk that poor kid having such caring parents keeping him nice and safe.... wth. It’s neglectful letting a child of any age play out without clothes on never mind the cars and risk of any pedos catching a look.
I feel for you op x

My 5 yr old plays out with his older sister (9) and the neighbours kids (aged 5-9) but I have boundaries including not playing in the road and stopping to let people pass them on the pavements. I like the sounds of children playing but I guess these are naice middle class children who have manners not children from gasp flats.