Noisy kids after dark

Lilyflower, are you for real?!

I love to hear children in the school playground. I can stand any noise as long as it's a happy noise.

Love to hear our git e guest's children playing around our swimming pool.

maryeliza I tend to come inside when it goes dark, so can’t answer that, but in the interest of fairness I will take a glass of wine outside tonight, wrap up warm and sit and drink it in the glomming.

Exactly that maryeliza! They cost a fortune!

Oohhh a double glazed garden then?

I think that you and I must have the same children living near us Anja. The children that live near me play out on our street, sometimes until late in the summer months, but always indoors by the time it's going dark. Sure, one or two of them are a bit noisy sometimes but, generally speaking, they're fine and I do like to hear them playing. If you take the time to actually speak to them, you generally find that they're polite and friendly and quite willing to climb up and reach the boughs of the climbing roses that I can't reach!

I'd far rather hear children playing noisily than listen to dogs barking at every one that walks past.

With regards to screaming, I was told by my Mum and repeated to my own girls that they should only scream if they were in serious danger, so we knew they needed help. We used the 'Boy who cried wolf' story to explain that if they screamed unnecessarily while playing, eventually we would stop responding and, heaven forbid, if they really needed help we wouldn't come.
It only took once or twice for them to scream and us to rush out shouting 'Are you being murdered?' for them to get the message. If only all children could be taught this.

Perhaps my double glazing is effective ?

Yes, aren’t we lucky.

Then the children in your road are well behaved- bully for you Anja

But when they are screaming then it’s a problem - thats my point. They do not have an unfettered right to scream/screech.

Children playing out don’t necessarily equate with ‘screaming’. We are lucky to have a big green in our road and children play out there. Very rarely hear them at all.

I believe quite firmly that I have rights - rights to enjoy sitting in my garden on a summer evening with a glass of wine at 9pm without feral children screaming in the street. I don’t have the right to peace and quiet all day but there are limits and this is one of them.

We always used to play out and so did my own children. Quiet streets, very little traffic. They had to be in at a reasonable time on school nights but weekends would play out until it got dark and often us mums, and sometimes older neighbours would come out too and stand and chat to each other before fetching them inside.

Goodness, a bit harsh I think! I agree that some parents find it hard to discipline their children, but I think calling the police over a few children making a noise is totally over the top!

10p.m. is far too late for children you be out on a school night. Many posters are indulging in fantasy delight at the noise of children playing where they would be horrified at the prospect of it happening to them.

My DH and I were walking around of the grounds of our local National Trust property today and noted, what we have seen much of recently, children behaving riotously and parents indulging them instead of rebuking them or teaching them to exercise restraint in public.

Liberal parenting has been a disaster for society and the children themselves. Their silly parents have made them unemployable and the poor kids will have to suffer the ill effects of being thoroughly spoilt.

As for the nuisance of kids out until all hours, call the environmental health people and, if you really want to ramp things up, social services and the police.

There’s a big difference between hearing children during school times and daytimes in the Park - it’s quite another to have screeching and screaming at 9.30 at night when it’s been going on for hours, day after day after day.

We overlook a beautiful park with a children's playground and we have a large primary school a few doors down at the back of our house, so sometimes we are surrounded by the sound of children playing. I am a retired primary school teacher and I like the sound. If I am in my garden, I smile when the school bell is rung and it all goes quiet - perhaps because I don't have to go and teach a lesson anymore

Children don't tend to play out on our road much as it's sometimes busy and not very suitable. However, quite a few children and their parents pass our house, on their way to the nearby school, and I love to hear the scraps of conversation as they go by and see them clutching something they have made or written.

You are lucky it is outside and children Pity those that live near students and have to put up with screaming and loud music alot of the time Please give me playing children any day

Anyone else old enough to remember playing out until Mum or Dad called "Dick Barton" to have us running indoors to the radio.

When children were at primary never saw them during the day as they would be in the woods beside us with friends. Used to just run back to house for toilet and food usually grabbing a sandwich and apple. In house by 8 pm or a friends house after teatime but home by 9pm. Now live again by a wood with a stream. Do kids play there, no. The parents are mortified when I suggest this to them. What about all the 'strange' folk who could abduct or molest them. I keep saying if there is a group say 3 or 4 of them ut would be unlikely and most tragedies with children happen with people they know. Deaf ears! We have an open grassy area in the middle with houses surrounding. There are legal restrictions declaring No Ball games allowed. Anyone with an ounce of sense can see why. Planting can be destroyed, we all have to pay for replacement, balls hit garden fences, houses, go into gardens and there is a road alongside so kids just run out to retrieve a ball. Supposed to be 20 mph but the majority exceed this. Do parents prevent children playing with balls, NO. They'd rather annoy those who live round the area and run the risk of their child being hit by a car. Don't mind noise from kids but do think parents have a responsibility to consider others regarding nuisance from kids. Sorry this is such a rant but the total disregard of the legal conditions really annoys me. Some householders moved near the grassed area as the exemptions existed giving them peace of mind there would be no issue regarding balls.

I agree about the importance of routine and bedtime stories, but surely, routine can be suspended for those few hot summer holiday evenings! Nothing lovelier than being outdoors, and coming home, tired, and smelling of sunshine!

In our street and driving round the town I have never seen youngish children playing out. Our local paper had an article some years ago now about the police being called out to a young boy on a bike going round and round a local roundabout and causing traffic chaos. With our heavy S E traffic I don't think children are allowed to play out.

I clearly remember that my sisters and I had to go to bed while other children were still out playing in the field behind out house. I don't remember resenting this, perhaps because we appreciated having parents who gave us a regular routine and read us bedtime stories.

I agree with most who like to hear children playing. However, as an ex teacher I know that many children go to bed far too late and are so tired at school and unable to give their best. I let my children play outside and extended the time during the holidays but not when it was dark. I also asked my children not to scream too loudly as it was disrespectful of other people living nearby. A good life lesson. Someone talked about boundaries and it seems that some children have no boundaries at all. i don't think you are being unreasonable.