Dreading the school holidays with neighbours screaming children

Play Barry Manilow on speakers outside your home. It will repel the screamers.

This tactic was used successfully to discourage teens from congregating on the beach at night in Sydney.

Or you could pay the kids to stand outside your house and scream for 8 hours per day. They’ll soon not show up for work.

Play Barry Manilow
😱
Isn't that worse?

I have several sets of ear buds/headphones but the noise cancelling headphones are amazing.

I use those for listening to audio books whilst vacuuming or if garden machinery is going.

It’s miserable to have horrible neighbours but if you can take a little control to shut them out it will make you feel a bit better.

Kiri, I really feel for you , this is intolerable. Fortunately I don't suffer with depression but this situation would cause me massive anger, resentment and anxiety. I fully agree that it is good to see children children playing out - away from screens. However this is not playing out as we know it , fighting,screaming and shouting is not playing out, it is being allowed to run wild and parents not caring !!! Please do not allow this to increase your depression ( easier said than done I recognize that) Having tried all the solutions it might be in your best interest move , is that possible? Headphones , taking yourself out for respite breaks to a quiet place is all well and good , but you shouldn't have to do that ! For goodness sake please take care of yourself . Think about moving, although of course you need to be close to your Mother. School holidays come round quickly and often and I feel sorry you are having to cope with this. 💐💐

A very good point BlueBelle
I am not irritated by my neighbours boys on their trampoline or kicking a ball around because the parents are good friends so my hackles are not raised.
But when our former home, an old farmhouse overlooked the village green I can remember the thwack of footballs against the big plane tree in the middle. Once it got under my skin I could not ignore it.
I wish noise cancelling headphones had existed in my day and hope you can find some respite.
If all else fails- pray for rain.
I do sympathise also remembering from our time in London the “boom boom” of Saturday night parties up or down our street of terraced houses. I came to dread those. But once, our neighbours invited us so we popped in for a drink, leaving early and although the party went on into the wee small hours, I found it bearable, just that once.

My lovely neighbour has Karaoke parties, well the wife does.. (the husband goes out or hides!).

She is so kind and helpful and friendly but my goodness 😳 the shrieking is something else!

We try to acknowledge their joy and now just laugh about it (and turn up the TV!!) as "happy noises" are easier to tolerate than unpleasant ones.

Are you able to find any joy in their (annoying) fun I wonder?

we are lucky where we live a small estate all the kids are late teens the only one used to be a grandson after school and holidays but he was quite good grandad made sure of that! now if you were talking about barking dogs and certain neighbours that think they own the place and let their dogs run free poohing all over the place I could easily fill a page with that! going back to your problem if you get desperate please phone the Samaritans see your GP and I just thought can you stop with your mother a few days to give yourself a break from it all?

Please could you tell me about noise cancelling ear phones or buds . I just want silence or something to tone down the road noise and barking dogs .

Are they light weight ?
Where could I buy some

Thankyou

Bose are probably the best but they are very expensive. You can get ear buds or headphones.
Argos sell a selection of noise cancelling headphones and buds and Amazon also sell them.

Guilty. I also have anxiety and depression and there are times when the neverending 24/7 of the summer holidays rips my knitting enough that I tell them to go out into the garden for a bit so I can have some peace.
To be fair the overwhelming majority of houses in our area have resident small(ish) kids so most folk are doing the same.
Before we had kids, we lived next to a school so we are used to the noise though. So are the dogs but they are taking objection to the never ending roadworks at our back gate. They understandably object to unknown males shouting outside our back gate.

Its been horrendous here since the arrival of two beautiful children in the block.

They just don't seem to be told to be quiet and leave things (and miserable old bags!) alone.

We had this at our last house, more teenage parties going on half the night. Eventually we moved to a much quieter place. It is really awful that you have to put up with crap like that, the parents are probably loud sort of people I’m guessing. Any chance of getting sound proof windows ?