How to handle this

[howbadistheball]

Currently staying at a “naice” hotel in Spain. My bored 15 year old went up to our room to chill for an hour. He’s can’t sit still ( possible ADD, undergoing assessment) and started gently dribbling a ball around the room apparently. It was 1.30 pm.

I was down by the pool ( so don’t actually know how annoying it must have been, but from previous experience it isn’t loud, just a thumping) and came up to check on him. I was accosted by a guest from the room next door, just as I arrived who was very confrontational and annoyed. Apparently it was disturbing his afternoon nap.

I told him I would deal with it, and opened the door to the room. Son and ball are standing there. The guest did not come in to the room but stood at the door and proceeded to tell off my son.

we left together to do an activity. When I returned an hour later there was a note from reception asking me to contact them immediately. Apparently the guest had made an official complaint about him.

for info. I’m on my own here with my son. No other adults. And he was a bit intimidating

I’ve dealt with it. I am just looking for opinions on how everyone else thinks I should have handled it. I’ll update at some point.. I’m just curious for now.

Does it really matter? It’s dealt with now. Personally, I can’t see why it warranted a thread to be honest 🤷🏻‍♀️

A 15 yr old dribbling a ball indoors and not knowing thats not acceptable seems unusual regardless of the time of day. Does he do that at home?
Tell your DS not to do this indoors fullstop. He should also apologise.
As for the aggressive neighbour ,i can see why he was annoyed but he handled it overzealously,no need for aggression. .Speaking to you civilly would and should have been sufficient.
Complaining to the hotel seems excessive as the issue has been dealt with.
I'd go to reception with DS and he should apologise and promise it wont happen again. Then is dealt with.

Last time I checked hotel rooms weren't on the list of sensible places to play football, no matter how "gentle" the participants are. I suspect most of the rest of the world is of a similar opinion.

I would have apologised to both parties and made sure that it didn't happen again, and maybe found a place where football could be played outside.

No football in hotel room. Full stop. Doesn't matter if it was gently or not.

I didn't know how to vote because nothing was shared about the resolution other than what this other person did. So I feel a bit shrugged shoulders about it too!

He's not a bloody toddler. Of course he shouldn't be kicking a football around in a fucking hotel room. He can do that outside ffs.

I wonder if culture is going into play a bit. One cultures polite complaint is anothers intimidating. Stereotyping, the Spanish tend to be a bit louder than Brits.

The guest has paid to enjoy his accommodation having the constant thud of a ball I’m assuming against a wall is bloody annoying. I would get your son to go and apologise to reception and to said guest and maybe take his ball outside. I do however agree that the guest should not have intimidated you.

The man was unreasonable to approach you and your son. Complaining to reception, and allowing them to deal with the situation, would be the acceptable move in my opinion. Your son shouldn’t have been playing with a ball indoors though. If you allow that at home, fair enough, but kicking a ball around a hotel room is just asking for trouble.

The only thing you can really do now is apologise and ensure it doesn’t happen again.

My son would have been told how unreasonable and unnecessary playing football inside is.

I wouldn’t let my kids play with a football inside my own house. Or anyone else’s, or a hotel room. Footballs are for outdoors or sports halls. You weren’t there so don’t really know what he was doing but whatever it is has annoyed someone else and that is fair enough. He needs to learn consideration for others.

Why wasn’t he playing football outside? I think the guest had every right to be annoyed. Your son was in the wrong and you should both apologise. See what activities are available within the hotel and local area to keep your bored teenager busy and perhaps make some friends to socialise with. Ball games indoors are wrong all so many levels.

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

Your son is old enough to know people are trying to relax on holiday.

Is it a massive room? How do you play football on your own in a bedroom anyway? I imagine booting it against the wall? Which would be very noisy and annoying for the guest next door.

Well, at first apparently he was 'gently dribbling a ball around the room', but then the OP says she knows it's 'just' a thumping…

I have 2 teenage sons and in my experience they can sometimes lack common sense at that age and don’t always realise how loud they are being. It’s obviously not the crime of the century but yes it would be really annoying to have to hear it when you are in your hotel room and nobody should be playing football in a hotel room.

I would have apologised to the man and got my son to apologise at the same time too and also assure him it wasn’t going to happen again. If he still went on to complain to reception then I would apologise again and say you have spoken to your son about respecting the hotel and the other guests.

Then carry on with my holiday.

Gentle dribbling my arse!!!😂

I'd complain too.

Your kid was out of order. Ball stuff is for outside, not inside a hotel room during siesta.

The guy told you directly, told your son to knock it off, and complained about the noise to management. Your son disturbed at least one hotel guest. Your son should have apologized then and there.

What's your problem with how that was handled? You're intimidated by straight talk when your kid's doing stuff he shouldn't be and disturbing others? Get used to it or supervise him more.

This must be a rage bait post or a wind up. Surely no parent is this dense they can’t see when their child has been a nuisance.

Yeah, I have one of these. He scored 5 goals on Sunday. What he told me was "gentle dribbling" would actually be Steven-Gerrard-v-West Ham-esque free kick against the wall on repeat.

Have you tried Imodium? 😉

Why would you kick a football round a room. And believe your son when he said it was gentle. So the other guest was lying?
Honestly just tell him to play with footballs outdoors.

How to handle this

Make sure your son doesn't use the football in his room again. If you haven't already, apologise to the complainant. Simple.

@howbadistheball theballisbadandantisocial