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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is 8am on a su day an acceptable time to take your kids to a play park?

150 replies

DrinkingAllTheGin · 29/05/2022 08:24

There is a play park in the middle of our housing estate. It is very very close to a lot of houses and flats. And particularly close to my flat. About 2 meters from my bedroom window.

At 7.50 this morning a dad came out with his 3 children and started playing with a basket ball and letting them run up the slide. General playing noise.

I don't mind the noise the rest of the day, I chose this flat after all, but 8am is too early. Right?

This woke me up and I assumed it was about 10.
DH is on his first day off in 10 days. Thankfully he could sleep through a small bomb and hasn't woken up.

AIBU to say 8am is inside play time?

Oh and I can't go out to say something. I look like a swamp monster before I shower.

OP posts:
itsgettingweird · 29/05/2022 08:54

I love in an estate like this.

I live opposite the park.

Some have windows right over it.

I think you know it'll be used by families and the risk you take when you move in that some will choose an early time at the weekend.

I do think 7.50am is too early and wouldn't do it myself but unfortunately you can't control others.

TheGoogleMum · 29/05/2022 08:54

I wouldn't go that early but I don't think it's unreasonable. Sorry just the risk of living near a park. Before 8am on a Sunday is a bit early though!

Original poster
DrinkingAllTheGin · 29/05/2022 08:55

It is a small fenced and gated play area with a couple of swings, a tiny roundabout and a climbing frame.
Officially it is for the residents of the block of flats here and opposite but no one in forces this (nor am I suggesting they do.)

The gate is the worst part. It would appear that the most fun thing to do in the park is swing the gate closed as hard as possible.

As I have said, I didn't was anything to them. Would look like a nimby twat if I had!

OP posts:
AyeUpMeDuck · 29/05/2022 08:55

Theres people near me that let their kids out at 8am in the summer time. Bikes, and balls and whooping it up.
They're not as annoying as the people on the other side that let their happy dogs out at 6am every morning though.
Or the guy behind me that has an alarm set for 7.30 am and the music plays loud enough to wake me up, seems like it gets even louder if it's a song he likes..
No one seems to do gardening around here though until at least 10am, so thats something.

I think the world is a very noisy place and getting noisier tbh. Not all, but a lot of people seem like they don't consider their noise and how it impacts others.

KarrotKake · 29/05/2022 08:56

The park in the middle of houses near us is unlocked 7-11 in summer (7-6 in winter). Whilst that doesn't stop kids jumping the waist high fence, it suggests 7am is fair game.
I used to take DS to the park further away at 7am, as it wasn't surrounded by houses, but wouldn't be impressed if I was at the closer one in official opening hours and told to be quiet.

luxxlisbon · 29/05/2022 08:57

So you aren’t allowed to let kids in your own garden in the morning, you also aren’t allowed to go to a park but don’t let them make noise inside, definitely don’t let them rot their brain with screen time but don’t wake neighbours up by letting them play inside either.

What exactly is the MN approved list of activities you can do between 5-9:30 am when you have young children then? 😂

olivebean · 29/05/2022 08:59

As I have said, I didn't was anything to them. Would look like a nimby twat if I had!

Yep

olivebean · 29/05/2022 08:59

luxxlisbon · 29/05/2022 08:57

So you aren’t allowed to let kids in your own garden in the morning, you also aren’t allowed to go to a park but don’t let them make noise inside, definitely don’t let them rot their brain with screen time but don’t wake neighbours up by letting them play inside either.

What exactly is the MN approved list of activities you can do between 5-9:30 am when you have young children then? 😂

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

IvorCutler · 29/05/2022 08:59

I’m just in awe of the dad getting up with his kids and taking them out at that time on a weekend. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to take children to a park at any time during daylight hours.

IhopeYourCakeIsShit · 29/05/2022 09:00

Useranon1 · 29/05/2022 08:39

It doesn't matter how long he's been up with the kids for - that's not everyone else's problem!

It's considerate to wait a while before making noise in the morning, especially a Sunday. Having kids doesn't magically exempt you from that because you've been up a while.

This.

Sally872 · 29/05/2022 09:00

I wouldn't let my children play out in our own garden before 9.30 on a weekend. Really inconsiderate. Hopefully a one off.

Dinotour · 29/05/2022 09:02

Hence why I haven't/didn't ask them to come back later.

Haha brilliant, would have been interesting to see how that went.

You say it's not usually an issue, they've now gone so who cares. They might have been up for hours already, the children might have needed to be out of the house for some reason, maybe they just wanted to use it.

Ahlola · 29/05/2022 09:02

Well I got woken up at 5.30 by a load of kids setting fire to a car at the end of my road this morning. So 7.50 to play on the swings seems far more sociable.

olivebean · 29/05/2022 09:03

I’m just in awe of the dad getting up with his kids and taking them out at that time on a weekend.

Whilst I agree with the sentiment here, isn't it infuriating that literally no one would be "in awe" of a mother doing this?

ClinkeyMonkey · 29/05/2022 09:04

I get how annoying it is when you want a lie in! But there's really nothing you can do other than keep a pair of ear plugs by the bed in case it happens again. I would never have taken my DC into a park in a residential area to make noise that early on a Sunday morning. But I get that if a parent is going stir crazy since stupid o'clock in the morning, they might need to allow the kids to let off a bit of steam to calm them down!

Namechanger965 · 29/05/2022 09:06

I have 3 under 5s and I think that’s way too early. I would wait until 9 at the very earliest, probably 10 on a Sunday. But then mine wake between 7 and 8, I suppose it would be different if they were awake before 6.

olivebean · 29/05/2022 09:07

Ahlola · 29/05/2022 09:02

Well I got woken up at 5.30 by a load of kids setting fire to a car at the end of my road this morning. So 7.50 to play on the swings seems far more sociable.

Christ 😳

bcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyza · 29/05/2022 09:09

My son is awake at 6 so 8.30 am he is asking to go out. I usually let him in the garden and he is quiet, did this a last week and he was quiet but one of the houses started to use an electric hedge cutter and cut his grass too so he turned the volume a bit.

My neighbours have said to me don't want worry about the noisy as we are in family houses.

You chose to live in the flat near the park, maybe change rooms about?

paddingtonstares · 29/05/2022 09:10

I would have said 'no' on a Sunday morning, Saturday fine at 8am. But, I come from a generation where we were out playing after school, weekends but it was considered unsociable to make noise on a Sunday morning. Shops didn't open except the paper shop, roads were quiet.

School holidays except Sundays we were out all day playing only going home for lunch and occasionally taking a picnic and out all day. Mobiles were sci fi , and only a few had landlines. (1982 before we had one)
During the Easter holidays I was out walking my dog and passed the local play area mid morning, but there were no children out at all. It struck me how in a generation or two childhood has changed so much. My own DC played out from about 8 years old and I was very a little over anxious.

20viona · 29/05/2022 09:13

Yes too early 9am is ok. Basketballs though should be banned, annoying things. 😂

Singlebutmarried · 29/05/2022 09:13

QueenoftheNimbleFlyingCat · 29/05/2022 08:48

This is a very weird response to OP as usually if you suggest going into the garden before 9am on a weekend you are the worst human being alive.

A park in the middle of a residential estate is effectively the same as going into the garden before 9am. Unacceptable in my view, I had years of my children getting up at 4/5 and I never took then outside or to the park before 9 because its not acceptable to wake everyone else up just because I'm up (and miserable).

It’s because OP is the complainant in this example. Had she said I’ve taken my kids to the park at 07:50 on a Sunday morning she’s be told she were unreasonable for that.

it’s mums net. You just can’t win.

AskingforaBaskin · 29/05/2022 09:16

IhopeYourCakeIsShit · 29/05/2022 09:00

This.

Show quote history

Like it's not his problem people chose to love near a park?

Doggyfish · 29/05/2022 09:20

8am is normal weekend getting up time isn't it? Not like it's 5am.

tootiredtoocare · 29/05/2022 09:23

Perhaps mum's been up with them for 2 hours already and he's giving her an hour's sleep? As you said, you chose your flat next to the play park. I'd be more annoyed if I'd specifically chosen somewhere away from the playpark and he had them playing in the garden at 8.00am on a Sunday.

girlmom21 · 29/05/2022 09:27

IvorCutler · 29/05/2022 08:59

I’m just in awe of the dad getting up with his kids and taking them out at that time on a weekend. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to take children to a park at any time during daylight hours.

Why are you in awe of him?