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 😩

I would ask, I don't see it's a problem? Sure they might say they'll ask and then it continues but it's not an issue to ask is it?!

@trockodile oooh that’s interesting. Thanks for the link, I’ll have a look into it 😊

I think 8am is thoughtlessly early to allow children to be shouting in the garden. So I do think it would be ok to ask them to keep the noise down till 9. Just because they are awake it doesn’t mean they have to be screaming. It’s like you wouldn’t be making a lot of noise at 11pm.

I think you can probably ask them to tone down the screaming, regardless of what time it is.

This is quite ridiculous. Tell your precious son to get some ear plugs and a grip. You can't control when somebody else let's their child plays in the garden, it's 8am not 6!

9am is early enough for noisy kids.

If you ended up with neighbours that had a baby that cried throughout the night would you also try to control where in the house they could take the baby to shield your sons ears?

But not the guy who wants silence outside until 10am? That’s not entitled? Or just the kind of entitled YOU are ok with?

8 am is perfectly fine for the kids to be outside and play. Earplugs. Or change rooms so he sleeps on the quiet side.

My 4 year old is up at 5am. We've lived a full morning by the time it's 9am and not letting them out, in our own garden, while the sun isn't too hot, is mad.

Maybe you've forgotten what's ita like to have very young children but screaming comes with the territory.

I feel you would only make the situation worse by asking them to keep quiet, imagine how the parents would feel and the struggle they would have every single day trying to keep them inside for another hour.

Your son could move tp the front room, use ear plugs, but also, 12 -8 is a decent amount of sleep. Most of those parents at the back of your garden are surviving on 5 or 6. I guarantee.

My partner and I work shifts including nights shifts and our garden backs on to the car park of an emergency service estate. Now we work in this environment so aren't anti but at 6am they congregate and the back of our garden for coffee fags and loud chit chat. This is 7 days a week. I feel your pain.

@MrsMitford3 😊 yeah!

Your son needs to realise that the world is not going to pause just because he is tired. Lots of people work difficult jobs, night shifts and the like and don’t expect life to come to a halt because they need to sleep in the daytime. Sorry if that sounds harsh OP, I appreciate you care for your son and are trying to do what’s best but I don’t think this is an occasion where you can expect others to adjust their behaviour for the sake of one person needing a lie-in.

I think your sons job/timings are irrelevant. 8am is early to be letting kids scream in the garden, they are being selfish letting them do that so early.

@Tightfishedtwat 😩
have you tried wearing some earplugs?? 🤣

But that’s life unfortunately, when you choose that sort of role. 8am is reasonable. It’s the earliest I would let my kids out, but I would.

I used to get woken super early when the airplanes started flying in to land...and when birds start chirping at sunrise. Nothing you can really do other then get ear plugs. When we moved house and my bedroom location moved those noises no longer woke me. Instead, the building spotlights sometimes do....there will always be something, but there are ways to work around it. Except when you have babies/young kids and then you never get to sleep when you want.

right!!!! They should be inside in front of a screen, It’s 2024 for goodness sake!

Hi OP’s neighbour. You might want to actually parent your kids.

@MummyJ36 erm it’s not a lie in. He needs more than 8 hours sleep. He works 11+ hour shifts. 🙄

I wouldn't let my kids scream and shout outside before 9am. This family obviously think it's ok so you won't win this one OP. Best to try some of the alternatives to cut out the noise.

8am isn-t too early for kids to be outside playing but why can't parent's parent and say off you go but no squealing or shouting. It isn't hard.

Kids should be able to play without disturbing neighbours. I would pop round just ask them to tell their kids to stfu keep it down please.

EllyGi · Today 12:07
8 am is perfectly fine for the kids to be outside and play.

It is. Screaming isn’t.

What is it with kids and screaming now? Ours never did it (adults now). We didn’t have to ask them not to, they just didn’t.