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?

My DC isn’t a screamer but I can’t get worked up about other kids who do. They’re having fun, doesn’t bother me at all personally and I work from home.

Oh my god, not again these Victorian curmudgeons 🤦‍♀️
for children it is natural to scream while playing. Pity your had all joy in your life stamped out at an early age so you don’t even remember it.
they are OUTSIDE. Not in a restaurant or museum. Get noise cancelling headphones (although I live opposite a school and don’t believe FOR A MINUTE that its impossible to work indoors, give me a break)

It's not just people working from home you should care about though. Retired people, ill people, SAHPs, napping babies, people on annual leave.. just all other people!

Good point, I live opposite a first school and the sound of hundreds of children shouting and screaming at break time has still never interfered with any work calls etc when I’m working from home.

Same. I live right near a primary school and every break time it’s kids screaming. Parents who think their kids don’t scream will probably be surprised what they do in school, because the kids are always screaming. But it has never bothered me, not while wfh or doing anything else at home. Kids scream when they’re having fun or being silly. You just drown it out.

for children it is natural to scream while playing. Pity your had all joy in your life stamped out at an early age so you don’t even remember it.

Lots of things for children are natural and bring them great joy, but they have to learn not to do them, both for their own safety and for the consideration of other people who also get to exist without having their ears bled.

If kids aren’t taught that screaming communicates danger, then this massively increases the risk to them of not being helped if they’re actually in danger!

You realise that not everyone has an office? Many people work for themselves.

Unreasonable to think someone should rent a workspace as a few parents won’t tell their kids to shut up.

so very irritating, and my dm would wholeheartedly agree

If (when) my boys scream they are told not to and if they carry on they're taken inside immediately. It's a residential area not a field.

I wish I could.....kids scream...it's been hell with my dd and friends...on them leaving....I asked dd why the screaming..we love each other and that's how kids talk...

I think a lot of people aren't really getting the difference between children playing and making a noise and the loud screeching noise the OP if refering to.
It's not playing, it's not "children having fun" - it's a loud fingers down a blackboard/burst your eardrums sound that should only be made if someone is in danger or being hurt.
It simply isn't appropriate for children to do this.

The screech that came from this lass at the swimming baths the other day felt like a bloody knife being shoved into my ear, yet I was given a hacky look from her toe rag dad when I said Jesus Christ man and covered my ears. People don't want to parent anymore. Nee need for the ear splitting squealing some kids belt out. Aye kids get carried away and make noise but it's always the attention seeking ones who make that noise.

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Ditto for drunk young women too. I live near a few bars and regularly hear blood curdling screams in the early hours and everytime I can't rest until I've got out of bed and look out the window to check it's not a woman being attacked - everytime it's just been a pissed up woman but I'm terrified the day I ignore it is the day I see a news item about a murder

Fine to be irritated by it.

No, you would not be reasonable to try to enforce quiet on your street during the daytime. You'll have to make adjustments to your office.

WFH is just another reason why screaming is infuriating. If I'm at home relaxing, cleaning, napping, or doing anything, really, I'd find senseless screaming every bit as annoying as if I were trying to work.

What if someone is ill? What if someone is going through a difficult time in their life? What if someone simply wants to enjoy life without having to endure screaming every day? Children don't have to scream to have fun; it's lazy parenting.

There is 'happy noise' and then there is that ultra high pitched screaming which is frankly deeply disturbing as well as annoying,

In my old place I went out to investigate several times as it sounded like they were in danger and I was worried for them.

Best to save those sort of screams for emergencies.

Pity your had all joy in your life stamped out at an early age so you don’t even remember it.

I think if a child has to go to the lengths of completely artificial shrieking to find joy, then they must be completely lacking in imagination, have neglectful parents who haven't allowed them to play inventive creative games so that they only know how to open their mouth and scream when left to their own devices, or they must be desperate for attention and probably rather sad.

I love to hear children playing, chattering, racing around having fun, but imitative, group induced shrieking is not play. It is completely artificial and a relatively new phenomenon. But perhaps it will gradually develop to the point where it becomes so shrill that only dogs can hear it.

If she doesn’t have an office then I’d recommend headphones. Mine were £8. Hth.

I've never allowed my children to scream loudly for no good reason. Especially not in public places.

It's not normal play behavior. It's really inconsiderate and incredibly bad manners. It's also completely unnecessary and can be stopped if you actually parent your children and put consequences in place. It's about teaching them basic manners and consideration for others.

I'm a teacher and would never put up with it in my classroom. The children who do it in the playground are almost always the ones who are generally rude and entitled with parents who don't enforce decent behavior expectations.

I can't understand parents who allow it. I assume they are probably rude and inconsiderate themselves.

Playing is fine. Screaming is not for so many reasons. You say the world doesn’t revolve around people wanting to WFH/ sleep on night shift/ get their baby to nap/ enjoy their house and yet want it to revolve around children screaming. I think maybe flip it in your head and think maybe the world doesn’t revolve around children being able to do whatever they want. I was a child. I basically lived outdoors. No screaming was required to have fun

I wouldnt have let my kids or grandkids scream for 30 bloody mins. Nor would my dad have let me. It's unnecessary

Screamers aren't joyful, they are just desperate for attention.

Indeed they should be kids - not screaming hooligans.

I agree OP. I have three DC all a bit older now but would not have allowed them to scream and shriek at the top of their lungs for hours on end in the garden. Our neighbours are just as entitiled to enjoy their outdoor space as we are. Playing, shouting and happy noises are fine - high pitched screaming is not.