Hi everyone,
New to the board and looking for some advice. We moved into our new house last August, and lots of the neighbours came out and said 'welcome to our lovely quiet little close', because up untl that point, it was. However, a family moved in across the road who had come from a completely different area. Their son who is 10 started making friends with lots of the local kids (no issue with that), and slowly but surely they all started coming into the close to play. Again, no issue with that.
However, with most of them being boys, they started playing football. What started as just a kick about quickly progressed to a full on tournament. Them playing a bit of football wasn't necessarily an issue, but when they started getting more and more full on, it progressed to every house becoming part of their pitch. Windows, cars, running all over gardens (not one of them knocks to ask, they just help themselves). Their parents are just happy to have them outside. I am happy seeing kids playing too, but they were getting silly, so I went out to have a word with them about being careful. Nothing changed. I asked again and spoke to them about them having some respect about other people's property, but nothing changed. Then more and more kids come into the street. Only two of them actually live in the street. It's a tiny close. More football, more mayhem. When you have 15-20 kids all battering your street it does start to grind. I've been nice, I've had to shout, and I spent the other day outside for 15 minutes talking to them about damage they could cause, being respectful of other people's houses and cars, that it could them to get hurt as it's a busy estate. I thought I'd finally got through to them (tried speaking to the parents, they just don't care). Now (and most definitely encouraged from their parents), they are calling friends of freinds or freinds and yesterday we had a whole street of kids.
There is a park 30 seconds away, but they say they find it boring, or there are other older kids there. I ask why can't one of your parents take you then, no answer. I asked one why don't you ask your mum if you can play outside your house with all of these other children. He said 50/50 if she would say yes. One said 'my mum said I can do what I like', so I asked if she was happy getting a bill for damages when this happens. Why can't they play in their own streets? Because their parents seem to find it amusing to crank it up here and cause as many issues as possible. The football continues, the kids are growing in numbers. It's only a matter of time before one of them gets hurt, but no matter what you say (and I spent an age with them talking), they just don't care.
I'm not trying to spoil their fun, it's good to have kids playing out. But when they do it in numbers just to wind us up, it shows the mentality of these parents who just want the kids out of the house, not in their hair, and not in their gardens. We have to take it instead. Any advice? Sorry for the long post.....