The neighbour’s kids and their damn ball!!

[Aaaallthefood]

So there is a house behind us, their garden backs onto the back of our garden.

The kids are polite enough, not rude in any way that I’ve seen…but they are driving me potty.

Footballs have been coming over the back fence into our garden for some time, and when I’m in the garden, whenever that might be, I will throw them back over.

However, they seem to have now figured out which house is the one they’re kicking the balls into and they’re coming to ring the doorbell and knock on the door to ask for the balls back. Fine. The issue is that this is happening not only daily, but multiple times a day! My neighbours have said that whilst we’ve not been in, they’ve seen them rattling at our back gate trying to get in it, and said they took pity on them and helped to retrieve the ball with a step ladder (this is ok, we do know said neighbours).

I’ve just gotten back from a day out with toddler DC, and whilst trying to sort dinner/ bath etc the neighbour child is ringing the doorbell (I can see on the camera). I decided to ignore it as I’m busy, but he’s been back twice in the space of 15 minutes to ring again. I will go down and throw the ball over, when I am ready to, but WIBU to go and speak to the parents and ask them to put a net up at their back fence or something similar? Or am I just being a bit uptight to be getting so annoyed at this 😅

I'd 100% go round and explain to the parents that you will throw the ball back over when you can, and it isn't always convenient to answer the door straight away. And suggest that them putting up a net might mean the problem isn't so frequent anyway.

Just to add insult to injury…I’ve come back down the stairs and could hear a ball bouncing outside. Looked out to see neighbour child wandering off with a football and I suspect he’s climbed over to retrieve it…without permission 🥴

Start deflating the balls. When they drive their dps nuts asking for it inflated it will stop coming over the fence...
Ime..

Speak to the parents and tell them it's becoming too much so you'll return the balls when it's convenient to you, ask them not to let their DC come round or climb over the fence

Open the door and tell them that you will return them when you next go into the garden and that they are not to knock again or come into your garden without permission.

Yanbu, speak to the neighbours and ask them to put up a net x

Thanks for the replies. I think I’ll go over tomorrow and politely request that there’s no more incessant doorbell ringing and no climbing over.

Tell them any balls thrown over will be thrown back at 8pm everyday and you will not be answering the door anymore. I bet they will suddenly be able to keep control of the ball then.

Of course speak with the parents! The children need to learn it’s not ok to throw or kick balls so hard they go out of their own garden. Yes, this will happen sometimes, but they have to understand you will give them the ball back when convenient, not on demand. How else will they learn how to play sensibly and respect other peoples’ enjoyment of outdoor space. Isn’t there a park they can visit to boot balls hard around the open spaces?

my neighbours can be like this I usually return the first couple of times and say I won’t return it again until it’s convenient. Usually they then are a lot more careful. There’s also another fence that if the ball went over it would be a lot harder to get the ball from and strangely they don’t seem to kick it over there so there’s definitely an element of choice. There’s loads of places they can play football around here too.

I'd have words with the parents and tell them to ask theor children to 1. Be more careful with the ball so it doesn't go over the fence and 2. If it does go over the fence for the children to not come ask for it or climb the fence and to wait for the ball to be given back.

In 5 or so years your toddler will be the one kicking it over the fence…

Be kind, just let the kids know you will throw it back when you can.

There's always one. 🙄 #BeKind !!! WHY? Coz she's a laydeeeee? Give me strength! And how ludicrous to assume the OP's toddler will be an absolute nuisance like these neighbour's kids! Don't assume everyone's children are badly behaved and inconsiderate!

@Aaaallthefood As pps have said, tell them you won't be retrieving their ball anymore, and they are not allowed in your garden without permission, and if it continues you will pop their footballs. Just watch them stop.

Tell them to go to the park like normal kids! What a bloody nuisance they sounds. Thank fuck they go back to school soon eh?!

We had this. Footballs over the fence all day, constant banging on the door, threats from the dad if I didn't throw the balls back promptly, requests to be allowed to let themselves into the garden. After 2 broken shed windows in a week, I resolved it by going into the garden, picking up the ball, standing on a chair and throwing it back as hard as I could, aiming at their kitchen window. They've never kicked another ball over the fence.

I have the same problem except they don’t climb over the fence as we have large dogs. I’ve told them the dogs may pop the ball if they’re in the garden when it comes over, sometimes 3 balls at a time, but that doesn’t seem to phase them. It’s so disruptive as the dogs go bananas when they keep ringing the bell. So, sometimes I unplug the doorbell and just throw the ball back once a day rather than every time. As other posters have said there needs to be consequences or it will just keep happening.

I’m not sure where I was being unkind 😅 and I do currently throw the balls over, as and when I can, I’m not hoarding them in my shed to spite these kids. The balls coming over isn’t the issue overall, it’s the (far too frequent) doorbell ringing and subsequent garden trespassing that’s the problem

No be kind because they’re kids 😂

it’s not a huge deal, just tell them not to ring as your have a young child but you will always throw it over when you’re not busy.

That is definitely worse than mine with the dogs going mad at the bell. Hope those doggos enjoy a little play with all these multiple balls flying over 🤭

If they're old enough to be knocking on strangers doors and climbing a gate alone they're old enough to go to a nearby field and play.
I'd go round and politely explain to the parents that it's getting a bit annoying how often they're knocking, and could they put up a net or wait until you throw them back without coming to knock.
Also mention a nearby field as being a good place to play with more space to kick it properly.
Hopefully they'll speak to the DC about it, it may be that depending on age the parents aren't actually aware they're even going and knocking on your door, if the children are unsupervised while parents are working from home or something