A few months ago a group of kids around my apartment complex, probably all less than 10 years old, got together and started playing football and soccer and other stuff on a small grassy area in front of my apartment. From my perspective, it amounts to several hours of shrieking every day, sometimes right next to my “office” window, but always very loud from any room in my apartment, which is a corner unit with windows facing basically in every direction. I’ve lived here for about 3 years and this is a new development. It’s pretty irritating…I’m sitting here wearing earplugs which fortunately eliminates the noise almost entirely, but I can’t always wear earplugs, especially if I have people over. If it sounds like no big deal, then I’m probably not explaining it well…just think of loud constant shrieking. And today a barking dog joined the mayhem. I’m sure once the time changes and there’s more daylight at night, it will be even worse.
So I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve been thinking of ways to stop them from using this ‘yard’ (really just a wide grass strip between the apartments and parking lot) as a playground. Awful things…grass covered ditches, scattered glass, nails, feces…and finally realized that a)stuff like that would have to be done with such frequency that it would surely be investigated and b)I don’t really want to hurt these kids (I guess).
I can’t imagine what recourse my apartment management would have. And I know for certain that the only parents I’m sure belong to at least one of these kids wouldn’t give a crap.
Get used to it. If even one of the kids belongs to a renter in your apartment complex, they have every reason to be there playing. Would you rather have them playing loudly in the apartment above you? Maybe in the street?
I may not be the best one to answer this (I’d likely just go out and play football and soccer), but I’ll take a stab. I think it’s refreshing that kids that age are outside playing instead of playing video games or rolling drunks. So first, no, you don’t “salt the earth”. Do they have anywhere else to play? Is there a playground nearby? Or a vacant lot? Maybe you could get involved in a project to clear an area that they could use. It’s something you could feel good about doing and it would keep them from adopting less benign ways to pass their time, so everyone could come out ahead.
Why not ask them to play elsewhere? Explain to them that their playing is noisy and how your office window is nearby. Suggest a different play area for them to go to. Ask them to go elsewhere, but give them a reason they can understand why you’re asking.
In addition to that, or if that fails, get their parents on your side. Be nice but firm.
Spreading unpleasant material on the ground only makes you look malicious and irrational.
Check your lease agreement or complex guidelines. The kids may not be able to use that “common area” as their playground. If it was not intended as a playground, there are liability issues to be addressed. If it is designated as a “common area” that does not necessarily mean that kids can have the run of it; there should be provisions for adult use as well (which would mean no more constant fooball games). And if the area is that small, there is a possibility of the kids causing property damage.
I agree that it is a good sign that the kids are outside playing instead of in front of the tv or computer, but there should be a designated area for the kids to play. I hate to sound like I am against kids playing in their own neighborhood, but the adults live there too. The kids should have their own area where they can be kids.
In the meantime, I would second the suggestion that you ask the kids to play elsewhere and explain the reasons.
As a confirmed grinch, I’m actually surprised at myself to find myself siding with the kids here. But, first thing you do is check with the manager. It may very well be that they don’t want the kids to play there and will stop it. If they don’t care, well, stock up on earplugs and start planning your move. Complaining about kids playing where they live is only going to get you a bad reputation and then you need to start planning a move anyway!
I absolutely agree with the sentiment that it’s good the kids are outside playing. The bad thing is the hours of constant shrieking and screaming. My experience with parents of annoying kids, which isn’t all that extensive, tells me that any attempt to get them on board with the idea that their precious angels might be annoying will be fruitless.
OK, let me mull some of this over:
Get used to it. Hmmm…doesn’t sound too sympathetic. And one of them already plays loudly in the room that shares a wall with my bedroom. I already have vays of dealing vit loud neighbors, so no prob there.
get involved in a project to clear an area that they could use. Sounds very United Way-ish, but I’m not really a ‘get involved in a project’ guy. However, there is an undeveloped lot next door they could play in, but a couple of them are probably too young to be straying that far from their parents’ sight. So a benign earth salting may still be on the table…if only to move them further away from my place.
Ask them to go elsewhere, but give them a reason they can understand why you’re asking. This is probably my best hope, but I’ve made attempts to speak to them before (hey, what’s up…who’s winning, etc.) and they don’t seem receptive to commentary.
Check your lease agreement or complex guidelines. I’ve been debating that, but I don’t want to be the complex curmudgeon. I guess.
stock up on earplugs and start planning your move. I am well stocked with earplugs and they work great, but I still hate taking them out after 2 hours only to find the screeching continuing unabated.
Anyway, thanks for the input…as one who is somewhat amoral, I like bouncing stuff like this off the boards to see where society stands. I’ll probably just stick with the earplugs for now and maybe some light earth-salting come spring.
I’m not a huge fan of children, to be frank. But darnit, playing is what kids DO. And although its been many years since I was a kid, I recall that it involves a lot of yelling and shrieking. I know, you wanted sympathetic advice, but I gotta say, the best thing to do is to try to find a place to live that isn’t close to children.
Okay, one more try, but this will only work if you’re the mad scientist type: develop a machine that uses an oscillator to perfectly cancel out their shrieks. Patent it. Sell it on Home Shopping Network and make a fortune. Foolproof.
I have no solutions for you. I just stopped by to offer my sympathy. See, I bought a house about six months ago… and right behind it, is a day care center!
I know all about screaming and shrieking children. There’s not much I can do; I knew about the day care when I bought the house.
Generally, I’m at work during the hours the day care is operating. My house is insulated well, so the dogs don’t hear the shrieking while they’re inside all day. (So no all-day barking.)
I did discover that the place seems to be an after-school kind of day care, and they’re not open in the summer time, so at least I get a break for a couple months out of the year.
I just try not to stay home sick or do any work that requires concentrating, during day care operation hours. Hey, there’s an elementary school at the end of the block and frankly, I’m more concerned about the precious little kiddes who vandalize my property on the way home from school. But that’s a whole 'nuther rant.
Pull up a lawn chair, bring a glass of lemonade, enjoy the outdoors, and scout for talent…
okay, maybe all except that last part…sorry, as a kid, I was “kicked out” of too many lots, yards, etc while trying to play ball, and could never quite figure out what some old bastard gave a shit about me and my friends trying to have fun while just being kids.
It’s a little involved, but trust me it will be worth it…
Allow/encourage large ivy growth to cover the exterior walls of your building.
Get an rickety old rocking chair that was once pristinely whitewashed, but is now weather beaten and rather worn. If you have a porch or balcony overlooking this play area put the chair out there. If not, put it next to the building in a spot that allows you to overlook this area.
Get a dirty old dress that is at least 40-50 years old from the local consignment shop. If you do not already have a long, stringy, unkenmpt mane of silver hair, go and get a wig of long grey hair and rub it in the dirt a little while.
Now begin hanging out staring at random children and muttering strange nonsense to yourself. Should any child approach you shriek like a banshee and wave a stick or bat at them. (Having some flashpots handy for timely explosions will help carry off this image).
You will either convince the children you are an evil witch who must be avoided at all costs or their parents that you are a threat to community safety and will be evicted. Either way you are sure to have the peace and quiet you long for.
I have a friend who lives directly across the street from a high school. As school rules prohibit smoking anywhere on school grounds, smoker kids would cross the street and hang out smoking on her sidewalk & front lawn. And leave a whole lot of cigarette butts and other trash around. As they were half her age and quite a bit bigger, and wore what she considered ‘gang-type’ clothing, she was a bit intimidated about trying to chase them away.
Here’s a solution that worked for her: she set up a lawn sprinkler covering her lawn and a bit of the sidewalk, with an automatic timer that turned it on at lunchtime & just after school let out. Kids soon went elsewhere to smoke, and because it was automatic, they never took any revenge on her at all.
You might try something like that to encourage these kids to play elsewhere.
Or go at it more directly: find another open area in the complex, and develop that into a more attractive playground. A properly laid out field, goals or goalposts, some benches to sit on, a water fountain – soon the kids would be playing there rather than outside your windows. It might cost a bit (tax deductible, probably), but how much is your peace & quiet worth. And with a little effort, you could probably get some local civic groups to help fund this. And then you’d be a hero to the local kids, rather than “the complex curmudgeon”.
I find it strange that you can describe the happy sounds of children playing as “shrieking” and “screeching.” I find it disturbing that you describe yourself as “amoral” and that you have given serious thought to destroying a **children’s playground ** for your own personal comfort. And I’m trying my hardest not to insult you, but it sounds like you might be lacking the interpersonal skills to handle this problem in any graceful way.
Why have you already assumed that the parents don’t give a damn about your situation? How do you know the kids wouldn’t be receptive to alternatives? You’ve said what’s up and they didn’t immediately respond to you. So? Kids don’t work that way–gotta put some time in. If they are going to compromise and cut down on their noise, what are you willing to give up? Is this going to be a negotiation or a set of demands on your part? Good luck.
Oh ho…I had a nearly identical experience. I had been living in a complex for 5 years when two things happened: the management tore up a small grassy area and built a gazebo/bbq thing right below my balcony, and a family with kids moved in. Within weeks, the area became a prime area for skateboarding and rollerblade activity. Prior to this, the complex had been blissfully quiet.
I was not the first, nor only tennant to complain about the noise, but the managment ignored our protests. In this case, there was a church across the street with a large grassy area and a parking lot to skate in, as well as a city playground kitty-corner to the apartment complex (right next to a police station–how safe is that?) So, there WAS a place to go ‘be a kid’ nearby, and not bother anyone.
My argument to the landlord was that noise is noise–it really wasn’t any different than someone cranking their stereo up and blasting all the neighbors. The concept of “peaceful enjoyment” to me, means that I can sit in my living room and read a book without having to listen to the other tennants. One of my favorite things to do on the weekend is having a couple of beers after a long bikeride, then taking a nap on the couch…the new ‘play area’ in the complex put an end to than. If I wanted peace and quiet, I actually had to go someplace else–it wasn’t available at home.
I solved the problem by moving…I saw the writing on the wall when other families with children began moving in.