To speak to my neighbours about their shrieking children?

[Capricorn8990]

Now I don’t mind hearing children laugh, play and shout but I am really struggling with my neighbours children squealing and shrieking. I can’t even sit in my garden at the moment. My neighbour has her friend over most days who also has 2 children and they all squeal and shriek. This can go on for hours..

Neither adults ask them to be quiet and it’s really making me miserable cos we can’t even sit outside.

AIBU to speak to my neighbour about this? We get on well but not sure how I would approach it.

Noise cancelling earphones

I would never tell my kids to be quiet when they're playing.

@TheFairyCaravan

The other thing that pisses me off is people who say they’re “naturally loud”. No, no you’re not. No one is born loud, you choose to be loud and you allow your children to be loud because you’re downright inconsiderate.

Exactly this. NOBODY is born loud, and they CAN control their voice, and their music, and their children... BUT they choose not to, because they are entitled f*ckers, who think the world revolves around them, and their precious little poppets (who can do no wrong, and are just 'spirited.')

@ElegantAndWild

Wow, I really must be missing something. I've lived across seven different countries, three different continents, countless addresses in London and I have never yet heard this fabled "shrieking" that mumsnetters talk about. I've heard children playing, for sure, and some of them were louder than others. But I don't think I've ever encountered a noise from a child playing where I thought "right that is too much and I must have words...

Well bloody BULLY FOR YOU. You have never experienced noisy disruptive screechy children, so obviously everyone is lying!

And screaming shrieking children whose parents don't give a fuck, are not a fucking FABLE!

Stupid comment.

There's no need to be so defensive..

The OP clearly states the problem is not normal children playing noise.. its two fold.

Children SHRIEKING and screaming.
Parents making ZERO effort to stop it/calm it down/bring children in.

If your kid is chatting, laughing, singing in a normal voice.. fine, no one has got an issue with that.
If you are doing your bloody best, again, that isn't the fecking problem.

Why do posters have to take the OP's post, twist it and take out specific criteria or details, and try to make it a dig at them when it was no such thing?

This is such a tired and boring and predictable mumsnet response. Why the F should anyone have to put on 'noise cancelling earphones' that will block EVERY SINGLE SOUND out, (the phone, people at the door, her OWN kids/family members calling her etc,) because some entitled f*ckers next door can't control their children?!

Just NO!

Which is fine, because they only play inside where you’re the only one who can hear them, right? Right?

Of course you can sit outside, you won't ever have silence. If you want that sell you and move to the country

Obviously hit a few nerves here..

I love hearing children play and enjoy themselves, laughing and having a good time. It’s just the consistent shrieking at the top of their voices and screaming. It goes right through me and I cannot block it out.

I understand it’s the school holidays but everyone should be able to enjoy their gardens whatever their age.

I think I’ve been a bit stressed recently so maybe it’s bothering me more than it should, but it’s good to hear both sides of view from people on here.

Ahhhh yes the 'I've never heard it therefore it has never happened, you've invented it'..

Some children shriek and scream, typically small girls but certainly not always.

Some will, in groups, have competitions where they scream as loud as possible, some will do it in response to not getting their own way.

Next door (before they gloriously moved to far far away) had a little girl who did both. Fantastic screaming contests with her small girl cousins, and horrific screeching if anything didn't go her way, if she was asked to share with her small brother/asked to stop hitting him/asked to stop throwing things at him etc etc.

If you haven't experienced it, good for you, aren't you fucking lucky!

I live near lots of little kids and like hearing them playing, but thankfully all the parents are normal considerate people who stop screaming if it starts, so they learn not to do it and will no doubt grow up considerate of others like their parents

Unable to reply to everyone individually, but appreciate those coming to my defense.

A lot of people on here have completely twisted what I’ve said. I don’t have the energy to explain myself in even simpler terms so I’ll just leave it.

I sympathise OP and can't believe that people suggest that YOU need earplugs- rather than parents controlling out of order, screaming!!!

I nursed my mother post major surgery and lived back with her several months. The neighbours children screamed and screeched in high pitches. They were allowed to yell from their front porch at 6am to- say bye to mummy, or at 5am to say hello to the bin men!!! They were let loose in the garden with no supervision and the older child would chase the younger ones with a noisy leaf blower. When a fence panel came off- the boys (under 8yrs) urinated through it!

Yes children make noise, but to be unsupervised and screaming like that all day is unacceptable.

Well said.

I'd never stop my kids and their friends from having fun in the garden for anyone, but no one is allowed to scream here! My neighbours kid was a screamer, but she quickly learnt that I didn't allow it and managed to not do it when here.
I think let your neighbour know that it's lovely to hear the kids having fun outside, but could they get them not to scream as it goes right though you!

I could have written this, and totally feel your pain!! Selfish, selfish parents

Your complete lack of boundaries and consideration will come back to bite you in the arse when they become feral young adults. Good luck with that.

Yes... but they don't need to scream and screech and ruin everyone else's enjoyment of their gardens (I can hear our neighbour's screaming kids from inside, with the windows shut through my noise cancelling headphones and they aren't even next door!). There is a difference between playing and having fun outside and parents being so selfish they allow their children to scream their heads off for hours every. Bloody. Day

I have no issue with generic fun kid mouse. It usually ebbs and flows and is a nice part of the summer suburban buzz. What I can't fucking stand is ear splitting, blood curdling high pitched screaming all fucking day long. There's a big difference between the two and it's unbearable.

Because it's fucking irritating

Fun kid noise. Not mouse. That would be weird!

Then you're selfish

My nephew (5) shrieks. I've told he's not allowed to do it in my house and he doesn't. Or at least he doesn't when I'm there. Still manages to have fun

Can't stand shreiking children. There is no need. I don't allow mine to. And if they have friends over shrieking I tell them to stop.
It is absolutely awful and irritating. Fun messing around playing, totally fine. Actual yelling and shrieking nope.

No harm in nicely asking them if they can encourage them to keep it down. Maybe say you like to hear them playing but they’ve got very squeally lately.

Also buy earplugs

“Also buy earplugs”

🙄