Noisy children
Now normally I am extremely tolerant and a bit of noise doesn't bother me but OMG the children two doors down scream in their garden 12 hours a day. There are about 4 of them.
They sound like a happy family and their parents engage with them but it's incessant.
There is an enormous green outside the front of all the houses in the close that most of the other children play in safe from traffic or strangers if there is one adult about but they choose to scream in their back garden all day and all evening. It's got to the point where you simple cannot sit out there.
The 90 year old widow next to them has completely stopped sitting in her garden as she feels intimidated by it.
I've asked them politely if we can agree on a few child free hours so that we can all sit in our gardens in the evening and enjoy some peace but was basically told to mind my own business and we'll do what we like on our own property. I mentioned all the elderly and they said if they don't like it they can stay indoors.
So what is the next logical step without invoking neighbour wars becasue I expect to be able to sit outside at 8 o clock enjoying a glass of wine without listening to that day after day?
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It does indeed, but I am an impeccable neighbour who never makes excessive noise and although I am happy for the children to play out back all day and make a lot of noise I think it's not unreasonable to have 1 or 2 hours peace in the evening after 8 o clock.
These children are all under 8, why are they still outside screaming at 10 pm? Not unreasonable no?
No it is not acceptable for children to still be outside screaming at 10 p.m. Our neighbours boys are up at 8 a.m. over the weekend kicking a ball close to our bedroom window (sleep downstairs), but they go inside at about 5 p.m. and that is fine with us. Do the children go to school during the day Lou - if so that should give you a few hours of peace. We were all children once and although in my childhood my parents insisted that we never screamed or shouted & certainly not on a Sunday, we were lucky to be able to go off on adventures to the beach or in the fields nearby - I suspect these noisy children don't have that advantage of freedom to wander as we had in the safer past. However they will grow up in time and quieten down and isn't it better that they are having fun outside rather than sitting in front of their ipads or t.v.?
I'd contact the council Lou. It's the only option really. It's noise pollution. If you have a few other neighbours who feel the same as you and you think they might support you, try and get a few signatures and send a letter, including the fact that you've already asked nicely.
We have a similar situation here. There are some who can't seem to do anything unless it's at full volume for hours on end. My children were never allowed to scream and shout endlessly, and neither were my immediate neighbours' children. There's very little respect from the parents, which is the main problem.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Mine are grown up now too. I did not allow them to scream in the garden all day and most definitely not after 5pm out of respect for the other neighbours.
We went to the park, did craft projects and other things then a few hours in the garden doing what they liked.
This is a rural area and there is a large common play area outside the front which is great and nobody can hear kids in the front play area while all the neighbours are in their back gardens. So why they don't use the play area I don't know!
Unfortunately people have no manners now at all and don't care if they inconvenience their neighbours or not.
The brats down my way are left unsupervised to run amok up the street. Last year they threw concrete at my car and chipped the paint....had to go home an fetch their mothers!!!!!!! Forever coming in my garden touching and moving and breaking things so I took to squirting them with the hose When I caught them. One angry dad came to give me what's what and politely got told if his children didn't come into my property they wouldn't get wet. A couple of mums said sorry for their children and After about a month the invaders stopped. Yesterday they were congregating near my garden shouting "oi Mrs, your a right cow, all big fat and ugly" again had to go home to fetch their mothers. One little one shouted again this morning on his way to school " morning fat cow" his mother was two steps behind and said nothing, I saw red and shouted back hope they do eye tests at school today, but youre probably too thick to read anyway. Have a good day" they're all under 7 and so incredibly rude and never clap eyes on an adult supervising. Absolutely ridiculous, I understand your pain
Last edited: 13 May 2016 20:11:05
I can definitely sympathise with your problem. We had the same for 3 or 4 years. All through the summer in the garden of a house behind us there were children playing but one of them used to scream at the top of their voice all the time. High, piercing and actually uncomfortable. Thankfully they moved!.
Other than a complaint to the council there's little you can do.
I truly sympathize! Every time it's a lovely day here we've got to listen to the teenagers racing their dirt bikes up and down the field behind our back garden - All weekend long, they usually only stop for an hour to have dinner in the evening and then they're out again until about 10pm. We have to shut all the windows and doors and sit inside sweating ourselves to death.
Lou I would also say contact the council for advice. If you have spoken with the parents concerned and they do not see an issue then you'll be fighting a loosing battle. It is not unreasonable to ask for a couple of hours of quiet-ish time to enjoy being in your garden with a glass of wine!
I have a 7yr old little girl who is not allowd to run amok in the garden all hours, she must be quiet out there first thing (she's only allowed out after 8:30am) and she's in bed by 7pm! But on the rare occasions stays up late and is in the garden then she knows she must be fairly quiet. That is the way I was raised....
Respect does work on both sides, unfortunately a lot of people don't seem to get it these days
Last edited: 14 May 2016 08:55:42
It's tough when lots of people have to live together in the same space I suppose, I think humans are really quite solitary on the whole.
I do think it's a shame when you go and speak to the parents and ensure that you are not being angry, unreasonable and are smiling and just asking for a very small thing and they tell you to get stuffed - what a great example for the kids.
I don't think I'll report them, I don't want to spoil their childhood, I'll do voodoo on them instead, watch out kids :-)