Am I being a bad neighbor

[dmclone]

I don't have kids so I need a little guidance.

I have a neighbor that has two kids. I would guess that they are around 10 and 13. Every second of every day they are outside and I never see their parents. We live on a corner lot so they are always playing and running through my lot. This itself isn't a big deal but they are constantly screaming. I have to be up at 5am during the week so I'm usually in bed around 9pm. Last night from 9-9:30 all I heard was these kids running around my house screaming. Finally I went outside and asked them if they had a home and to get off my lawn.

Any ideas?

Should I call their parents at 5am in the morning to let the know what it's like to not be able to sleep?

Set up booby traps in the yard?

Is it normal for a 10 year old to be out running around at 9:30 at night?

Am I the grumpy old man in the neighborhood?

 

[Cyclonepride]

At my old house, we had some kids like this, except ranging from about 4 to 11 in age. Or rather, I should say parents like this. The kids will naturally do what they are allowed to do. I wouldn't hold any ill will towards them, but the parents are deserving of a little conversation. Some people seem to turn their kids loose just to get them out of the house, and seemingly have no idea where they are. Incidently, my house over there is for sale and vacant, and the other neighbor kids saw them go inside through a door that a realtor evidently forgot to lock. Those neighbors came over to my new house and told me about it. So there are some good, well trained kids left out there.

 

[Bubbahotep]

you get 8 hours of sleep?

 

[egami]

That's nothing, in about 5 years you're going to be picking up beer cans and cleaning up puke from your lawn.

 

[IcSyU]

Land mines should fix the issue. :yes:

Just call the parents and give them a heads up. If the problem doesn't fix itself, make a home visit to talk to them face to face then.

 

[dmclone]

Not trying to stereotype but the next time I move I'm going to live next door to an Asian family. We have three Asian families in the neighborhood and their kids are so well behaved.

I assume stereotyping is fine when I say something nice?

 

[dosry5]

I hate having to talk to neighbors about problems.....but this one should be easy enough. I'd just tell the parents that you are up at 5am and ask if there is anyway you could get them to keep their kids from being on your property in the evenings as you go to bed early. After that, if it's a problem, you escalate.

 

[balken]

I would bring in the A-team.

 

[dosry5]

I would bring in the A-team.

They love it when a plan comes together.

 

[mj4cy]

get a mean dog

 

[CycloneErik]

Are these Stewo's parents? That might explain some other recent discussions?

 

[egami]

Are these Stewo's parents? That might explain some other recent discussions?

Dude, like Stewo has parents...

 

[puckwarrior]

I am guessing that they figure nobody would be going to bed at 9:00 pm and having the kids run around outside is better than in the house. Let them know your sleeping habits and if they are decent people that should help.

 

[dmclone]

I am guessing that they figure nobody would be going to bed at 9:00 pm and having the kids run around outside is better than in the house. Let them know your sleeping habits and if they are decent people that should help.

Yes, that's what I'll have to do. I think it will probably get better once school starts next week.

I just can't believe that people have kids and then never spend any time with them. If the parents were ever outside with them it would be a different story.

 

[clones26]

You can move next to us...my wife is so worried about the neighbors that she doesnt like me to mow the lawn or run a table saw in the garage after 9 in case their kids are in bed...let alone the parents

 

[dosry5]

You can move next to us...my wife is so worried about the neighbors that she doesnt like me to mow the lawn or run a table saw in the garage after 9 in case their kids are in bed...let alone the parents

I agree with her about that, at least on the mow the lawn after 9 thing. I had a neighbor who used to do that. Told him I get up at 5 each day and he said sorry, but it's the only time he can mow (couldn't miss TV shows I guess, cause he was home all evening). I mowed my lawn the next Saturday at 5am. Never had another problem with it.

 

[TheCaptain]

I had the same problem a few years ago and put 100 watt bulbs in my motion sensing back yard spotlight thing. I made sure it was on and it only took once for them to run through to get the idea.

I had a friend tell me he had to call the cops on the kids in his neighborhood for screaming.They eventually got tickets for screaming over the allowed noise decibal level. Or so he says.

Best bet is to talk to the parents first.

 

[CycloneErik]

Dude, like Stewo has parents...

Just because they don't admit it doesn't mean they aren't real.

 

[egami]

Just because they don't admit it doesn't mean they aren't real.

It wasn't them being real I was struggling with. I thought Stewo was a message board virus.

 

[CycloneErik]

It wasn't them being real I was struggling with. I thought Stewo was a message board virus.

I've met him. He's a real life virus.