To ask to stop your children ‘play’ screaming?

[JediKnightingale]

I live in a cul de sac where we have around six families with small children (weirdly, all girls - not relevant I know) that range from ages 2 - 7. They all walk to school together with parents and at home time they congregate in the middle of the close. Mums chatting and the entire gaggle of tiny noise machines run around screaming for absolutely no reason for about 30/45 mins depending on the weather. During the holidays or at weekends they can be out there for hours at a time.

I and quite a few others work from home in our road - my home office is in the front part of my house and I literally cannot take or make phone calls due to the racket. Normal play noise is absolutely fine but WHY do parents put up with this stupid screaming? When my 3 were small I would never have allowed it but it doesn’t seem to even register with these parents.

Do you let your children play scream and if so would you be put out if you were asked (nicely) if they could play WITHOUT THE SCREAMS?

[OhmygodDont]

Indeed as a parent to three children girls and boy there is no need to scream.

Screaming is for emergencies where you need help not because tag your it.

[Quatty]

It’s not their fault you WFH, so perhaps move to another room? Or go to an office? Yiu can’t expect the world to revolve around you and your work schedule and Incan imagine that these kids are full on screaming all day long.

[Wardrobedoorsarewood]

It is normally girls tbf and I agree so irritating

[CagneyAndLazy]

Get your flame suit on, OP!

[Hoplolly]

Irritating AF but you can't control what other people do. You can however control your own situation.

[JediKnightingale]

@CagneyAndLazy

Get your flame suit on, OP!

I’m zipping it up now!

Just to add, there are two parks between here and the school so plenty of places for them to run around creating enough noise to simulate Armageddon if they wanted.

[Devilsmommy]

Do you have children? I only ask because I used to be so annoyed by this kind of thing and then I now have an 18mo who doesn't talk yet but loves a good shout, especially when out and about and I wouldn't really stop him tbh

[TheSnowyOwl]

I can’t imagine anyone wants to listen to small children screaming and I appreciate wfh means we have a lower tolerance for noise than before. However, I don’t think you wfh gives you a greater right for quiet although I also think parents should teach their children to be respectful of their surroundings from an early age.

[Saschka]

Nobody enjoys hearing it, but the kids enjoy doing it and it is 30 minutes out of your day. I couldn’t get worked up about it.

[Blahblah34]

I had a group of 8 year old boys round the other day for a play date with my kids and they all screamed throughout. My own childhood is too far away for me to remember whether this was always the norm but I can't see my parents having put up with it.

[JacksonAverysEyes]

Why are you asking us and not the parents outside your house????

[Blahblah34]

(I did repeatedly ask them not to scream but they seemed incapable of stopping)

[Phrogg]

Back in the day we weren't allowed to scream. It was just an unwritten rule and one of the things you Did Not Do. We have screamers on my estate and it's really annoying. I don't know what their parents are thinking allowing them to do it.

[amusedbush]

@Devilsmommy

Do you have children? I only ask because I used to be so annoyed by this kind of thing and then I now have an 18mo who doesn't talk yet but loves a good shout, especially when out and about and I wouldn't really stop him tbh

The answer to that is right there in the OP 🙄

[HelloMiss]

It's just excited children playing out

Get used to it. Summer and the holidays are looming, there's absolutely nothing you can do about it

[GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER]

Used to have this next door all the time in summer - that very high pitched screaming when they were on the trampoline - which seemed to be virtually all the time. The youngest child was 6. It honestly made me feel utterly murderous.
I never allowed my dds to scream like that, not once they were old enough to understand, I.e. past the baby and very small toddler stages.

I have absolutely no objection to ordinary playing noise, even if loud - just that high pitched screaming.

[OhmygodDont]

@Blahblah34

(I did repeatedly ask them not to scream but they seemed incapable of stopping)

Not incapable just know there is no punishment. Because the play is still allowed to happen.

My children scream in the garden. They come in. They can play outside when they decide not to scream. Nobody should have to listen to screaming even for half an hour it’s anti social behaviour tbh.

[Needmorelego]

I understand exactly what you mean.
Shouting, laughing, singing.....all fine in theory.
Screeching in a way that sounds like you are being eaten by wolves....no..
Just. No.
Shut the f up.
Unless you are actually being eaten by a wolf.

[VesperLind]

We used to have a neighbour who had two girls of late primary age. They and four other local girls used to do a circular route around our cul de sac and the terrace that backed onto it in a crocodile. They each did a scream followed by the next girl, then the next and so on as they marched on their route. It was unbearable but the parents did nothing about it.
The two that lived opposite us used to also stand in the street and scream while waiting for their mum to come out and get them into the car for school. They literally screamed as hard as they could. It wasn’t shouting in “outdoor voices”, it was screaming as if they were being murdered.

[CeeceeBloomingdale]

I have teenage girls and in my experience it is nearly always little girls who do this. Not mine, I wouldn't allow it when they were little as is annoying to others and frankly hurts my ears. If they just scream as they enjoy as per a pp then their parents should take them to an empty field or beach and let them scream into the wind. There is excited play noises and screaming. The latter should only be used when being murdered or similar.

[SantaBarbaraMonica]

Mine have never been allowed to scream. I always get such a shock when play dates scream! Not all do, plenty have same rule on it as us. But honestly the screamers always have the parents with low control overall.

[PlumbersWifey]

I have kids and cannot stand that noise. There's no need for screams. Hate it. I think some parents get noise blind and forget there's other people in the world having to listen to it.

[WaitingForMojo]

Get some earplugs. Simple. Kids should be allowed to play out during the day making harmless noise.

[TheYearOfSmallThings]

Children are noisy and pointless screaming should not be encouraged.

But I strongly feel that WFH should not dictate that people have to stop living their normal lives inside or around their homes. Houses were built to live in, they are not offices, and if you choose to work from home in a cul de sac full of young families, it will often be noisy. If it wasn't screaming it would be football or basketball or something else.

[zurg123]

The screaming does my head in. When my dd was younger and friends round they were warned that they weren't allowed to scream and if they did they'd have to come in from the garden.