Well, it’s come to this. We’re going to have to be the mean, scary neighbors who hate kids. Why? Because we don’t have any and because we’re about to complain to the people next door about theirs.
These two kids - who are young, and mean nothing malicious - have been playing all over our yard. We’ve had to talk to them about hanging on the clothesline, kicking the garage door, mashing down the bushes (which aren’t ours, they’re the neighbor’s on the other side, but they’re right by our driveway), and now this. They’ve bene drawing with sidewalk chalk, first on our front porch, and now on the side of the house.
They also dragged a fallen tree limb from elsewhere into our yard and left it there (along with one from my tree) and now have dragged off both of the limbs to points unknown. I don’t want other peoples’ tree droppings in my yard, and they don’t want mine in theirs.
So now, because their parents don’t seem to have a problem with their kids wandering all over another person’s yard and messing with another person’s stuff, we get to go next door and be the bad guys. Hooray. Never mind that I’m already paranoid about one of those kids falling off of my clothesline and hurting themselves and me suddenly having a lawsuit on my hands. No, we still become “those people who hate children.”
Well, that truly sucks. I feel your pain. Though I wonder if you’d still be legally responsible for the kids’ hurting themselves on the clothesline if you had made every effort to warn the parents to keep the kids off your property. If they give you a bunch of crap, or the behavior doesn’t stop after you ask nicely, it might not hurt to ask an attorney. Sometimes letters sent on official legal letterhead can work wonders on recalcitrant neighbors. (And slumlords who are trying to screw you out of your security deposit…but I digress.)
Don’t sweat it, Lego, you have a legitmate right to expect your neighbours to control their kids so your property isn’t being damaged. Also, considering how sue-happy this country is, you’re not being paranoid about not wanting their kids to injure themselves on your property.
If a friendly chat with the parents doesn’t do the trick, you can always go for the barbed wire fence (electrocution optional).*
*[sub]For the humour-impaired: that was a joke[/sub]
Video tape them. I’m serious. It’s the only thing that finally worked for us. Get several instances on video, and get yourself on video a few times having happy, smiling “No no, you little darlings” conversations with them, complete with high fives and a happy little wave at the end.
Then have your conversation with their parents. If they give you the standard “My child would NEVER do something like that!” in reply, hand over the video without a word and walk away.
Lego, I’ve GOT kids and I feel your pain. This is your home and yard. You’re obviously a caring neighbor, and a good neighbor since you show concern for these kids and their welfare more than you do for the garbage, chalk, etc.
The videotaping sounds great to me, except that you are taking videotapes of minors who are not your kids. Lawsuit city. This is going to sound REALLY corny, but my mother instilled this in me and it actually works now and then.
Go over with a nice plate of cookies and sit down and talk to both parents. Explain your concerns about the kids’s safety as well as the privacy and damage issues. While it’s lovely let kids have free roam of the neighborhood, that roaming comes with the necessity to teach your kids common respect for others and their propery. Perhaps you’d remind them that while their kids are still welcome to go scampering through your yard ( if that is the case…), that priveledge will cease if they cannot stop damaging your property, AND doing things on your land that endanger themselves.
Perhaps if the slant is heavily towards the kids’ safety, the parents may see the light. I’d hate to see a fence get built when a relationship might get mended.
And, love the image of the swing set in the living room.
I think I’d get ready to build a fence. I’m sure that the parents will do the best they can once you let them know what’s going on. But once they tell the kids that they can’t get on your property, that will just make the kids want to do it that much worse. Maybe head to your local hardware store and get some of that small border fencing, if a regular fence is too expensive at this time, and at least give them boundaries. Good luck!
