Neighbours kids playing outside early…

[FooFightersFan]

It’s the school holidays and I appreciate that by starting this thread I’m going to sound like a right grump, but here goes…

Our garden backs onto two houses, both of which are owned by couples with young kids. All four parents work from home full time.

The kids (youngest 3, all primary school aged) regularly play outside in the gardens. The houses are new build with literally no plants or shrubs. Just lawn surrounded by fence / brick walls. The noise just bounces around as there is nothing to ‘absorb’ it.

I accept that they are noisy when they play because they are young, energetic and kids!

Now that the school summer holidays are well under way, it’s become apparent that getting up and out into the garden at 8am is their routine. And they shout. A lot.
Then at 10am they go inside and there is silence for a while.

I can deal with it, I have 2 kids and I appreciate that’s what kids are like.

and here’s the “but”…

My son works full time and his room overlooks our back garden. He works 12 hour shifts a lot of days, in hospitality. Most shifts mean he is home around 11pm and in bed by midnight. He’s getting increasingly fed up with the neighbour kids’ morning routine.

During term time, the outside playing is just at the weekend. But now it’s a daily occurrence due to the holidays, I really feel for my son, because being woken up 90 mins before he needs to be up for his next shift is pretty miserable.

WIBU to message or pop round to my neighbours and see if they can encourage their kids to be quieter (a big ask) or to not let them out before 9:00.

I’ve become that grumpy neighbour 😩

8am is very early! Some people dont have any thought for others

Yeah that would work. Why not? No NOISE anytime. Normal household sounds yeah, but not NOISE. And that is what people are on about. Certainly no loud blasting music, and DEFINITELY no screaming screeching kids! Don't be pedantic. 🙄

Exactly!

Get a life. Or get double glazing. Seriously, there a more important things to sooty about.

I was pointing out that it's silly to try to not make noise because someone just might be sleeping. This is why there are nighttime noise hours, because they give the vast majority 8 hours of relative quiet.

I feel split with this one. I personally wouldn't let my kids out at 8am to run around and scream. I would, however, from 9am.
Yet, on a normal weekday, I wouldn't consider 8am early either.
Fence sitting on this one.

It's all relative. Ours are up at 6.30am and go to bed at 8pm. I could say that making any noise after 8pm is completely unreasonable as it stops them getting to sleep, and anyone who does this clearly has no thought for others. But I recognise that sleep hours for the majority of people are 11pm -7am, that's why no excessive noise is allowed between those hours. And that some responsibility is on us, so we upgraded our windows to cancel noise as much as possible. Of course there will be people who shift work, but if we can't make noise anytime anyone night be sleeping, no one could ever make any noise.

Please don't let anyone intimidate you to make you feel you are a moaner or unreasonable, your not.
My suggestion is don't call on the neighbours as you never know how they will re-act, it could be favourable or it could go in the opposite direction. They could be spiteful and do it all the more.

Sometimes confrontation even if done with the best of intentions can go wrong!
I use at home wax earplugs from Boots, that way I can rack-on unhindered and the neighbours can swing from the trees... I don't hear them!
If you do buy earplugs, steer clear of the foam ones! They are rubbish, expand in your ear and as they do work their way out! Useless!

Our neighbours kids are out at 6am. 6am!!! The mum chucks them out and they’re 3 kids under 8. They scream and cry nonstop whilst I’m assuming mum SLEEPS because she isn’t there!!! This is 7 days a week. It echoes across whole street. 8 am isn’t a crime and no one knows your son has late shifts.

My neighbours 3 small kids are out on the trampoline at 6am with music on. They at it most of the day on and off till late.. .. kids will be kids and it's the holidays. Suck it up

My husband used to work nights and during the school holidays managed to sleep with the kids in the house. Granted they were told not to go in our bedroom on pain of death but he used blackout curtains and ear plugs and had to get on with it!

You have idiot inconsiderate neighbours. It's not kids being kids it's parents being useless and letting their children run riot.

No one should have to put up with that.

@KreedKafer Spot on.

That, I would not have!! Yes totally agree they are inconsiderate! No one has to 'Suck-it-up' at all! It's not a put-up and shut up society, we are entitled to the 'peace & quiet enjoyment of our homes, kids or no kids!'. The music I would nip that in the bud forthwith, sound like an 'obnoxious' family.

Hi,

please op do not go to your neighbors to try and tell them when their kids can go out because your kid is working.

If your son is finding it difficult then it is for him to find a solution. Or move out…not that if he is…say…in a shared house (to keep costs low)…he will be able to say anything to the other adults leaving there…
so basically, until he can afford to buy a detached house, and leave there by himself, he will have to bare with others 🤷🏼‍♀️

Oh I thought you meant 5/6am....8am is reasonable for noise outdoors.

White noise machine, initially bought for my kids but now I can't sleep without it, blissful. No more being woken up by hotel doors slamming, bin trucks, or noisy neighbours. I have the dream egg portable one. £30 well spent.

When we take ours to football of a Saturday morning I have to remind them before they leave the house not to start squabbling or start shouting as there are folk who have been in work all week and want a sleep in, they don’t need to be woken up by you two. We leave the house around 8:30am and they know not to walk outside and start raising their voices. 8am may not be early but if the kids have been up since 5/6am then their parents will want them out of the house I’m guessing. I do feel your pain. A scrambler bike enthusiast behind us and a ‘I have to power wash my sodding car every Sunday morning out the front start up at 8am every Sunday when all we want to do is lie in, it’s our only day to do so. Ear plugs are our go to!

Lots of hassle and expense for OP's family, in other words, and zero inconvenience for the parents who can't be arsed to parent. OK then. 🙄

Come on now, can you honestly say your son didn’t play loudly in your own garden at 8am in the summer holidays at the same age?

Maybe you could take your own advice and put up some shrubs.

Or your adult son could wear some noise cancelling ear plugs.

8am isn't too bad. 7am however is what I'm currently experiencing from my neighbours grandchildren. I'm usually up at 6.30 to be out for work but during the holidays it would have been nice to lie in till 8!

I work in hospitality and sleep 10.30 to 7.30. If that is not enough, your son needs to go to the gp or change jobs

I would say, I don't think 8am is early. Even pre children I have always been up , dressed and started the day by 8. However, the issue is how noisy these children are. If they ate playing nicely outside that's normal "life" noise. However, at any time of the day, I have never understood children being allowed to make that blood curdling scream.

I don’t think 8am is ridiculous. I’ve had my neighbours kids making noise from 7am
but they were very young and I knew it wouldn’t be forever.
Mostly though this is life, I’m afraid. I was woken up at 4am by an out of control party a few weeks ago and this was the night after I’d worked an all nighter (I was working on a big event).
I’d be delighted with 8 hours any night tbh, when I was young I’d often have two jobs and manage on much less sleep. It’s a little frustrating for your son but it’s temporary and life can be annoying like this at times. I am never without ear plugs and an eye mask as I don’t expect silence in the lot mornings these days tbh! Bit of a life lesson tbh!

I had double glazing when I had this same problem and it didn't do a thing to muffle the noise from the neighbour's screeching kids. What's one extra pane of glass going to do if they are screaming? It's not okay to let your kids scream repeatedly, no matter the hour. The parents should be disciplining them so they don't act like little wildcats.
Too many parents think their little darlings can do no wrong and they let them bother other people.