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?

I don’t need your advice on parenting thanks.

Hi @TheYearOfSmallThings
I appreciate your point but unfortunately I've experienced first hand (and I'm not saying this sarcastically so apologies if it comes across that way), that "it doesn't go without saying".
People who are unable to wfw and benefit massively from wfh are ignored and discriminated against.
It needs saying because the world is largely built for healthy people. In the same way Pregnant Then Screwed has fought tirelessly for the rights of pregnant women (and I applaud this), there needs to be an equivalent for disabled people who face as much discrimination.
This isn't, by the way, saying that I think 'outside' noise should be eliminated. Merely that I think wfh should be acknowledged as something that is hugely beneficial to swathes of society for very real reasons.
Thanks.

They just do!

One starts and then it escalates...

It’s not aimed at you specifically, but having consideration for others is basic, I don’t know why you’re so offended by the idea?

The 'someone old' was me - is that because I'm a grandmother?! Anyway, of course you expect noise at a soft-play area but why girls standing in a group shrieking and screaming? Go on, I'm actually interested to know.

So if the OP had said there was an elderly person having end of life care in a front bedroom you'd suggest moving them presumably ?

Having small children isn't a free pass for anti social behaviour, children need to learn to have consideration for others. We once had neighbours with kids who spent a whole summer squealing on a trampoline and it was excruciating.

@Needmorelego @Pepsiisbetterthancoke

My DC have been off a week already. Term ended last Thursday 21st

Term ended today for all the schools here

@NaiceUser your children's summer term is gonna be a looooooooong one 🙁

YANBU. If my kids ever did this when they were younger I'd tell them to stop or come inside. It annoyed me when my own kids did it, let alone other people's. Absolutely unacceptable. Just to be clear I don't mean playing and laughing or even shouting, just screaming for no reason and yes it's usually girls, sorry!

Not really? 9th April - 19th July besides a week's half term. About the same every year.

@NaiceUser yes but Easter is usually much later so the summer term is shorter.
Anyway....hope they are enjoying the holiday 🐥🐇

Thanks yes the iPad & Nintendo have been thoroughly entertaining apparently I'm bored witless! Have a lovely Easter 🐣

I wasn't allowed to scream as a child as my mum always said screaming was for an emergency and if I was always screaming, no one would come if I was being hurt... which is a bit dark, but I never forgot that lesson and I didn't scream.

I don't think YABU

Shrieking is to playing noise, is like an idiot in a souped up car, reving hard with bean can exhausts booming compared to the hum of the rest of the traffic noise.
It's perfectly possible to play in groups and have fun without making piercing noises that disturb or hurt other people.

How odd that the parents allow it. If you allow screaming you really can’t complain when no one pays any attention to your child screaming to attract attention in an emergency.

YADNBU

Yes, I was never allowed to scream and mine weren’t either - I can’t stand it. They got one warning and then I made them come in. Kids need to be taught to play without screaming. I don’t mind a bit of shouting but high pitched screaming is awful.

Yep!

I have no idea what kind of person enjoys the blood curdling screaming of children, but thank FUCK I don't live next door to them.

I used to work in housing, and the type of people saying 'kids screaming is OK' and ;people need to chill!' are the ones that would receive multiple complaints from neighbours. Neighbours of ALL ages.

I find some posts on here unbelievable ...

Are (some) people really this rude and obnoxious and thoughtless, that they think the right for their screechy rugrats screaming like banshees, trumps the rights of people enjoying their right to quiet enjoyment? The mind boggles.

@SabreIsMyFave Nope, don't get it and I never will. Selfish arsehole parents raising selfish arsehole kids. Breeding generations of people who couldn’t give a shit

Most women in my family used to WFH we were fairly quiet kids they made sure of it

AMEN to that!

It’s half an hour, maybe even, hold onto your hats here, 45 minutes of the day that OP is talking about. Not 8 hours straight.

WFH or, in your rather random and completely irrelevant example, someone with end of life care in a bedroom, also isn’t a free pass to expect others to bow down to you. I don’t buy for 1 second these kids are loud enough outside in the street for OP to not be able to make calls, that’s utterly implausible and I say that as someone who has WFH either all week or part of the week since 2018 who has kids and both next door neighbours have young grandchildren that are picked up most days by their grandparents.

I do find screaming annoying but 1) I don’t expect the world revolves around me so all children should be quiet 2) I don’t hear too much of this specifically offensive magic screaming that so annoys people on this thread. Plus there are many other things I can find annoying in life, and I can’t expect that they will all disappear (see no 1 above).
for example I find stuck up curmudgeons really annoying but hey ho all I can do is argue with them a little on mumsnet 🤣🤣🤣

I have no idea as Ive literally never saw the described behaviour in my life.

I however go to a very large soft play regularly and given its at least 100 kids the wall of screaming noise hitting you when you enter is overwhelming. But it is a soft play to run around, jump around so of course there will be screaming there. It’s silly to expect it to be quiet.
Never seen kids just standing in a group and shrieking and screaming 🤷‍♀️