Neighbours kids keep looking over our fence

[lilybit2025]

As the title suggests. Young girl around 5-6 keeps looking over at our fence. Did it a handful of times yesterday until I turned around and said 'hello can I help you?' And she's doing it again today. It sets our dog off and drives her insane yet she still does it.
I find it incredibly intrusive and I don't know if our neighbours know she's doing it and she's only a child but we do not have children and aren't particularly fond of them either.

This is something to be careful about - you do have to be careful about taking a photo of a child, especially in their own garden, and then putting it on social media - very bad idea. That really could turn very nasty, unlike the original matter of a curious child looking over the fence.

next time she does it just tell her to piss off. she will then likely be to scared to do it again.

It’s an “inclusive space” apparently. I was told this when I asked the same question a while ago😂

My neighbours kid does this and she's bloody 12 it gets on my nerves

I work at home on occasion and I'll be sat at the dining table working and she's there on her trampoline shouting "are you working helloooo I see you what you doing, have you got any more pepsi if she sees me drinking a can of Pepsi

It is SO annoying

Multiple people have answered this (rather silly) question on this thread alone. Hopefully one day people will draw upon their common sense and stop asking.

I agree. I’ve been scrolling the comments to find someone who thought this way. Admittedly, a girl peering into my garden and my dog reacting would annoy me but I probably wouldn’t say anything to her or her parents unless it got worse somehow. I don’t think it’s a situation that requires an army of people to offer their thoughts. My reaction would be to tell my dog to stop barking. I’m not saying I’d be happy about the peeking girl but if she’s as young as 5 I wouldn’t confront her.

Probably becoming a good game and she's bored. Kids love vexing adults

How do you know she's sweet? Kids can be proper so-and-sos even at 5.

Also just to add -and I say this as the kind of adult who would happily chat to a nosy 5 year old over the fence - we are all different! If OP finds it unsettling to have this pair of eyes peering down on her while in her own back garden that’s ok.

And the 5 year old may not even want to chat some kids - like some adults - are just incredibly nosy and while they’re happy to stare don’t want to engage in conversation.

Oh, and there is no way that a five year old's behaviour at just looking over her garden fence is in anyway rude.

Yes it is rude in this situation . If the fence was a short one around her eye level it would be almost inevitable to see into OPs gardens. I grew up in a terrace with a short fence in the garden and we would see onto each others garden without going out of our way too. It was just one of those unavoidable things.

However in this case the kid is deliberately standing on something in order to peer over the high fence.

FFS, just engage her in conversation and/or invite her over to meet the dog. Children are curious. That is how they learn and grow.

If you can't tolerate it, just say "go away little girl" and no doubt she will.

This (& sprinklers!)

Yeah, just train your dog not to bark at perceived threats in its own garden, buy the kid chocolate, make friends, arrange play dates, offer to babysit, driving lessons when she’s old enough, write her into your will. And stop being grumpy, and take your dog for walks too. Ffs op.

telling a 5 year old to go away? Seems a bit harsh and unnecessary. Just knock the door and ask the parents to tell her??

This post is pathetic 😂

If you have a issue with it either politely ask her to stop “hey can you please stop doing that as it makes my dog upset” or even better go round to the house and speak with her parents and they will likely tell her to stop doing it.

My daughter has done the same thing to our neighbour a few times and I tell her to stop as soon as I see her do it, but luckily he is a lovely old boy and takes time out of his day to stop and chat to my daughter.

Also I never understand when adults say they don’t like children ?? We were all children once!

How childish. What do you mean?

Sadly they often are. I think a lot have a chip on their shoulders for some reason

Can’t you be watering the grass at a certain time and, oops, sorry you’re soaked!!

Poor girl. She’s a sweet 5 year old probably reception class at school. It’s disgusting to read these comments from so called adults. It’s just a little girl being curious.

"we don't have children and aren't particularly fond of them"

But it's Mumsnet.... The clue is in the name?

The OP has spoken to her parents who denied she was doing it

Just use your words..... speak to her or her parents, problem solved. You've not actually told anyone you don't like it yet. If someone said this about my child, I'd apologise, have a chat with them and move the table. I imagine they'll do that same. It wouldn't bother me personally at all.

I feel your pain! Many years ago we had some slight disagreements with our neighbours, nothing major, their children being unkind to ours etc. Well it turned into a nightmare, we had 6ft fences but their parents bought them a tree house and a trampoline and must have told them to look over and shout and just generally invade our privacy and be a nuisance. It was awful actually, it sounds like it’s no big deal but we ended up moving, I used to dread coming home and seeing them. Looking back (20 years) nothing we even said to them warranted the way they carried on. I would speak to the parents and invest in some higher fencing but as the child gets older brace yourself for the trampoline / treehouse! And there’s not a lot you can do if the parents don’t cooperate. I hope it gets better.

I’m still curious now and I’m over 50. Would it be acceptable for me to stand on a ladder and watch my neighbours?

No, it wouldn’t. It would be completely unacceptable and an invasion of their privacy. Fortunately I learnt this at a young age and this little girl also needs to learn the same courtesy and be told to stop.

@lilybit2025- go and see her parents and ask them to stop her doing it.

(If they don’t, next time they’re in the garden - preferably with visitors - stand on a table yourself and stare at them, asking inane questions and occasionally shouting “annoying isn’t it”).

How high is 'normal'???!

3 feet, 4 feet, 5 feet and 6 feet are all 'normal'.

As if anyone in their right mind would do that. What a fucking stupid suggestion.