to applaud DH for threatening to break legs of little hoodies.......

[loflo]

Driving home tonight with DH and DS and our local gang of wee knobs hardmen are throwing stones at moving cars. Clever boys that they are.

DH goes to turn our car and they do it again - so DH marches over and says in no uncertain terms that if they do it again he won't mess about it.

I have no problem at all with kids being out playing - I lived two minutes away from our current house when I grew up (and dinosaurs roamed) and we all played outside. But FFS DS is 5 and knows that throwing stones at cars is v wrong and these "young men" are at a guess 9 or 10.

Just waiting to wake up tomorrow morning to a horses head in my bed with a warning.....

LOL

That sounds like the beginning of a popular hit parade music song

YANBU

YABU. Yes they were wrong throwing stones at cars. But threatening to break thier legs is not acceptabe.

all counts on statistics though, government love statistics

hehe at biker gangs. would give them someone to fight with though.

Aye the wee buggers on their bmx's could challenge the big biker men. Would pay money to watch them pedal home as fast as their little legs could carry them.

Pah to statistics. I spent a very useful term studying how stars are easily corrupted during my A level sociology course and have never trusted them since.

Loflo reports a crime (youths dangerously throwing stones at moving cars.) The police fine someone for speeding caught via a speed camera. A crime is solved and thus Lofts crime is wiped out. Isn't that how the (very mulipavated) stats work?

I have every sympathy with your situation as I've also had the misfortune to had stones thron at the vehicle I was in, but your DH countering one criminal offence with another makes him a thug too and sets the example that this behaviour is acceptable, so it won't be long until they're threatening to break legs as well.

No, the police don't do as they often should, but if no-one bothers reporting the crime, then no wonder they assume there isn't an ongoing problem.

no but statistics = money

Your husband sounds lovely wanting to protect you and yours. I think that the people who don't agree are probably people who have not experienced this problem. What was he expected to do, get out of the car and just walk in the house and ignore it. It is demeaning to expect adults to be treated like this and then just constantly turn the other cheek.

they want a good kick up the bum ive just had a few hoodys chuck eggs at my windows

Not sure if YABU or not, it must be horrible to be living with this antisocial behaviour. I'm not surprised your DH was so angry.

From my own professional experience (work in crime analysis), it is worth reporting this behaviour to the police every time it happens. You might think you're wasting their time and it is probably true that they won't be able to do anything about that particular incident, but the more complaints and information they get from an area the more likely it is that they will have to at least attempt to do something about it in the medium to long term. If they don't have all the info, they won't have anything to act upon. Get the name of your local community beat officer and email or phone him/her. They will have more of a vested interest in your particular area.

And writing to the Chief Constable (after repeated problems with no satisfactory response) always stirs things up a bit!

I think you should report them to the police no matter what, we have a community policeman out with a speed gun on a road that people speed along locally purely because a few of us moaned wrote weekly to the local station.
The thing is a stone thrown at a windscreen could cause a death, it's a bloody serious matter.

I sympathise entirely with the OP and all those who say he shouldn't have responded the way he did are talking out of their backsides. It was a THREAT and I'm sure that as a reasonable parent he wouldn't have carried it out. I'll get slated for this but 20 odd years ago our estate was terrorised by a certain family. Vandalism, bullying stealing-we had the lot. One day my 6 year old son came home crying because one of these kids (aged 10) had stolen his bike from outside his aunts house and hit him. When I confronted the little darling he (& his older brother) cheerfully admitted what they'd done and threatened me with a screwdriver. I promptly disarmed him (with a gentle slap) and sent him home. However, I had an attack of conscience (because of the slap) so went to his house to inform his parents of the situation and admit what I'd done. I was confronted by his 'father' weilding a huge hammer and told in no uncertain terms to f**K off his property or else. I did-after telling him where to send the police if he so wished. The police duly arrived. I confirmed I'd slapped the boy (although there was no physical evidence) and if the parents wanted an apology they'd have a long wait in hell considering what we'd recently gone through. There was no further action. I appreciate times have changed somewhat but does anyone else think that kids like this may have a sneaking respect for people who they think may strike back because its what they're used to. .

YABU and insulting someone else also makes you unreasonable. Why bring someone else ie Soupy into things? She made a valid comment on what you asked just like others have done, there was no reason or need to bring her children's teeth into it. Are you insane or just trying to get everyone to agree with you? Wrong topic if you wanted that love tbh.

Just because people don't agree that your husband is the next saviour doesn't mean they're wrong.... If I saw a grown man threatening 9 year olds with violence I'd be disgusted and would call the police about him nevermind the children. Yes they were wrong throwing stones but what does this teach them or your child?? That violence is acceptable and the way to solve problems, that's what it teaches them. Golf clap.

Sorry-apart from the obvious (wanting to knock them out . What does the cost of teeth have to do with this or have I missed something . Teeth? get it? Probably not.

So what should the OP and her DH do to acheive a reasonable quality of life now, not in four years time when the police have gathered enough evidence to take action?

You may be disgusted if you saw a 9yr old threatened with violence but that would be because you werent aware of the whole story and you would presume the 9yr old was innocent of any wrong doing.

Which would be wrong

Actually JodieO if you had read the whole post you would know why soupy was brought into things. She suggested my husband was a tosser (and it's only me who can call him that sometimes), which was irrelevant to the point being raised. Move along now there's a dear.

YANBU
The OP's Dh was wrong to threaten the kids with violence only on the basis that you shouldn't use threats unless you are prepared to put them into practice!

Loflo I read your post, you're very patronising aren't you? Do you expect people to just agree with you? Lmao. Grow up "dear". Great example you're setting to your child, I wonder what he'll do when he's older, will he act as he's been shown by his father? Children learn from their parents or care givers and I wouldn't want mine learning that violence towards anyone, let alone those younger and smaller than yourself, is ok. If you find that acceptable then that's your lookout but I don't.

Also, Soupy mentioning your husband (the one you speak about in your post so it is relevant) has nothing to do with her children, regardless of what she said.

Well you could try speaking to them nicely. And yes I know that sounds absurd, but you know what, it can have an effect.Because they may well be prefectly ordinaruy boys carried away with the situation, they may see all adults as the enemy and treating them like fellow human beings might surprise them into doing what you want. Who knows. What have you got to lose? When I go running and come across a bunch of lary looking lads more often than not they politely get out of the way, or make a few harmless 'funny' comments. But if they don't I just say excuse me, or something equally inoccuous, no side, no angry voice, and they do. And then I say thanks.

And I would never offer violence to anyone.

But I do sympathise. I really do. I don't live in a 'nice' area. Ask Peachy

I can tell from your phrasing where you live and my db lives there too(well not the exact town but ykwim)and he has similar with local kids around his house but can do nothing and it drives him nuts.Breaking legs not a good idea but nothing wrong with saying your bit to these little boys and letting them know you have your eye on them and may take it further.

why on earth would someone feel it necessary to threaten to assault a child? if the children are faced with such abuse from most people they meet it is no wonder they throw stones.

how about marching teh children home and threateneing to break the legs of their parents if they don't step up.

How about those parents actually do break the legs of the OPs DH?

Some people have no idea