To let my kids be loud outside?

[Imtheterribleneighbour]

When my kids were babies the house next door was sold. The new owners were noisy, music on outside, car doors slamming at 2 in the morning, nothing serious just annoying. I asked them a couple of times if the could be considerate but it made no difference.

Now they have a baby and my kids play outside. They aren’t too bad, a little bit of shouting but the bouncing of a basketball is now the soundtrack to my life. I had a note a few weeks ago asking to limit the kids outside but ignored it. The neighbour has just been around and asked if my kids could stop bouncing the ball in the yard. I said as I already limit when they can be outside (it’s 830 - 845 in the morning and 330 -730 in the afternoon during the week and 930 - 800 on weekends) it’s not constantly happening in those times but limited to. I have said no you just have to live with it. He got upset as it’s annoying and wakes the baby. I said I understand as we had the same issue with them when the kids were little, but they will just have to live with it like we did.
Am I being unreasonable?

9.30 am to 8pm in weekends ? That is a very long time for outside noise. The nights are closing in so why not just agree to limit for now as in any case it will be likely the kids will be inside more from now on and re evaluate next Spring.
Personally YABU if your kids are outdoors making noise all day all weekend that is pretty annoying for anyone not just those with babies. Why not suggest to kids that they play 1 he basketball and then 1 hr something else. Doesn't have to be mime but even just another outdoor game with a ball would offer some relief

YANBU it's good for kids to be playing outside and you are limiting it to daytime. If they were running around screaming at 7am it would be different but it doesn't sound like Is there a park or somewhere nearby they can go with the basketball some of the time to give everyone a break from the noise and give them more space to play?

Let kids be kids. They'll be older and moaning about noise for long enough.
People forget how kids have fun even though they were kids themselves.

Revenge is very satisfying but I think that you have amply had yours and it is time to move on.

Ultimately, unlike what many seem to think, living in densely populated space takes consideration and cooperation, which means not disturbing neighbours through too much noise, especially at night.

It is perfectly reasonable for children to play, but bouncing balls do disturb others, so maybe 2 hours a day maximum, at sensible times.

If they love basketball, it is probably time for them to go to a local park/club, where they won’t disturb anyone.

Or more likely the children in this case will also grow up not considering others because their mother can’t be arsed to parent them

How much are we going to control kids childhoods though? Surely kids should be able play outside in their own garden freely with a ball. Isn't that the definition of childhood? It'd be different if they were bouncing the ball onto their house wall or something. YANBU OP.

Agree with this. The more we as a society pander to people's minor annoyances and demand people pander to ours, the more intolerant we all get. Let kids be kids. Let people enjoy their space reasonably. Bouncing a bloody ball is reasonable.

I think it's fine OP. My view is that any noise that wouldn't be viewed by the council as unacceptable is fair game. So at those times of day is acceptable. A new baby is going to sleep at many and unpredictable points through the day and go to bed early for a few years, so there won't ever be a time you can be sure your dc won't wake them. I used to have neighbours playing party music at 7pm but I understood that it was a normal time to do that even if my baby was sleeping. Part of living in a flat/terrace.

Next time they come round tell them you know how they feel, having a noisy neighbour when you have young children is a real fucker especially when they don't give a shit about their noise. You had this awful childless couple who would play loud music at the weekends, slam their car doors in the early hours, leave the engine running at 7am EVERY morning. They'd hate to live next door to those people!

I actually banned my children from repeatedly bouncing balls. There are plenty of other things they can do. It's really fucking annoying and far worse than children screaming..

Yanbu.
They reap what they sow.

This

YABU that would piss me right off.

YANBU it's your home and it's a ball and it's normal noise.

But YABU because it would annoy me.

IM TORN.

Playing normally fine, that ear piercing squeal and deliberately annoying or making a repetitive loud noise all the time no I will stop it and I expect the same of others

I don't let DC into the garden before 9-9:30 and they're in bed by 7-7:30. Anything else in between is normal Children’s noise as far as I'm concerned. My children are loud though so if one of them starts crying outside (he screams blue murder) or they're not getting on, I bring them both inside. Luckily for our neighbours, we both work outside the house and the DC so long hours at school and nursery so they only have to tolerate us for short bursts as our weekends are busy too.

I wouldn't have an issue with your DC @Imtheterribleneighbour. Your neighbours sound like they have a very short memory. Irony at its very best here I'm afraid.

@Worriednanof1

Did you read the op? Who mentioned screaming?

The OP? Here: "They aren’t too bad, a little bit of shouting but the bouncing of a basketball is now the soundtrack to my life," and "The screaming is minimal, I think it’s the constant bouncing that is annoying (it annoys me too)".

It's the minimisation of the shouting and screaming that makes me think it could be perhaps somewhat louder than OP believes it is.

You do realise you’ll be pissing off other neighbours as well as him

You are being unreasonable. You can’t compare the two things. Noisy kids drove me insane! Luckily the child next door and her friends will all play happily and so quietly in the garden that I can have my door open and still be on a teams meeting. Don’t hear them at all.

I want to know what the neighbours said when you told them straight

Absolutely this - children need to learn from an early age that the world does not revolve around what they 'want to do'.
Children at 8 and 10 can and should learn respect for others otherwise they can grow up as selfish humans with a sense of entitlement that they can do what the like!

Kids cant do anything these days, people have gotten so used to them sitting inside on computer games that they get annoyed by the slightest little nosie they make. I would cut the morning time before school one and maybe make it 10.30 am on weekends but that's it. Let your kids be kids and play.

I think good for you for saying that to your neighbour and let your kids carry on. Those aren’t unreasonable hours and kids should be playing outside not indoors all the time.

Babies can sleep through noise so I don’t buy it either. Lots of babies sleep best in noisy cafes etc.

But, if it’s genuinely waking the baby up, you could ask your kids to play a non-ball sport between those hours or move the basketball hoop? But I don’t know if I would bother if they weren’t inclined to be less noisy for you.

I'd buy your dc a softer ball so they can carry on bouncing and playing but without so much noise!

This is a great idea! Problem solved for all.

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