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Problems with children in neighbouring estate

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  • 25-04-2012 8:58am
    #1
    Whatever_fools
    Registered Users Posts: 100 ✭✭


    Hi Guys, I'm hoping you can offer some advice on a problem I am having with some local children. The back of my house faces on to the green area of another estate and the green area is about 10 ft higher than my backgarden so bascially when the kids are playing on the green they are almost at the same level as our 2nd floor windows.

    Anyway, we have had some issues with the kids going down into the ditch in between our garden and the green area which was annoying enough (because they tend to dump old toys and general rubbish when they were down there), however, this has now escalated to throwing stuff over the fence like planks of wood, toys, metal bars etc. We have tried to ignore them and not give them the chase they are looking for but it is difficult when we have to keep the dog locked up in the house all day so he doesn't get hit with the missiles!

    Twice in the last couple of weeks our house alarm has been set off while we were at work and the digital box thing advised that it was set off at the 2nd floor back windows. My husband suspected that the kids were now throwing stuff at the windows and went around to talk to the kids and try and find out what was going on.

    He didn't give out or anything just tried to have a bit of craic with them and get them to just stay away from the house. A couple of them said another lad was throwing stones at the house but had legged it when the alarm went off. My question....what do we do now?

    How do parents tend to take this kind of conversation, we don't have any proof that it's one child over another - other than what we are told by the kids themselves.

    Is it too much to get the guards involved?

    Will chatting to the kids and asking them to stay away work?

    Do we go around and threaten the little gits with all sorts?

    How about talking to some of the parents we see out and about and hope that the word will spread?

    We are also looking at getting those fake security camera things, would they deter them or spur them on?

    I appreciate any advice you can offer us. We'd like to nip it in the bud before we have to replace a window. Our neighbour had to do this last year after their window was hit (by the same kids) and it cost 160 euro!


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    #2
    slarkin123
    Registered Users Posts: 249 ✭✭slarkin123


    I would have a chat with the kids first. Mention contacting the parents. If they persist then go to the parents. Make sure you're nice and calm but stern. The majority of parents will be fine about it and actually a bit embarrassed about their kid being a little brat. As a parent i know if someone knocked on my door telling me my son was throwing things over someone's garden, he wouldn't feel the sunshine for a while.

    Meant to say kids can be very reasonable themselves. When i had my first child we had a problem with a bunch of teenagers hanging around being very noisy. I had a little chat with them and they moved on without any hassle.


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    #3
    Daffodil.d
    Registered Users Posts: 353 ✭✭Daffodil.d


    slarkin123 wrote: »
    I would have a chat with the kids first. Mention contacting the parents. If they persist then go to the parents. Make sure you're nice and calm but stern. The majority of parents will be fine about it and actually a bit embarrassed about their kid being a little brat. As a parent i know if someone knocked on my door telling me my son was throwing things over someone's garden, he wouldn't feel the sunshine for a while.

    Meant to say kids can be very reasonable themselves. When i had my first child we had a problem with a bunch of teenagers hanging around being very noisy. I had a little chat with them and they moved on without any hassle.
    I 2nd that. Leave the garda as last resort.However tempting it is because this behaviour can be very stressful.


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    #4
    Whatever_fools
    Registered Users Posts: 100 ✭✭Whatever_fools


    Thanks for the reply guys. My husband is a lot calmer than me and he has taken the approach of talking to the kids and they seem to have taken to him ok. I think if I went around I would scream and shout which is probably what they want! He did call to the house of the little lad who is being blamed yesterday but there was no answer. I can only hope that he was in the house and was too afraid to open the door. The fright of my husband going around won't do him any harm!


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