Kids constantly knocking on door!!

[babyoda]

I’m a little embarrassed to write this but for the last couple of months (since the evenings have been lighter) the kids that live on my estate keep on knocking on my door. It started as every now and then, then once a week, then a couple of times a week, then every day and some days it’s even 2/3 times. I never answer the door because they just knock and run and I think if you react, it makes them want to do it more?

They aren’t doing it to anyone else and I’m wondering if they’re doing it to me either because I’m a young woman who lives alone (my husband died in December 2021) or maybe because I’m young they’ll think I find it funny? I don’t really know what to do about it, I’m just dreading the 6 weeks holiday when they are at home all day.

I don’t know if it’s worth speaking to the parents as one of them literally watches her child knock on my door from her window. I have a ring doorbell (and cameras) so I have it all on video.

I hate confrontation and making a big deal out of something. I also worry that the mum might take it the wrong way and then spark off something even bigger. I just want to be left alone. I feel like it wouldn’t be happening if my husband was still here.

I keep spending time at my parents house because they are driving me mad and then I think maybe I’ll just rent the house out? But I love my house, it has so many memories for me and my husband.

I think they are of primary school age, can’t be totally sure on their exact age but they def aren’t teenagers.

Any advice please?

OP - something similar was happening to me. I’ve not got much fear to be fair and I eventually went out and gave them an absolute bollocking and said if they do it again I’ll go to their parents and if any of them felt strongly about what I’d said they were free to go and get their parents and bring them to my door.

They’ve never ever chapped the door again.

If that doesn’t suit you then I would go to the parents, you’ll find they would be mortified if you explain you are on your own etc.

Hope you get it sorted.

I am so sorry for your loss op xxx.

Speak to the parents, if you don’t feel confident enough to, ask a male friend or relative.

Or get water sprinklers in your front garden!

This.

I wouldn’t go to the authorities first. It needlessly escalated a situation that could be solved with a simple chat.

It’s harassment what they’re doing. If you feel able- and I get why you may not because I live alone too and I’m not confrontational particularly- open the door and tell them to stop doing it or you’ll be letting their parents know.

if that doesn’t work, talk to the parents. Only after you’ve exhausted that would I take it to the police or council.

You shouldn’t have to put up with this. Most decent parents would be mortified to learn that their kids are out harassing the neighbours. However, those decent parents have often already taught their kids not to do stuff like that.

Not defending them at all, but can I just clarify have you ever answered the door eg do you know for sure they would run away? The only reason I ask is that whilst I find it easy to believe the kids would do it, and easy to believe some parents wouldn't worry what their kids are doing/ not see it as a big deal / turn a blind eye, I find it much stranger that the one mum was actually happily watching her child do it! Is there any chance the child had been sent to pass on a message or something instead? Or even to apologise for previously knocking a running. That's the situations a parent watching made me think of.

However, they can't all be that so it does sound like there is an issue, and it is totally unacceptable. If you don't think you can speak directly to parents, any local social media groups to ask politely parents had a word with their children about the issues of doing this, or via local school, would be a good idea.

You could answer the door and talk to them, make friends and ask them not to do it any more. They might take notice of that.
Otherwise talk to their parents and then try to ignore it.
I would try not to make a big deal out of it because little kids grow up and it's very useful to be liked by local teens. And conversly can be very difficult if they don't like you.

If you are never answering I'm surprised they haven't got sick of it. It can't be a very entertaining game.

Are they definitely running away after they have knocked?

Normally I'd say ignore it and they will get sick of it. I don't think I'd be hosing them down or chasing them like something out of the Beano.

Either speak to a parent or try to infiltrate them from the inside. Do some jobs out the front, see if they try to engage with you and ignore the daftness and say something like 'I can't decide what colour to paint my front door. Would you say yellow or red would look better'.

At the moment they are seeing you in a different way to how you are and you are seeing them in a different way to how they are too. All of which is their fault, I know, but if you can break that cycle it might work.

Have you got the Ring camera with the siren and microphone function?

If so set the siren off via the app, they will crap themselves and not bother you again!

Or they will love it!

Are you absolutely they are playing knock and run? It's not clear from your post.

I hate to say it but I think a short sharp shock might help. Either by going out and telling them to stop and if it happens again you'll be telling the school (prob more afraid of school than parents) or go to school directly as some schools have something about community standards of behaviour and they might do an assembly or something.

Or get a big bloke to open the door. Hate to say it but because it's gone on so long they clearly dont respect you and a different, assertive face might move them on.

Don't be embarrassed.

I live in a small village and it is a constant problem here.

Made worse by the fact that the young children have now become teenagers on bikes, knocking anytime up until midnight and targeting women living alone, older woman, widows etc.

When it developed into balls being kicked against windows, the Police were contacted. Their response was that knocking and ball kicking is just the latest Tik Tok craze and not to confront them or it will get worse.

I was shocked and even more surprised when this little group of idiots decided to have a party in my elderly neighbours garden while she was away. They not only left cans, cigarette ends, food etc but also proceeded to pull out shrubs and break trees before they left. She is widowed and is now terrified as to what comes next.

Still the police have done nothing and their advice is not to engage. Unfortunately her garden is hidden from neighbours and no one witnessed the “party”. However even if we had I question what would have been done.

I have photos of the ball kickers but the response is you need to actually witness them kicking the ball against a specific window and damaging it, before the Police can follow through. You also need to know where they live. Even then we are counselled to understand that if the Police get involved we will suffer reprisals.

I despair !!

if you have a ring doorbell can you not speak to them through the mic and tell them to bugger off and that you have them on camera? (apologies if this isn’t how doorbell cameras work, I don’t have one)
Failing that, take the video footage to their parent and ask them what’s going on. I would have been furious with my kids if they had been hassling a neighbour like that, and would have made them apologise.

Some people on our estate experienced this. They didn't know who the parents were so posted on the estate Facebook page and said gave descriptions of the kids and said that the parents should be dealing with them. Their next step was going to be posting ring doorbell footage of the kids if it didn't stop. Poor woman had a newborn who the kids would wake. It seemed to work because they stopped.

Speak to the mum in the first instance. Then police or council.

We had this last summer. And the football against window (didn't realise that was a tutor thing :( )

Nothing seemed ti work. Ignoring just made them more confident to do it more.

Exploding got a reaction - stopped for a week then they started again.

They bang on the window too - it's a real pain. 2 or the worst ones moved away so hoping this summer might be easier.

The ball against window - I've gone out and told them it would be expensive to replace and it would take them a long time to save up - and that usually stops for a bit.

I hate where I live tbh.

My fear of police involvement was that you then need to declare it when you sell?

Get a doorbell with a camera/motion sensor. Record the scamps for a bit. Put a note on local FB and ask for it to stop. If it doesn't you can say you will shame kids with recording and I'm guessing it will stop PDQ. How old are these kids OP?

I’d open the door and tell them to fuck off, but that’s me. I wouldn’t give a shit what the parents thought, they’ve raised their little brats to behave with utmost disrespect.

I would try an About A Boy approach, just tell them to fuck off in a scary voice.

Or run an electric current though the knocker.

Some local kids did this to me. I went out and shouted after them that I knew which school they were at (I was bluffing) and if they ever did it again, I'd speak to their head teacher. They never did it again! As for that, you could actually also go to your local school and do exactly that! Show the footage you have to the school.

Get a video doorbell. I have found we get less door to door sales since we got ours. I guess they don't want their dodgy lying sales recorded and put on line. If you particularly felt harassed by them you could get video evidence and report it to your community police officer.

We’ve also got the door knocker; well this kid runs at the door and thumps it. Sometimes he recruits visiting kids to do the same. It’s not all the time but when he does it it boils my piss. We keep ourselves to ourselves. I don’t know if the parent is aware but if the kid does it again I’ll tell him I’ll be telling his parent. I don’t get where the “fun” is in this. We don’t open the door. The kid goes away. He has form for ringing doorbells etc. It’s bloody-mindedness and lazy parenting. Take the kid out up the park. YOU entertain him. Why has everyone else got to be impacted.

She said right at the beginning she had a ring doorbell.

I have this problem with the same kids, they do it to set the dogs off barking. They do it to other people who have dogs too, really pisses me off.