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So, my neighbors appear to be quite social. They invite lots of people over every Friday night, and turn the kids loose in the street. Most Friday nights there are between 6 and 12 kids running around unsupervised. They litter and trash the community property. They play baseball in the cul-de-sac - complete with batting order, bases, and matching logo teamwear. Sometimes they even bring in pop up tents for a break station. Last Friday, I chased them out of our yard - one was attacking our rose plants with his baseball bat, another was picking at our flowers that weren't quite ready to bloom. I chased them out, a few hours later they were back in the yard again trampleing our bushes.
The baseball games are annoying - with players scattered all over the cul-de-sac, it's not easy for me to come and go with my car, and they're not keen on stopping the game to allow me to come and go. And when I come and go with my 2 year old daughter they don't stop at all and I worry about baseballs or flying bats (they like to throw them across the cul de sac) causing injury.
Other weeks I've watched them chase after the rabbits that live in bushes with BB guns and try to shoot them to see what would happen.
I don't know...I don't mind kids being kids, but it just seems like what I've described above is in excess to what one should expect from kids. Do you agree?
I've picked up after the kids and left their stuff on their driveway. I've returned the BB gun to the parents (the kids left it out near our house) and asked them not to play with it in the cul de sac. And last Friday I asked the parents to keep the kids out of our landscaping, but I feel like I'm having to be the parent and tell them each and every thing they can and cannot do.
I also would have kept the bb gun. I'm with you that its above kids just being kids.. they are being rude, selfish and dangerous. Once you spoken to the parents if the were to come to my yard again or play with the BB gun I would call the police.
You are doing the right thing. I would let the parents know that you do not mind them playing in the culde sac but when they go through your yard and landscape that this is not right and that the parents can replace the landscaping. They can also replace the windows if bb happen to hit the window and it breaks. Are the parents even outside with them?
Anytime they leave their things laying around in your yard if it does not stop you could always keep the items and not return them maybe the parents will then stop when they have to start paying for new toys.
They agreed to talk to their kids, which they did, but they didn't supervise the kids so there wasn't anyone to enforce the rules.
I found two balls in our front yard, and a third in a neigbhor's, so I guess they got the point. I don't know how long it will last-especially Friday night when 9 of their buddies all want to get their ball back.
In many states, kids under 16 can't shoot BB guns without parental (or other adult) supervision. I don't let my responsible 12-year-old shoot in our backyard unless I'm able to keep an eye on him, solely because of this law; we're surrounded by trees and have no neighbors on either side, and he's only allowed to use it in the backyard when DH or I are home and able to look out periodically. If these kids are not being watched with the BB guns, then I'd warn the parents once, then call the police the next time it happened. They're young and obviously not able to handle themselves responsibly yet; what happens when they aren't looking and your daughter or cat or dog is outside while they're swinging them around?
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