My neighbors...

[neighbourcrazy]

Hey all, am i being unreasonable? we live in a nice area, houses were not expensive, but that is to give context. We live in a detached residence, all other neighbors are semi-d.
So, not sure what is going on. One neighbour rents, others are owners. We got on reasonably well with all neighbors, we have a baby who is less than 2 years old.
During the summer, there was a basketball hoop placed outside on the public space, we live in a cul de sac, so it was in an awkward place but we let it go. However, the basketball was being played day and late into evening. My little girl needs to have her naps and I work from home. I asked the neighbors (the 2 different parents of the kids who were playing basketball (aged between 10-16)) could they ask kids to not play after 7 pm in evening due to sleep time for my baby. I am the only one with a baby. I was received with bitterness and intimidation by one set of parents, nothing said but extremely intimidating behaviour like staring in my window while walking past etc. I dont usually let things get to me as I do believe their behaviour is more about them than me. So I let it slide.
Now the other parents who obliged to the 7 pm cut off, have stopped bringing in my bins, they bring in all the other neighbors bins but leave ours outside, this has been a few weeks. Again, I don't really care but can someone explain to me what the heck is going on? Was I really being unreasonable asking for the noise to stop at 7pm? It was non stop all day which i didnt mind but night time for my baby is important. I'd like to hear opinions please.

Apologies. Pressed send too quick there. I meant to say that however if they are causing damage then you may have cause to complain. We had children playing football where we lived some time ago. They've all grown up now and we've since moved as well. We didn't mind the noise, nor even when the ball came over into our garden (the house was far enough back it didn't hit the building itself) but we DID mind when they used reasonably new gates as goals and sprained them.

We asked for the hoop to be moved but they declined

Personally wouldn't bother me, as there will be times you want to whip the hoover out when baby is asleep, so it's far easier if baby learns to sleep when there IS noise

first thing i did when i put baby/kids to bed was hoover, every night from the day they were born.

I think 7pm is a reasonable cut-off for noisy street play. If they really need to continue, let them go to a park.

Just grey rock the malcontents, OP. Don't let their attitude get you down.

How are they not respecting your garden or property? You haven't mentioned anything about that?

They are playing in a public space. They are allowed to do that. Why do you think its up to you?

Jeez chill out Hun. I'll comment if I like.
YABU

Blimey. I hope we never hear a peep from your children when they're older then.

You should. There are other alternatives for playing basketball.

you sound like a right brat 😂😂😂

Thank you - I appreciate this.

Gosh maybe look in the mirror 😁

It's completely u to put a basketball hoop in a public space where everyone will be affected by it without asking everyone first, tbh.

Good for you. YABU.

The noise of basketballs is really annoying and if the balls are hitting your doors, car, or windows then that's annoying too.

Yes, the fact the ball could be causing property/vehicle damage and they won't move the hoop means YANBU! Could you get DH to speak to DH of the couple and breezily tell them he will be moving the hoop to outside their own house or else he will bill them for damage? Are the kids bouncing the balls off their own houses? I'll imagine not.

Fence your garden so when the ball comes over they can't get it back. I think you have a point, OP, they are being inconsiderate if the ball is getting into your garden.

Fence or fast growing prickly bushes.

I'd be pissed off if it was banging against my house all day, hitting my car and setting off the alarm, etc. The neighbours are being unreasonable, not you.

However, I don't know what you can do about it if you've already asked them to move it and they've declined. You could report to the council I suppose but be prepared for it to cause ill-feeling with the family. Neighbour fueds are never fun, trust me.

I felt a bit for you @neighbourcrazy - until I saw your replies and realised you are a nightmare neighbour.

also…babies can sleep through a basketball being bounced outside. I guess this is your first baby?

I think OP is getting a ridiculously hard time. Basketball is fucking noisy. We have kids opposite us who sometimes play out and after an hour the thump-thump-thump on the ground is akin to having nails driven into your skull – any more than that and I'd feel like OP too. She's even not asking them to stop completely christ knows I'd want them too she's asking it to stop after 7pm and they refused that and also won't move the post away from her house to stop the ball hitting her door/windows/car. Yet SHE's the unreasonable one?!

This is a very good suggestion.

I can see exactly why your neighbours are behaving the way they are 😂

The world doesn’t, and shouldn’t, stop for your baby.

But they haven't refused. They have stopped their children playing out the front after 7pm, which quite frankly is more than they needed to do, according to the OP.

The Ops actual complaint is that one of her neighbours isn't bringing her bin in for her and she is having to bring it in herself.

well your posts are a drip feed.

Yes it is unreasonable to expect the neighbourhood kids to stop playing at 7 pm.
It is normal and healthy for kids to play out in the evenings.
Sadly, you need to adapt your routine to the life of the community eg move the room where your baby sleeps.

But then you said that the ball is coming in to your house, hitting your windows and your car, setting off the alarm.

That is not reasonable.
You should have focussed on that with the neighbours, that is pretty anti social and perfectly reasonable to ask them to move it so it doesn't do that.

I think YABU, but to be honest I’d be pissed off with basketballs hitting the house and windows, I can understand how annoying that is.
You can’t impose a curfew on the neighbours kids though. We’ve got babies on our street but no one tip toes around after 7.00pm that’s nonsense.
It’s probably too late now, you’ve rubbed them all up the wrong way, but why didn’t you approach your neighbours about the balls hitting your property, especially the windows, rather than dictating they can’t play after 7.00, which implies that your child’s needs trump theirs.
I’d be leaving you to bring your own bins in.

Mrs Bouquet is alive and well I see....