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 😩

A 19 year old who can't cope with 8 hours sleep 🤦🏻‍♀️

Blimey what on earth is the matter with youngsters today?

@FooFightersFan you are mollycoddling him - he's a grown adult. Doing normal full time hours and a healthy amount of sleep.

You mean your kids would be disturbing in the morning, but you would complain if other people can not do what they want like at 8-9 pm? I doubt your snitching would have any effect. Much smarter to be nice to your neighboor and get niceness back.

That is your opinion. I was awaken recently by a neighboor mowing his lawn somewhat before 7 am, posted a question on a local forum (not in UK) and most people were saying that it was fine and I shouldnt tell him anything. For some people, 6 am is fine, for others it should be after 9 am. At the end, if you dont want a war with a neighboor, its smarter to make efforts to get along.

Absolutely. My neighbour's kid is currently being very annoying, so I've taken out the earphones and am using my speaker in the garden (how I prefer it). People tend to give you the same consideration you give them.

She's working from home and her workspace is right by my side fence where I'm working? Not my problem. When the kid quietens down, I'll pick up the earbuds again.

Teenagers can sleep the clock round. I could - and after I was a teenager. Obviously, I couldn't always do that, I had obligations, but my idea of Heaven (amongst other things), was sleep. I'd have hated to be woken up before necessary.

However I don't think the op has grounds to complain about neighbours' children playing in the garden at 8 o'clock, it isn't against the law. I wouldn't have let mine do it that early but it didn't happen, mine would not have been up :-), never mind dressed and ready for the day (obviously took after me). It was hard enough getting up for school, and me for work, during the week. Weekends and days off were for having a lie in.

8am is early! What time do people think is too early for children to be playing outside and making a lit of noise it wakes people up. 7am 6am???

I think 8am is probably the earliest. 8am is a sleep in for most people!

8am on weekdays is fine. At the weekends, I'd say 9am or 10am as it's quite usual for many people (without DC) to have a lie-in.

No it is not subjective with regards to making a complaint because official noise lowering hours are between 11pm and 7am.

He's 19. A grown adult.

He's not a toddler - he's just doing what us 40+ olds were doing, nothing out of the ordinary - other than our mums would've laughed if we'd suggested 8 hours sleep wasn't enough.

Blimey I was working 8-8pm then going out and not getting in until 5am. Several times a week 🤣

Mum needs to let him be a man.

I'd be interested to see the full results of this survey you've apparently conducted on the entire population of the UK to obtain this conclusion about what time 'most people' wake up. I for one don't remember being asked.

The standard work day is 9-5. Most people would wake up in a panic if it got to 8am and they weren't well on their way.

If I were you, OP, I’d be praying for rain! Preferably the cats and dogs type, every morning for an hour or two.

Not everyone works conventional hours or at all, and given that many more people wfh now, that's just bollocks tbh. I wfh full-time myself and don't wake up till 8.30.

As someone who really struggles to sleep through any noise I’d highly recommend white noise (or similar). It takes a couple of nights to get used to but then is an absolute winner for drowning out this kind of noise. Much better than uncomfortable earplugs in my opinion!

I disagree with most people it seems. My children are now 17 and 19 but I didn’t allow them to play in the garden before 9am on normal days and 10am on a Sunday. I still go by that now in terms of using lawnmower/making noise etc. To some extent you have to put up with it if you work shifts as the majority of people don’t but I think 8am is early. In my last house I had 2 boys playing football and licking it against the fence constantly from 8am ish in school holidays and it was incredibly annoying.

Not everyone but most people do. That what laws are based around as far as noise hours. I wouldn't feel I had a right to complain if kids were out at 8am.

Those kids have potentially already been up for 2 hours by 8am. It’s very possible the parents have already limited the time they go outside. People moan when children don’t play outside and when they do. 8am isn’t early. My neighbour bangs her side gate and bins at 5am. Another rings is outside banging their football boots at 630am. Any building work can start at 8am. The bin men come at 6. So sorry but think 8am is actually quite reasonable.

Those kids have potentially already been up for 2 hours by 8am. It’s very possible the parents have already limited the time they go outside. People moan when children don’t play outside and when they do. 8am isn’t early. My neighbour bangs her side gate and bins at 5am. Another rings is outside banging their football boots at 630am. Any building work can start at 8am. The bin men come at 6. So sorry but think 8am is actually quite reasonable.

My oh works 12 hour nightshifts. We have 2 kids who understand they need to be a bit quieter but he would never dream of telling them he couldn’t go in the garden to play!

its not like your son is the first to work unsociable hours. But people who have only worked 9-5 don’t understand that others may be trying to sleep during the day. On the other hand my oh just puts ear plugs in and sleep mask on a gets on with it.

it’s only for the summer. When schools go back in I’m sure ur son will get his 8hours during the week.

"8am is a sleep in for most people "

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Can always rely on MN to get a good laugh 😃

You can not be serious.

8am is not a lie in for young people.

I agree.

I have young kids and I wouldn't let them be noisy in the garden at 8am. Even at nine I ask them not to be too loud as our set up sounds similar to the OP.

Nine is fine though imo.

My teens love getting up at 11am or later - younger ones around 6am😵‍💫🥱😫