To take a picture of a young sh*t throwing a snowball at my car ...

[Bumblelion]

To get things straight first, yesterday, I went to the park with my children and their friends (ranging from 16 to 7) and had a great time sledging down the hill on a sledge and rubble bags (they are fantastic, especially if coated with cooking oil - super speedy).

One thing I do not like is young children (well, boys of about 13-16) throwing snow balls at my car. We all know that tightly compacted snowballs can feel like hard ice and can hurt as much.

Today when driving some young lads threw a snowball at my car. Luckily my window was shut (about two years ago I had my window open and the snowball came in and it bloody hurt when it hit the side of my face). I drove round the green where the boys were (not on purpose, I had to drive that way to get back on my normal road), I then pulled over, put on my hazard lights, got out of my car and started taking photos (zoomed in) on my camera. I felt a bit like a teenager taking those horrible pictures when something bad happens (a child gets beaten up by another child, say) but I wanted to 'scare' these kids (and, yes, they were kids - although my younger two are younger than they were).

I hope I scared them (not because I am bully) because they turned their backs and then started running across the other side of the green.

I feel a bit of a bully but they need to realise that snow balls can cause serious damage.

It put a bit of a downer on yesterday when we were at the park and, yes, sometimes it got a bit lairy with everyone going down the hill at the same time from opposite sides but everyone was in good spirits and were all friendly to each other.

I'm not the OP but I posted that the saw the same thing happening on my way home from work.
It's a very wrong world if children causing criminal damage have more rights than their victims.

Good on you, bumblelion. I never thought of taking photos.

I had a snowball lobbed at my windscreen as I was driving alone in my car along a residential road. I had a big fright but could not see the culprits - they must have been hiding behind some parked cars. So I stopped the car, wound down the window and yelled at the top of my voice "will you not do that PLEASE" before driving off. Might bring some curtain twitchers to their windows to shame them.

I don't agree it is just high jinx. It is bloody dangerous and they need to be pulled up on it.

You were right to take photographs of them.
They do it 'cos they fink they got rights innit.'

There are cameras on buses and cctv in many places to prevent and record anti-social behaviour. If you're worried take the camera to a police station and inform them that you thought that the snowball 'might' have contained a stone and that you've no intention of storing the photos. Then the police are already aware of your actions.

No objection to snowball fights amongst friends but throwing snowballs at vehicles is stupidly dangerous.
They have to learn that there are consequences to their actions.

Wasn't there a case in the news this week about some teenagers doing this and a man getting out of the car with a knife? They'll think about doing that again.

YANBU.

Where does it stop though? A snowball is a snowball, but recently, someone in my town was seriously injured when a lad threw a rock at his car as he was driving past.

As someone who has had snow/ice balls hit them whilst riding a motorbike YANBU I also don't think the police would have a problem with photo's being taken. We live in a world where our actions are constantly being recorded every time we go to the corner shops.

I think the police would prefer that a photo was taken than a torrent of abuse given.

I don't think these kids will retaliate by doing it even more - as someone who has spent a lot of time working with so called "bad / problem" teens they are far more likely to keep their heads down for a few days and wonder if the photos have been given to the police.

I think it was a very effective deterent.