Dreading the school holidays with neighbours screaming children

I'd hate that too. The noise is different to happy kids playing outside. The kids are screaming as it's likely that's all they hear indoors so to them screaming it's normal.

Life is hard enough with anxiety and depression, you don't need this stress of noisy kids.

Gosh, I'd hate it, too, and I'm sorry you're struggling with it. Obviously things might improve as the children get older and outgrow playing in the street, but that's a long time to wait. There are plenty of holiday activities available for children but they might be expensive or unattractive to these youngsters.

Are there any things you can do to reduce the impact of the noise? I'm thinking of things like staying in the back of the house (make yourself comfortable there, though), using your garden early in the morning at this time of year, playing your favourite music (earbuds?), having an occasional day out for respite etc.

I know none of those things make the noise go away but a strategy for coping might make the situation a little less stressful.

Guilty as charged. When ours were junior school age they ‘played out’ in our cul de sac for hours with their many friends. All kids from the two roads - one led into the other - no through traffic - so relatively safe. This would be the late 80’s. All of them as adults now, in their mid 40’s saying how wonderful their childhoods were. Carefree, no phones, iPads, PlayStations. Just ‘tennis’ (always once Wimbledon sparked an interest ‘where are the tennis balls mum?’), roller boots, ‘kerby’, cycling, hula hoops, hopscotch, ‘races’. About 20 children - I kid you not - of various ages and temperaments.

Our poor, more elderly ‘retired’ neighbours. 😱

I would hate it too! in fact, I would be praying for rain every day of the school holidays if my neighbourhood was like that. Fortunately it isn't, our problem is speeding vehicles and we live in a culture de sac.

Would you feel inclined to approach one of the parents and suggest a pic nic to the park ( just that parent and their children and you ) , that way you could possibly build up a relationship with the adult and be an extra supervisor - 3/4 kids isn't easy on your own - to get the kids into an open, safe play area. This might be something that they haven't even considered.

Get yourself some noise cancelling headphones, and see if that helps. I can sympathise, as we have neighbours two doors down whose children are 'home schooled', but in practice, that just means she lets them run riot all day long and one child in particular just screams the place down. I've learned to block it out, but in your situation, I'd give headphones a try. You can get ones which are worn like a headband too, if you're not keen on conventional ones.

Can you move? I would loathe that too. Apart from headphones or going out yourself, I can't really suggest anything.
Please don't let it depress you so much that you become desperate.

When I moved to my present house in, six years ago there were several children who played out in the street. However there was never screaming, fighting etc, just good natured playing, some on skates or with a football, scooters or bikes. If they ever got too noisy, their parents soon put a stop to their games. They are now all grown and extremely polite and confident young people. Unfortunately it now seems to be the norm to open the doors and chuck the children out.

Oh dear Kiri please speak to someone if you are feeling so desperate. Obviously not the parents from what you have said.

I love to hear children playing but screaming is another matter and can really get to you.
We live in a quiet cul de sac but when our children were young they usually played in our back garden often with friends.

We did have neighbours a few houses away who had 3 teenage boys. They always used the bottom of our drive as a goal with the ball often hitting our car. The repetitive thudding was awful.
They were really abusive if my husband spoke to them and would swear and shout. Their dad was quite strict and would apologise and ground them but it continued.
After one altercation we woke to find our beautiful Willow tree sawn down in our front garden. It was so unpleasant and eventually they moved away.
I do hope you get some peace.

Thank you so much for your comment and sympathy, greatly appreciated.

Kiri, I can totally empathise as I'm in the same situation! In between the screaming / fighting etc, there's football which in the past has meant damage to cars / homes etc and it can go on until 10.00 pm.
What makes it worse for me is that I work from home

I can't move - financial reasons and despite many, many complaints to the council from myself and others locally over the years nothing has been done. The complaints have been in relation to the parents of these children...they all in live in privately rented accommodation and the landlord won't act.

I am amazed how many people suffer like I do and it makes me even more sad to know that others suffer. Thank you so much everyone for all the advice and comments. I have tried so many different things to try and cope, even the most strongest anti depressants. I would sale my house and leave right now, but unfortunately I have a few demands in my life. I have to look after my 85 year old mother once a week who lives in London and I am closer to her where I live to commute on the trains. My husbands job needs him to live in this area to be able to continue it. I have tried absolutely everything from earphones, to shutting myself in one room with all windows and doors closed. If they were nice parents, I would be more than happy to take all the children and go to a park and sit there with them so that they can play and I would do it everyday. I go out for walks, but I still have to come home to all this. All the parents are also about 25 years younger than me and are all on benefits. I have noticed that they bring up their children very differently with no manners and also they call it free spirited upbringing, basically no boundaries and do whatever they want. All I can do is pray that I can cope until I find a solution and leave.

I wish there was some way of stopping this senseless screaming. A youth club operates at the back of our garden, not too noisy, but some girls gather outside the hut and let out ear-piercing shrieks, usually when teased by the boys.
One girl did it the evening those poor women were murdered by a crossbow, and I recall the neighbours reporting hearing terrible screams; sometimes I do think someone is being attacked and go and check, safely on the other side of my high fence. The youth Leader says she tries to stop it, for that reason, but some children seem to scream willy-nilly at home and no-one takes any notice.
I do sympathise, Kiri. Double glazing?

I sympathise. I hate the start of the summer holidays, it means I can no longer sit in my garden. We have 3 households with primary aged kids nearby. One has a child who spends hours bouncing on their trampoline screaming on full volume. One has a child who “performs” song and dance routines at full volume, always out of tune. The third house has two boys who seem to spend their entire time kicking a football against their (metal) garage door. We also have a park 5 minutes walk away. I admit to yelling “Take them to the bloody park!” on several occasions!

Thank you so much, I have tried everything. I also have double glazing, earphones, white noise machine, strongest anti depressants. I do not go out into my garden, I lock myself in my house with windows and doors shut. Unfortunately there are 3 separate families in 3 separate homes, so when they all chuck their children out at the same time, there are 9 children ranging from 5 to 13 years excluding all their friends, so it becomes a school playground outside my doorstep, with screaming and shouting all day, everyday. The parents are abusive and bullies and are not approachable so I am also scared that they will do something horrible to us. It is a lose lose situation. I just have to pray and find a way to eventually leave.

Our generation had such freedom to play out. We weren’t supervised, we somehow knew about 12 to go in for food, the out till five ish when we’d be fed the play out till almost bed time.
Traffic is the big risk to children so anyone living in a cul de sac will have children playing there.

You sound like such a lovely person.

I think you should seek some help, get some noise cancelling headphones, may plan a couple of nice days out somewhere peaceful.

Good luck

My children used to play out with other children in the neighborhood, mostly in my garden but in the street too. They were taught not to scream as I think that screaming is an alarm sound and if I hear a scream I think someone is in trouble.
Children playing doesn't bother me but screaming would.

Thank you so much everyone xx

I feel your pain and understand fully how miserable it can make you. My parents used to dread school holidays and weekends as their girl neighbours couldn’t play without screaming. When mum and dad retired they got themselves an allotment. Not just to work on but to sit in peace ! I work in a school
And find many many parents of today are selfish, lazy and care for no one except themselves. I do hope you find a solution. Xxx

It sounds dreadful. I'm afraid I would be moving house and make the demands in your life (mother/hubby's work) work around it. If it means hubby having to add a bit of extra time to allow for travel/work and adding a bit of extra time to hospital appointments then it's got to be worth for your own mental well being. You matter too

Agree with you AGAA4 about screaming. That puts playing ‘out’ on a whole new level.

You must go out for a period of time during the day so that you can escape the noise. Pack a picnic, go out walking and then to church or a community space (eg library) where your know yoi can be calm. When you go home, you know the noise will start so put on a film or interesting documentary - listen through headphones so you are totally immersed. The time will soon go when the kids are back at school.

You have,my sympathy!
I have two little girls playing out who are desperate to get in my flat, sit on my lap, hug me and kiss me constantly, and I'm afraid to say I don't feel the same way about them.

It makes me feel beside myself, the constant chattering, bickering, touching stuff and toys everywhere.

Thank you so much everyone, you have given me some hope xxxx