How do you feel about the noise young children make when playing?

I like to hear children laughing and playing, but apart from our own DGC where we live now, there aren't any children, or any dogs barking ( a neighbours friendly cat does it's rounds every day and is often to be found sat in our kitchen.)However we live near a pub and a church, so there is noise, beer deliveries and a few jolly revellers(country pub so no antisocial behaviour.)Also bells twice on Sunday from the church, that's ok in fact we like a certain amount of noise.
nobody likes to hear children screaming and shouting though.

There is a senior school on the other side of our road with a very large playing field that extends to virtually opposite our house. I never ever mind the sound of the children during break and lunch, in fact I love to hear them, it's such a happy sound usually!
What gets on my nerves, though, is when they have outdoor sports/PE sessions and the Sports Teacher will take up his position in the corner farthest from the school, right opposite us, and yell directions to the pupils at the top of his voice. Naturally this suits the school as his racket (excuse the pun) doesn't disturb those in the classroom. We, however, are forced indoors on a sunny day, with the windows shut .

Since I got hearing aids the sqealing is painful, turn them off but usually too late. When our DD's 5yr old son and our DS's 3yr old daughter get together the volume of screeching is against heath & safety.
Ok I admit it, I am a VM.

I like to hear them laughing and shouting too, but agree the squealers are too piercing.
And they can keep it up for ages! I couldn't.

Children have to be able to let off steam. As a child a played in the unmade up street with all the other youngsters but this is not possible today with the large number of cars and fears of abduction etc.
I live in a groups of flats with grass areas in front, well enclosed away from the road. There is a big sign 'no ball games' discouraging children to play outside. I'm of the opinion that children need to supervised from a distance to ensure they are not hugely noisy and do little damage BUT playing outside and finding their place is a way of building confidence and independence.
Long may children play outside and bother the 'Victor Meldrews'

I can listen to little ones all day as long as there is no squealing which goes through me,all mine have played in the back garden for hours at a time during holidays and inviting in their friends,when I was a stay at home mum for a couple of years I looked after my friends boys who where the same age as DS1 so most days during the school holidays I had 4 boys aged between 5-9 plus DD and a baby all playing in the back garden with all sorts of Action Man/Stars Wars/Jungle games going on plus the bonus of football matches in the field behind we of course had one "Victor Meldrew" neighbour but I think you find he/she lives in most area's tbh.

I love to hear children playing and laughing. I also love parents who teach their children when it is appropriate to shout and run around ( garden, playground, parks ) and when it isn't (restaurants. libraries).

I'm sure they did absent. I do wonder if we have the full story

Didn't the policeman have something better to do?

whenim64 - the image of your grandsons bouncing on the trampoline and saying hello to the grumpy man made me laugh. Thanks for that one. I'm with whitewave, the British have a very odd attitude to children at times, well some of the Brits that is. So much negative shouting goes on, such a pity.

It's lovely to watch children playing, quite interesting to see the difference of the personalities. We fostered for many years so there was plenty of noise coming from our garden!

Oh dear, I think I may be your DD's neighbour.

I would let him be grumpy - the British have a very odd attitude to children at times.

nina my DD did have to move the trampoline when my grandsons were 4 because they kept bouncing up high and shouting 'hello, man!' to the grumpy neighbour next door. If he'd said 'hello' back to them, they'd have left it, but they assumed he couldn't hear them so shouted louder

I have lived in the same 3 bed semi for nearly 30 years,last week I put my house on the market (downsizing) My neighbours who have been here a couple of years are in the process of erecting a fence to separate the drives because SHOCK HORROR the new owners might have chiklren. They are just a middle age couple,why buy a family house if you don't like children.

rosequartz

Never took it that way!

Parking is an issue I agree, try living opposite a pub . Best to be the last one out

We used to live opposite a primary school, a blessing when our kids were small, not far to go, and the sounds at playtime were lovely. What I don`t understand is why children these days seem to SCREAM all the time, that`s what I don`t like. But more annoying are all the dogs that spend all the daylight hours yapping, nearly drives me bonkers.

Not taking issue with you, POGS - when I re-read my post it sounded as if I was!

Just those ***** parents

As for schools I think the same principal applies
It's not the happy noise of the children, it's the parents' parking inconsiderately!! And we were here before the school was built (nothing showed up on the searches!).

We have lovely new neighbours next door but I do sometimes miss the happy sounds of the little children who used to live there - and the balls over the fence!

Not a problem-I simply take out my hearing aids
Possibly the only blessing of diminished hearing!

Seriously though, I'm surrounded by children of various ages here, and providing it isn't high pitched screaming, it doesn't bother me too much.
I'd far rather they were outside running around than engrossed in staring at computer/TV screens.

I can just hear our primary school when I am outside gardening (it's raining at the moment, sadly so I am stuck inside) and I love the sound.

I have three year old twins on one side of me, and a two year old on the other,, they all often have little friends round to play. I was thinking only a couple of days ago that what really annoys me is the mother of the two year old and her mummy friends. They put on strange voices that the other side, does not. A bit like a high-pitched loud Joyce Grenfell. 'Now come along Josephine, you know Mummy doesn't like it when you do that. Now, what do we say?'

Why do they do it? It drives me potty. I find myself silently cheering the naughty toddlers on.

The sound of children playing is lovely, what could be nicer than listening to young voices enjoying the open air. We play bowls adjacent to a nursery school and there the children are out whenever possible, even if it is a bit cold and damp they are taken for a short walk round the playing fields, and you can just hear that they so much enjoy that freedom. I loved it when I worked in a school particularly on a summer's day and the windows per open at break time.

I agree they need to let off steam and it makes me smile to hear the noise of happy play outside.
In the confines of the house is a different matter. I upset 6yr old DGS yesterday when I shouted at him and his brother to 'please, play quietly' after asking them 3-4 times to 'keep it down' (lots of shouting, lots of engine noises and nee-naw sounds)

janer my friend had trouble from a neighbour who complained that her two boys aged about 10 and 12 at the time were "perving over her" by bouncing on their trampoline while she who was about 50 was sunbathing in her garden. deluded or what ?

It's a bit like people who buy a house near a church then get the bells stopped ringing.

I live opposite a pub and I have to put my ear plugs in 2 mornings a week because the beer delivery is at 7 /8 am in the mornings. Why complain, I chose to live here.

As for schools I think the same principal applies. We can hear the infants school playground loud and clear at break times and I love to hear the happiness in the cacophany of sound.

I find barking dogs far more annoying.

Children need noisy play. This sounds like one of those unpleasant neighbour disputes and I don't expect the police felt their time was being used sensibly either.

Does anyone else feel uneasy when parents dash off to the papers about this kind of story. I know it's in a different league to all those 'my child was sent home for wearing the wrong shoes/hair cut' type complaints but I do wonder what this mum hoped to gain by having photographs of her children all over the papers. Maybe I'm just being a GOW