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Sunny, I totally agree. I just think having kids play in the street is asking for trouble. No one plans on vehicular homicide... but it does happen. It could ruin a lot of lives ... fast. And the whole thing could be avoided if the kids stayed on their lawns.
Were some of you never kids yourselves?
We played in the neighborhood cul-de-sacs when we were kids and never had a problem with it. And some houses had basketball hoops where you shot from the neighborhood streets. And we rode bicycles without helmets...and had monkey bars and merry-go-rounds on asphalt playgrounds.
Kids should play in the park. Not in the streets. It does not matter if we are talking about a culdesac, it is still the street and some people don't like to have a wild pack of kids screaming in front of their homes. I would've call the cops too.
Kids playing outside with chalk and having fun - tell me it isn't so...
If she doesn't want neighborhood kids playing outside and making what i will assume is normal kids noise then she should have moved into a 55+over gated community where kids are banished.
I will also agree with what the police said.
In regards to what the HOA said, that response will vary by HOA - I know some HOA's that want to control everything within their borders, including the streets and all public spaces. It just depends on how militant the HOA board is.
It sounds like the HOA is passing the buck to the county and the police are saying there is no law being broken and the HOA will have to resolve any disputes for these activities.
It sounds like the angry homeowner is the only one in danger of breaking a law with her language in front of minors. Check with the local law enforcement and determine what the local standard is in regard to obscenity laws and if she is breaking the law by her use of profanity in front of and directed towards the children. If it is in violation of community standards and is an actionable offense, then keep some video cameras handy and when she starts up tape the incident. You can present the tapes as evidence to the cops when she calls and see where things flow from there.
It is not feasible to keep the kids out of the cul-de-sac indefinitely. You should also be aware that if the kids do damage her vehicle during the course of playing, the parents of the children responsible for the damage are generally held financially liable. If she has a video camera handy, you could be on the receiving end of a lawsuit as well.
As long as there is no property damage and noise levels are below code limits, it sounds as if the kids are free to play as they wish without consequence (traffic incidents notwithstanding)
All for kids playing outside...and personally think skinned knees from asphalt were awesome and miss the days when kids played outside alone until it was time to eat dinner ( I think a lot of life lessons are being robbed because of helicopter parents)...but I don't understand playing in the street in front of a culdesac when there are perfectly nice yards, woods and parks where free-range kids could play.
And why make them play in front of the house belonging to the one neighbor who gets mad... can't they play in front of one of their own yards?
All for kids playing outside...and personally think skinned knees from asphalt were awesome and miss the days when kids played outside alone until it was time to eat dinner ( I think a lot of life lessons are being robbed because of helicopter parents)...but I don't understand playing in the street in front of a culdesac when there are perfectly nice yards, woods and parks where free-range kids could play.
And why make them play in front of the house belonging to the one neighbor who gets mad... can't they play in front of one of their own yards?
Love that reference to the days of skinned knees
There are reasons for playing in the cul de sac instead of the yard. You can't ride your bike in the yard - the asphalt makes a better surface for that. Also, like I said before, many times there are games of street hockey going on - you can't do that in a yard either. Some games and activities are just not suited for grass or narrow driveways.
All for kids playing outside...and personally think skinned knees from asphalt were awesome and miss the days when kids played outside alone until it was time to eat dinner ( I think a lot of life lessons are being robbed because of helicopter parents)...but I don't understand playing in the street in front of a culdesac when there are perfectly nice yards, woods and parks where free-range kids could play.
And why make them play in front of the house belonging to the one neighbor who gets mad... can't they play in front of one of their own yards?
Where did you play? You can't skin your knee on a lawn, nor can you ride a bike, rollerblade, skateboare, etc. This is what a street in a cul-de sac is for. As for traffic, the only cars coming into the cul-de sac should be the residents or their guests. They know to be careful.
Been there done that. Here is how I handled it. Tried, tried and tried some more to politely handle it. Brought gifts for the kids, talked to the mom, hinted, etc.. Nothing changed, it got worse. Family had 7 kids and their kids all had friends. My front yard turned into a daycare. It got so loud and insane I could not take. So my polite gestures turned to demands, though polite. When it stil got worse, screaming kids, throwing rocks, playing music, leaving bikes in my driveway and so on, I invested in two things. 1. A good attorney 2. Under his advise a quality video camera.
3 months later and my being awarded a $22,000 suit, they sold the home and moved. I refused their money with the exception of my $1800 attorney fees. I made them pay this and agree to leave. Left it at that.
Get the idea? Document, film, document and more. Call the police and have them document it too. Then go to court and sue them. They will stop, trust me!
Where did you play? You can't skin your knee on a lawn, nor can you ride a bike, rollerblade, skateboare, etc. This is what a street in a cul-de sac is for. As for traffic, the only cars coming into the cul-de sac should be the residents or their guests. They know to be careful.
Back in my day....playgrounds were asphalt and parks had areas for roller skating and bike riding. We didn't play in the streets. Hopscotch was usually on our parents driveways etc. Please believe me... I am all for kids being outside instead of just on computers. But my brother is 10 years older than me and when he was a kid WAS hit by a car playing in the street. He was very badly hurt, and very lucky to have survived.
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