Neighbours complaining about our children in the garden

[Hiccups1]

Just a rant really! We have the most miserable neighbours who moan about anything and everything. Today we’ve had a knock on the door to say our children are to loud in the garden and “is there something wrong with them” 😮 I’m outraged. Ended up shutting the door in their face. I make sure my children are in by 7pm and do not allow them to scream or shout in anger when playing outside otherwise I bring them on. They are 5 and 1 and I cannot believe they had the audacity to say it! Yes they are loud, but it’s laughing and playing. They’ve lived here 40 years and have never had this before apparently. We are not the sort of people who sit all day and night drinking, smoking and blasting music until the early hours. From 7pm you don’t hear a peep from us in the garden. They’ve made me feel incredibly awkward although I know we’ve done nothing wrong, what would they prefer my children say inside all day? The kids aren’t even in the garden all day every day as we are out and about most days so it’s literally maybe two hours max most days. I’m tempted to knock the door and see what they suggest I do but there is no reasoning with people like that. Thanks for reading 🫣

Middle aged onset miserable git syndrome. It seems to be quite a common thing based on all the moaning neighbour stories you find on here

Tbh shrieking is as annoying as a dog constantly barking ! We got brought in if we started shrieking and I bring my kids in if they do it too. The noise goes through me it's really really really annoying. If they are just laughing and chatting then fair enough let them crack on otherwise you need to teach them not to scream it isn't fair

I see, so you're just being ageist and perpetuating the myth that older people are miserable gits?

I suppose you think all black people eat chicken too?

That sounds even worse.

I think the OPs post has already done that. They’ve lived there for 40 years and sound like miserable gits.

All the OP has done is state two people are complaining about the noise her kids are making.

They happen to be older people and you think that makes it ok to be ageist?

Maybe you have really annoying kids!!!.. Not everyone appriciates the sound of your little cherubs screeching and shouting all day!

Maybe you have really annoying kids!!!.. Not everyone appriciates the sound of your little cherubs screeching and shouting all day!

And maybe not OP. Maybe the issue lies with your neighbours.

Ignore them. You are entitled to enjoyment of your garden. If your children aren't outside before 9am and are back inside by 7pm then they have nothing to complain about, and are simply being tedious and selfish. And as you say, it isn't every day.

I do think that was mean of them, however, I don't think parents realise how loud their children are. I don't remember my two being particularly loud - but perhaps they were.
My dn's are soooo loud when I visit them. As are the kids that live next door to us. I quite like the sound of children playing, but it's the screaming that goes right through me.
I have teens now, I imagine they're quite noisy with music when I'm out of the house, so it's give and take.

i dont get why kids make so much noise but that’s how it is. It can be annoying but there’s no laws against children playing in the garden. I wouldn’t have complained personally as it would just spoil a good neighbourly relation. They grow up quick enough. Let them have fun

This

This.

I suppose it's a matter of context really. If they are in the garden for hours endlessly screaming and squeeling then I could imagine after a while it could get a little taxing. Remember also what you consider 'normal' noise from children may be perceived differently by other people. We have one kid in our neighborhood who plays out like all the others but unlike them doesn't seem to be able to open her mouth without screaming and it's relentless. Most kids grow out of that but this one never has and I'm talking reactive screaming like when they are chasing eachother or playing a game. The rest can just laugh, giggle or shout but this one is just continuous scream, squeel, scream, scream, scream. Some of the neighbours do lose their patience and it's not SEN or anything apparently, it's just habit.

I detest the noise my neighbour's children make in the garden. My life is immeasurably better when they are away on holiday or at school. My summers are very much blighted by their noise. Their parents wouldn't send them round to yell, screech, cry, bicker and argue for hours a day in my kitchen (I would hope) but when they are doing that in the garden and I am in my garden they might as well be.

Go live in a field in the middle of nowhere!

This 💯 %

Unless you've moved info a retirement village, people need to accept that they're likely to be living next to families. Your kids are allowed to be noisy in their own garden.

Ridiculous ours play out in our garden a lot and our neighbours often tell me how much she enjoys hearing them playing. Can understand feeling uncomfortable now though it's so awkward when neighbours behave like that.

Ignore! You sound like a considerate neighbour

We have some noisy kids at the back of us. Every day they're out on the trampoline shouting. Sometimes I wished they were a little quieter, but then I remind myself they're kids and having fun outside. It's no big deal.

So no, your neighbour is BU. Ignore. Eventually they'll give up and chunter about it in private. No skin off your nose.

YANBU - they are cunty retirees without enough going on in their lives and who have convinced themselves that they are entitled to a level of control over their environment that extends to the fresh air. Don’t indulge it. You do not need to apologise for children playing in their own garden in the middle of the day.

I'm middle aged and never bother with kids playing. I do squirm at the high pitched shrieking though 🤣. I certainly wouldn't ever complain about kids playing though. These are family houses and I expect family noise.

Kids are perfectly entitled to enjoy their gardens.

It is totally possible for anybody to pass any kind of judgement on who.is right and who is wrong.

You saying my kids and not shouting and shrieking means nothing.

Your neighbour claiming they are means nothing.

To make a judgement, you would have to live next door and actually hear the noise.

However, this is MN so everyone feels qualified to judge even though nobody is.

Oops... impossible