to be an equally shit neighbour?

[SkyeB86]

In 2019 a new family moved in next door and immediately they started acting a problem. Then lockdown happened and it escalated. Big heavy basketballs thud constantly from morning till night, kids (6 of them) scream at each other (and I mean blood-curdling screams at times) they think it's fine to jump into my garden whenever they fancy. I had a word with the dad, his response was that other than them jumping in my garden, they're not breaking any laws so he wouldn't be telling the kids to quiet down. Fair enough, they're not.

So I've bought some Bluetooth speakers. Whenever they get too noisy, I play music in my garden which effectively drowns them out, and can only be really be heard from NDNs garden. The dad has this weekend asked me to keep it down.

AIBU to think that if they can have the 'fuck everyone else' attitude, then so can I?

I don't care what they are. No decent parent allows their children to be a nuisance and disturbance to the neighbours, Basketball can be played without screaming.

I'm sure you are a joy as a neighbour.

As others have said, you're playing it loud to drown out their noise. Also, I can never understand the families who spend all day every day at home and let their DC loose to just screech all day in the garden or inside, the type who never take them out ever. I'm sure most of us take our kids places, visit family and friends etc but some just don't seem to move outside of their home. I don't know many people like this but do through neighbours of friends who complain about the same thing. They just play on x box or in garden all weekend, every weekend, evenings, school holidays. X

Scintillating contribution....🙄

The children's behaviour is not being moderated by the parents. The parents are responsible for the noise their children.....six? Good grief!........make.

Who pissed in your cornflakes?

They won't because they've had flippin' six!!! Imagine the stress and expense of taking that lot anywhere, with no manners either!

Yes, my suggestion earlier in the thread

Very apt

Or world shut your mouth - Julian Cope

You appear to misunderstand sarcasm. It may be the lowest form of wit (according to the great Oscar Wilde) but it IS witty.

I’m in a similar situation with the thuds! I always worry when I’m ’getting Them back’ they will end up recording me and reporting to council/ environmental health. Then it backfires!?

We did this to neighbours whose dog never stopped barking. Got up one morning to find they'd climbed over the fence in the night and cut them down!!

YANBU OP, your neighbours need to realise that if noise bothers them, it also bothers you. They can be considerate and keep their own noise down, or they can put up with the noise from your speakers. The world does not revolve around them and what they want! You get back the respect you give, and since they are giving you zero respect...

You have my sympathies. I am in a similar situation and near breaking point.
If I did anything back it'd probably be reported as a noise nuisance.
Am thinking of getting the heaviest ball possible and wanging it off the side of their house for hours at a time...

Why does the name Karen have to be thrown in?! It’s so insulting, most Karen’s are really nice & are very sad that their name has been used and abused!

Agree. I know some lovely Karens irl and actually feel so sorry for them that their name has become a misogynistic insult. Hopefully the lovely Karens find joy like I do in the power of sarcasm as a retort 😄

No update today. The glorious rain has kept noisy neighbours indoors, and alas.my speakers have remained silent. As much as I reeaally didnt want to be petty, some of the responses on here are making me want to upgrade the speakers and blast out the most bizarre playlist imaginable 😂

Shit that's a whole new ballgame! So the hassle of taking them all out is clearly more difficult, hence always being at home, not that that's an excuse. When u choose to have that many then you do still need to take them out. X

Lots of people need to think about how their noise is impacting on others and start being a bit self aware.
I have a neighbour who regularly has all 5 grandchildren round, in the garden all day. You can hear children playing/laughing/calling out to each other. Normal.
Next door to them are 2 children (now in secondary) who for the last 10 years have screamed from dusk to dawn. It’s not normal. Their mum was complaining to me about some music noise from another neighbour. I don’t know if she can block it out or something but you need to be aware of your own noise before complaining about others.

Oh I feel your pain! I’ve started to be deliberately noisy too 😂 if you can’t beat them, join them!!

Well, there's only one thing for it.... if we get another sunny day this year 🤔. Get a DJ round, decks the lot 🎧 🤣🤣. Yes- I'm that petty cos I've lived next to a complete wanker who didn't give a shit about his noise especially when i had a newborn👊👊👊

We were parented differently.
little children should be seen and not heard.
Personally I think you’re doing tit for tat.
Kids make noise regardless of whether you and your siblings did or not.

Play your music but I would be pedantic about it. Makes you childlike in my opinion

I agree. The OP should seek mediation in the hope of finding an intelligent solution to this as the 2 parties involved aren't capable of this.

Becky, please move on and stop replying to your own posts. It's not big, and it's not clever 😒 😅

P.S. mediation wouldn't work and is quite frankly a ridiculous idea.

Going to book a DJ, who's in for a mumsnet party? I'm afraid the invitation won't extend to becky 😕 😄

I have to love the irony of your nickname 😅 I don't know what else to do other than effectively block the noise out. I've asked them to be quiet and quit trespassing. I'm not sitting round, ignoring my daughter wearing 'noise cancelling headphones'. Mediation is a common mumsnet answer but in this situation is a ridiculous notion. Any other suggestions?

What does "seek mediation" actually mean in practical terms? Genuine question.
What do I do? Who do I contact?
How do I get my belligerent neighbour to agree?
I'm willing to try anything. How do I go about this?
Or is it just an easy thing to say on an anonymous forum?

Yes. Have another conversation with the parents.