Neighbours son driving me mad!

[Cannotbearsedanymore]

When I mention this, it sounds mad - a kid just playing in his garden!

BUT it is all the time. I mean all day and night he is obsessed with his basket ball and is out in the garden bouncing it and banging it against the hoop constantly.

It is affecting my family big time and don't know what to do, We have communicated with them but no luck.
Please help - I don't know what to do - please be kind - mental health and neurodiversity here. But even the other neighbours are moaning about it next door to me is an elderly couple and over the road are older but even moan.
This hopefully shows you how loud it is as the neighbour is behind my house and people over the road out the front of my house here it constantly too.

It doesn't seem normal and I say obsessed as he is out there ALL the time in ALL weathers day and night playing. It is so noisy, more than you would ever think (high pitched ringing noise) to the point me and my family can't sit outside and enjoy this dry weather as the constant pounding of the ball is so loud and even when inside and the doors are shut you can still hear the thudding of it hitting the ground or the hoop making a racket.

Not only is it noisy but whenever his parents are out (quite often) he is playing music along with him playing basketball. He is an older teenager and I have mentioned a couple of times over the wall if he could please turn down the music or be a bit quieter. He has turned down the music a couple of times but an hour later back at it.

Even without the music the ball is driving me and my family insane. To the point it really is affecting my mental health and I can't focus and the pounding of the ball is genuinely doing my head in.

My husband works from home and it is distracting and when he finishes work all he wants to do is go outside and enjoy some fresh air and chill out but can't so it is driving him mad.

What makes it all the worse is my daughter is autistic and she is sensitive to noise so she is having to wear ear protectors all the time to block out this noise.

It is so unfair and not right is it ?

I could have written this post myself. The constant bang, bang of the ball is relentless. Fortunately, my neighbour’s son is so bad at it, we rarely hear the hoop impacted! It goes on so much that my dogs now ignore the sounds. I am noise sensitive too, but there are no options other than stress, or cultivating acceptance. I choose the latter, though I occasionally fantasise about going out, cutting a hole in the ball and ramming it over his head!

Thank you everyone so much, this is really helping me read through and have the understanding and supportive comments and advice.

For some of you commenting and asking...

It is not just a summer holiday thing. He is out there all the time. He is in College but doesn't seem to be there much as home lots playing basketball.

Yes I don't know him personally so don't know his situation. His obsession does make it sound like ND which is why I have been sensitive to the situation however It is ridiculous. My daughter is ND I don't have her in the garden all hours and annoying the neighbours.

He does have friends come over at least once a week / at weekends and they play basketball together so he is not completely alone and he also has a sister who is very loud but luckily enough she doesn't stay out in the garden like her brother does.

I have tried speaking with the parents and they don't seem to care. She tried disregarding it but I was at the end of my tether and shouted at the mother. I am not sure she knows the music is playing when they are out but she knows now!

I have also spoken to my neighbours who as mentioned are elderly hence they come to me and chat and mention it rather than approaching the person/boy. But they have agreed to sign if I write a letter to either parents or council.

I do fantasise about cutting up that dam ball, and removing the big metal full size basketball stand and hoop.

I am in the process of writing a letter to the parents as I feel it may then get through to them a bit more - I just hope they listen and come to some reasoning rather than ignore it or cause even more trouble and get louder.

When I bought my daughter a netball stand, I limited her usage to 2 hours a day.

The only option you have left really is to get the authorities involved, especially when your daughter is so sensitive to sound. I know it's the last thing anyone wants to do but if you've tried everything else it's the only thing left. If I was in your situation that's what I'd do. Hope you get this issue resolved and your family can get back to normal

Are you joking??? So the ENTIRE family should wear headphones because his "needs" supercede their desire to live like normal human beings???

Tell them to tell him to STOP after 8pm. It would drive me mad also. When my kids were young and bouncing a ball in the garden the neighbours would complain after about 5 minutes. It's a VERY annoying sound!

It’s not ok. He needs to find a club, or a gym to use his energy. It’s also teaching him by his parents to be a selfish nob. Write the letter as kindly as you can but know you are 💯 right to ask for more consideration

He must be some kind of basketball prodigy with that much practice.. fair play.

I recommend getting him interested in drinking and drugs like a normal 16 year old, that's sure to kill his energy levels 💪

You could be stifling a future basketball star.

Its A horrible noise.

And if its interfering with your ability to enjoy your own space it may be a statutory nuisance so do contact the council if you get nowhere with asking nicely

It comes down to a matter of fact and degree. I used to (maybe still do) complain about my kids playing on games too long. My eldest DS (17) is now an aspiring footballer and pretty good. He's also ND, not sure that matters. He knocks a ball against a wall for at most, an hour a day, always in the daytime. It is noisy when I WFH. None of the neighbours have ever complained, and I would be livid if they complained to the council without speaking to me first.

If he was playing from 7am to 11pm without a break, I'd be having a word with him, neighbours or not. And if the neighbours complained I would definitely be limiting his time or asking him to go down the park.

Maybe ask them if they would consider joining a basketball club? So he can practice as clearly he is into that sport , could be good for everyone ? Also if he likes to listen to loud music outside, HE needs to wear headphones TO RESPECT AND CONSIDER OTHERS, regardless of circumstances. Ofcourse love ❤️ will always win. There is good people out there, who will see through things, we all deserve kindness and respect. But sometimes one kind word or action can change someone's life for better times ahead ❤️✌️

This is exactly what I say about my neighbour’s son basketball attempts 😂🤣

I usually say, "He can't be very good if he has to practice that much. Maybe he should find something else?" 😄

There’s been a thread about this before was it you OP? Surprised at all these basketball playing kids 😂

I hope you find a solution, though, must be so frustrating

I wonder if Michael Jordan's neighbors were this upset.

Maybe his parents were sensible and he practiced on a public court and had practice in a gym environment? (Don't know anything about how he came to play).

I studied music at university. By your reasoning my 7 hours practice a day was fine to do at home. Who cares about the neighbours? I have talent!

Sensible? His dad built a basketball court in the backyard. He and his brother played for hours, in all kinds of weather. It wasn't just talent but the skills and muscle memory he developed as a result. He's from my home state, and was someone I held uo to my students as an example of hard work and dedication.

I agree that the neighbor's son needs to adjust his playing time; it's inconsiderate to start so early and end so late. But I hope that if he does that, it will lessen the irritation of the neighbors and the intense scrutiny he must feel he's under. Being a teen is hard enough without the wrath of the neighborhood falling on him. His parents need to protect him by making him abide by guidelines.

He may not be headed for the NBA, but he has the right to shoot hoops in his backyard during daylight hours. Some of us love the sound of b-ball.

I don't think these much you can do during the daytime but if it goes on after 11pm you can complain to council. They will ask you to record it.

Whether that is okay or not (building one in the backyard) depends, ultimately, on the proximity of the hoop to neighbours but still has to be a reasonable duration. Otherwise you're bad neighbours, no matter who you are.

Being a teen might be hard but it will be harder if the neighbours' wrath is activated. This neighbour's son is lucky he's not my neighbour.

If you are writing a letter then suggest a silent basketball (personally I would buy and test one, then drop it off if it works), plus specific start times (say 9am) and stop times (say 8pm) that will allow everyone else to be less disturbed during rest hours.

I don’t follow what is causing a high pitched ringing noise, but I agree it would be annoying constantly and drive you nutty if you were trying to get to bed. I’m not sure he’s nd though, I know lots of boys who play a lot of basketball.