to have firmly told neighbours DS to stop jumping on my fence panel???

[glaskhamhasoneintheoven]

right just to justify why i'm going to bed in the day... I'm 19wks PG, have 2DC's and have been suffering with a migrane (ontop of my ongoing hyperemesis) for the last 2 days

Anyway, coping with my 2DC's has been tought yesterday and today, So I gave my DC's their lunch and put them in their room to play, watch a video and have a nap...

Went into my room and climbed into bed... about 5mins later i heard really loud banging comign from outside, wondering what i was i looked out my window, mext doors DC's were palying out, the oldest (about 10yo) was sat on the shed roof with an axe, hacking away at the roof and a piece of wood... the younger one (about 7yo) was jumping on a fence panel of mine that had blown into their garden a couple of days ago. the panel was half propped up so he was jumping on the middle bit, bending it, and could ahve easily broken it. Anyway i was getting pretty annoyed but didn't say anything, just planned to get DH to collect it from their garden tonight to prevent it coming to more harm.

Settled my head on my pillow only to then hear banging again, looked out and both kids were jumping on it like a trampoline!!! I was so angry i opened my bedroom window and in a stern voice told them 'stop doing that, its not your's to break, and if you do break it your mum will have to pay for it' to which the older one replied 'so what, i dont care' i then said 'dont talk to me like that' they both then ran inside...

5mins later their scary (i mean i was scared she'd break in and batter me) mum was stood in the garden shouting 'have you got a problem, you stupid cow?? If you've got a problem come and talk to me about it, dont shout at my boys' - I DID NOT shout at them!!!

Anyway, I'm a bit precious about the fence panels, Last winter about 8 of the panels blew down over the winter, all broken by her 2 boys!! so i tried to get her to go halves on replacing them this summer (seeing as the panels her boys broke i'd replaced only 18mths earlier) and got nothign, as her kids kept coming into my garden and breaking my DC's toys i ended up paying £250 to replace all the panels myself... Now she's thinking its right for her DC's to jump on them??? I mean WTF?? can she not teach her DC's to respect other peoples property, just becasue its in their garden doesn't mean they can jump on it!!!

so what i want to know is- was I being unreasonable in telling her DC's not to break my fence panel??

no of course you weren't.

God, it sounds as tho you've got the neighbours from hell. No, you weren't being unreasonable. Get DH to put that panel up ASAP so you're protected from the brats and their hellish mother...

and WTF was she doing letting her kids play with an AXE?

god knows... thats not really such a surprise any more!! in the summer they were out in the garden cutting all the nettle bushes down with what looked like an electric hedge trimmer!!! both kids alone!!!

I'm always astounded by how many Mners have absolute nutters for neighbours and it makes me so thankful for the ones I have.

No, YANBU. My head would have revolved 360 degrees and I probably would have started WW3. I congratulate you on how restrained you were.

I think i was only so restrained becasue i dont want her coming and battering me this evening!!! She's a very scary lady... police are alwasy back and forth to her house.... I'm currently trying to find out who her landlord is so i can contact him (as its rented privatley).... she's lived their for about 2years now and she's been nothing but trouble and has really damaged his property too!! I think if he found out she'd be kicked out straight away!!

YANBU at all. They sound a nice family!!! From now on collect and remove any panels asap (not you, DH]

I'm glad IANBU.... when she came outside shouting like that (i could hear every word through our double glazing that keeps most other noise out) i thought i might have been wrong to tell them off (if you can even call it that)

sound slike you need a more robust fence. why does it keep falling over?

YANBU, and the woman seems to have totally over-reacted. But, if something (ie fence panels) are precious to you, don't think I'd leave them in the neighbour's garden for a few days.

YABU and YANBU... the neighbours sound like utter nightmares but, given the fiasco last time, I would have fetched the fence panel from their garden as soon as it blew down.

YABU. ish.

Your fence panel has been sitting in your neighbours garden for a couple of days. If you want it kept safe get it moved. I'd be miffed if my neighbour left a blown over fence panel for a couple of days taking up room in my garden.

TBH, if the kids next door are slightly
unruly "rogueish" then leaving the panel there is just tempting fate.

agree with you Soupy - the neighbours sound awful, but you could have collected the fence panel sooner to prevent them damaging it again.

well given the fact that i'm pregnant i cannot collect the fence panel myself, The neighbour had propped it up so i gathered they were ok with it being there till DH could collect it, He's currently leaving home at 7.30am (still dark) and arriving home at after 7pm (already dark, and as he'd need to get it under her washing line to get it back into our garden its not possible to do it in the dark, DH will be collecting it on his next day off so he can do it in daylight. Also given the weather had been raining most days i didn't really expect her kids to be playing out so much...

YANBU - not at all!

Just in case this turns into a slanging match or something worse, have you thought about taking a picture of what the kids are doing? They are purposefully damaging the property, and even though their mother will probably try to deny it, photographic proof will help.

You were being perfectly reasonable, but sounds like a losing battle with your neighbour.