Noisy children.

I know exactly how you feel annsixty.
We have a family who moved into the close last year and the girl of around 6/7 shouts and screams whenever she is in the garden,yet her brother is not ast all loud ,i understand children make a noise,but the bawling and shouting is damn annoying,and spoils our sitting in the garden with a cup of tea.
I could take a bet that where they moved from are jumping for joy.

Yes children can be noisy; and this is much better than anti social adult behaviour bad enough to warrant intervention by the authorities!

However, I still believe all children should be taught to be considerate of others. Perhaps you could have a quiet - non-complaining - word with their parents explaining how it affects you , and that you sometimes need to have some quiet time. Negotiate if possible.

an sixty I think your senses are heightened now after a long period of Lockdown and winter with peace and quiet. Easter holidays and improvement of weather has now given the children more freedom. I do think kicking the fence is definitely something you could have a word about.

You have my sympathy annsixty. I'm surprised how many here think that all day screaming and ball kicking is OK. My particular gripe is radios being played loudly outside, usually by workmen, especially irritating as you can hear a lot of bass noise.

Yes I love hearing children laughing and playing, but we have a family up the road as soon as there children come out that’s the end of hearing the little voices because this family take over and it’s constant unbearable noises, luckily I’m not next door I’m down the road, with my lovely neighbours and adorable children, there also out early in the morning with the ball, I do feel sorry for the neighbours up that end,

Hard one.
But I would get noise cancelling headphones - while you can't enjoy the birdsong, you will still be able to enjoy sitting outside. Put on a playlist with your favourite songs and even sing along so you have joy.
It's not easy but if you say something it may make it worse.

I feel for you. I had extremely noisy children next door some years ago. Four of them. I often found two or three of them in my front or back garden searching for their ball without asking me. I told them I would always throw the ball back if I found it, but they still climbed my fence and came in.

Speaking to parents rarely works I think. They tend to then scapegoat you in the neighbourhood as a misery guts. Forget trees for screening sound, I tried it. If I had had the money I would have gone for an expensive fence that can actually help deaden noise.

If the parents do turn out to be amenable folk, you could suggest a small goal for the kids to aim at that would prevent the thump thump thump on your fence.

For your sake I hope a For Sale sign goes up soon. It could happen.

All the best.

It’s a tricky one. When I moved here 3 years ago I was delighted with all the lovely neighbours I have. Last year, the family next door bought a very large trampoline & put it in their very small back garden. I got up one morning to discover it very close to the dividing fence & a few feet away from my French windows. The privacy I had is now gone & the endless screaming plus the thwacking noise the kids make when trampolining drives me crazy! However, I like the family & I know they bought the thing in desperation while we were all in lockdown & the kids were stuck at home. I certainly don’t want to fall out with them, so I’m just hoping they outgrow it soon ( they’ve already broken it, but taped it up again ?) Meanwhile, I have planted fruit trees in containers & put them down the dividing fence in an effort to screen them off a bit. ?? ?

We live in a small and very quiet village in the depth of southwest France.
I always worry when my 2 lively and noisy grandsons come for their month long holiday (fingers firmly crossed that they can come this summer).
I do apologise to my nearest neighbours, they are quite elderly and I worry about all the happy noises plus their small motorbike, the jumping in the pool!
Luckily they don’t mind at all and even enjoy hearing them!
But I suppose it’s only for a few weeks!

This is really difficult, firstly it’s been a weird and difficult year for us all, it’s always hard when neighbours are noisy !

We are those noisy neighbours, I had three children in five years and they are now all adults. I thank my lucky stars we didn’t have a year long lockdown when they were small !

They were extremely lively, though were good a bedtime and quiet during the night.

We live in a terraced house so all can hear our neighbours when in the gardens, to add to this we also have dogs! Dogs and children are noisy, mine were walked and exercised at least once a day, dogs and children, and I really tried my best to keep them quiet when home, but to be honest sometimes it’s so hard

Ask them politely to stop the ball kicking as it is really annoying and noisy. If you haven't told them they will not know... how could they. Buy ear plugs as well. I hope you have a better summer

We complained about football outside our house! Was told they are family homes what do you expect? I expect children to be respectful of other peoples properties, knocking down plants etc, equally scratching our cars in our own driveway! We have a two year old who plays in the road up to 7pm! My grandson is in bed by 7pm and he 3! Some children are allowed to do what they like!

Bluebelle..........^I like hearing kids scream and shout^

you forgot to add....so long as they are not next door to you.

I do get the football thing against a shared fence, that would probably drive me mad, and it wound be very irresponsible parents who didn’t put a stop to that.

We have a couple of screamers next door. I heard the other day they are home schooled! More ruddy noise.

Sounds like a job for ‘Classic FM’

Sara

I had a nephew who was incredibly loud, any kind of excitement and he was screeching and squealing at top volume. We were constantly having to shush him.
I can imagine having a child like that next door, being allowed to play outside for long periods of time with parents winding him up by roaring and shouting themselves, and often accompanied by the constant thudding of a football against your fence could make you feel that every time you go out into your garden you're being bombarded with noise.

I don't think it has to be literally constant to become very stressful. Even a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the afternoon can feel very invasive.

These parents need to understand the difference between their family playing together outside and enjoying their garden , and making unreasonable levels of noise on a frequent basis that makes it difficult for others to enjoy theirs.

In fact it can happen all day, every day. As soon as the sun is out, or even if not, they’re out from early morning until late. Thud thud thud of the football against the fence. And, when it gets dark, on go the floodlights so he can carry on. So, you are wrong to suggest it can’t happen every day. Believe me, it does. We live it here every day and so do all our neighbours.

Beswitched
Point taken.
But I really can’t imagine this is happening all day every day.
It may seem like it, but as I’ve said before, I doubt a child could scream all day, if she is, I think there must be something wrong with her.
I know some parents seem not to care what their children are doing, but these seem like they are engaging with their children at least.

I sympathise as we have the same problem nearby. Noisy family moved into quiet cul de sac with a girl and a boy. The girl screams and shouts, the boy kicks his football at the adjoining neighbours fence all through the spring, summer and autumn. Dogs barking too. Father aggressive and abusive to our next door neighbours who asked him to quieten down. We live in an area of detached houses, long gardens, a quiet neighbourhood. These types can move in anywhere and destroy people’s peace of mind. Thankfully, he is a doer upper and we are all hoping they’ll move on soon as he’s just completed a loft conversion. Brother in next road exactly the same and father and mother also nearby. All exactly the same type of people.

I totally sympathise.

I think it's very unfair when posters come on threads like this and say they love the sound of children playing outside in a tone that implies the OP doesn't.

There is a huge difference between the normal sound of children playing in their garden or on the communal green, and the sound of a constantly screeching or tantrumming child accompanied by an equally loud parent shouting at them. The latter can be very stressful to have to listen to constantly, as can the non stop banging of a football against a shared fence.

I do sympathise. It is true children are noisy - and I love to hear them laughing and playing - but hearing a child screaming endlessly is very wearing.

I have a neighbour whose little girl was exactly the same, screaming all the time - not shouting definitely screaming. If it only lasted for a short while I could have ignored it but all day every day in good weather really got on my nerves. Her parents did nothing to stop her. Thankfully she appears to have grown out of it and it was relatively peaceful last summer (fingers crossed for this summer!)

I can’t help thinking there’s some exaggeration going on here, I’ve never known a child who screamed all day, or a little boy who kicked a ball all day.
I’ve got three children, six grandchildren, have had numerous children playing with mine, neighbors children, and I can honestly say I’ve never come across one who managed to scream all day.

Sara1954

Years ago, these children would be kicking a ball around in the street, that can’t happen now, so they have to play elsewhere. What’s the alternative, keep them indoors?

No, the alternative is to teach them not to scream for hours on end. It's not hard - just bring them indoors if they insist on ignoring requests to tone it down.

Years ago, these children would be kicking a ball around in the street, that can’t happen now, so they have to play elsewhere. What’s the alternative, keep them indoors?