Kids on garage roofs

[Macaroni1924]

AIBU to worry and what would you do?
kids running and playing on garage roofs. Probably would have done similar myself as a child but the mum in me is worried they will go through the roof or fall off!
Tonight I finally shouted over to them as I saw a wee boy roughly 6 running back and forward jumping the stepped roofs with his laces hanging out 🙈 i just shouted, maybe not the smartest idea boys and your running up there with your laces undone! Your going to fall and break your neck! They aren’t cheeky boys at all and after that came down and played elsewhere but I’m pretty sure they will be back as it seems to be there latest thing.

I think I'd have done the same as you OP. Like you, I did that sort of stuff as a kid, but you don't realise the dangers then, it's only as you get older that you realise you could fall off and break your neck, or go through and break a leg or worse. You did the right thing!

Thanks @Speakuptomakeyourselfheard I feel like such a big old bore! I felt bad for shouting to them but I tried to come across friendly. It’s funny how I have turned into an adult with no idea when it happened 🤣 in my head I’m still 18!

I would have suggested speaking to the parents, but clearly they're shit anyway.

🤣 Yeah I’d probably get a mouthful! I don’t know where the children live unfortunately. It’s lots of little play streets so no reason for them to be round on the roads/car parks anyway! They aren’t from round my wee bit.

I went to primary school with a boy (we were probably about 10), he jumped off a garage with a couple of others, the others were fine but he broke his leg so YANBU! Thankfully it was only a broken leg (ok, not great but its better than being paralysed).

Be careful of calling the police... I did that in a similar situation and they came with sirens. Little shits ran at the sirens which was more dangerous then they'd been before!

YANBU. Some of the things we did as kids had their dangers, but garages like that round her are 20-30years older than when we did it and the roofs will in less good repair as they were then so I think the risks are greater: People are slowly getting their garage roofs replaced but some contain asbestos sheets so they put off getting them done.

Boys will be boys

That is a bullshit excuse.

If you know the garages are owned by a specific council/housing association, you could try calling them and explaining what's happening. They won't want to run the risk of anyone injuring themselves, so may have anti climb paint / other stuff they use to deter people scaling their walls/buildings.

This.

I did think of calling the police but thought they may think I was overreacting and laugh🙈 Feel like if I gave them a row I’d have angry parents at my door so I tried to do it in a friendly manner. Hoping it’s been enough to keep them away they must have garages at their own bit! The garages round here don’t look in great condition tbh hence why I fear them going through the roof.

Did you never do anything as a child that you now realise as an adult was dangerous?

Just as the OP said, it's something many of us did as children and only now we're adults do we realise how bad it could have potentially been, doesn't mean we all have shit parents 🙄

YANBU OP, chances are they won't take note as everyone thinks they're invincible at that age, but at least it stopped them for tonight

When my husband came home we’ve had a good chat about all the stupid things we did as children 🤣 I tell you my mum would have skelped me so hard if she knew half of it. That’s exactly it, you don’t think of consequences at that age it’s all about the fun. They probably don’t climb on the ones at their bit because their parents would see.

We used to this but also used to get shouted at to get down! 😀

I used to do this in the 80s and thought it was hilarious with my friends. Then 17 years ago a friend done it whilst drunk and fell through and died. He was part of our childhood group. It wasn’t until then I realised how dangerous it was. I always think of him when I see kids up on garage roofs and I’m forever telling my children to never go up on them.

@Lou98

No, I can't say I was running across garage roofs at 6 years old.
So I'll stick with my previous point thanks.

My parents weren't shit at all, and I still did stupid things when I was a kid.

They will soon stop when one is injured! It is totally unsafe to do this, garage roofs are not designed to have weight on them, but shouting at them to get down will only work short term, they will just go somewhere else where they don't get shouted at.

I know I sound harsh, but if their parents are letting 6 year olds run around without supervision, then accidents are going to happen!

@fUNNYfACE36 a few months ago our local tv news had a story about a young lad who had died falling off a roof whilst playing where he shouldn’t be. Need to get rid of the excuse ‘boys will be boys’ when boys misbehave

I'd go down the FB group route.

Local area FB group, say how worried you are and that the roofs are in really bad shape and you're scared a child could fall through and get badly hurt.

Oh god I'd have to tell them and their parents. Someone I knew at school fell off a roof and died.

Years ago I shouted at a young child on a school roof.

Still doesn't mean everyone who did has shit parents and it's a bit ridiculous and incredibly judgey to assume it does 🙄

What's a play street?

The house fronts all face on to an area with green spaces, pavements but no roads. You have to exit the area at the ends of the blocks of houses to access the car parks. All roads are round the backs so the kids can play out safely without the worry of cars, crossing roads.