Kids playing around House, getting unruly - looking for advice

LostHiigaran

Hello,

I dont really want to give my area way so it will be a little vague. Basically I have an area that allows kids to play very close to the front door. There is a wall on the opposite side of a very quiet road.

The area's kids have taken a liking to hanging out here. I do not mind at all them playing around but they tend to push the boundries a little. They will hang around, generally noisey (not really a problem), ring the bell maybe once a day (not a problem, dont care) and kid a ball around.

Since the summer holidays they hang around there most of the day. They very recently started kicking the ball against the wall of the house where the door is. The top half of the door is glass, so its a matter of time before it gets smashed.

Its a group of around maybe 8 kids, sometimes more, around the ages of...8 to 13? They dont seem bad kids but I think myself being so lax they are started to push it.

Should I go out when they are and let them know Its fine them playing but not to kick the ball against the wall? If they get worst after, should I try and knock around asking randomly about the kids? I know the street most of them live on but not where they live.

The worst case scenario is trying to deal with this sets in motion a confrontation with bad parents. It might not get that bad but I know how I deal with this from the beginning might help how it plays out.

Stick on Lyric FM.

LostHiigaran

Deleted User wrote: »

Stick on Lyric FM.

Not about the noise, its about the potential damage.

Shame on you recommending Lyric FM

LostHiigaran

LostHiigaran wrote: »

Not about the noise, its about the potential damage.

Shame on you recommending Lyric FM

Kids mostly hate classical music, hence the suggestion!

LostHiigaran

Deleted User wrote: »

Stick on Lyric FM.

Deleted User wrote: »

Kids mostly hate classical music, hence the suggestion!

How do I keep myself sane? What it O Fortuna whips them into a crazed madness?

LostHiigaran

LostHiigaran wrote: »

How do I keep myself sane? What it O Fortuna whips them into a crazed madness?

Record and play them Martys letters about Hugo, Daphne et al. They'll be laughing so hard, they won't be able to kick the ball!

gabsdot40

Just talk to them, not giving out just ask them nicely not to kick the ball against your house.
It sounds like you're being very reasonable but you don't want to be a mug.

Larbre34

Whatever you do, don't try reasoning with them, when you're explaining you're losing.

Go out the first time and tell them if a ball hits your house again, there'll be a problem. When it inevitably does hit your house again, bring out your biggest, shiniest kitchen knife and carve up the ball, kicking the remnants back into the road and walking back inside without a word.

No I'm not kidding. Line in the sand time.

October

Make friends with them. The first few times you chat to them, don't mention anything about them kicking the ball against your house. When you do eventually mention it, hopefully you will all be "friends" and they might be more co-operative. I used to live in an estate and there was a lot of kids there. I went out of my way to become friendly with the one I thought was or could become the biggest trouble maker!!!

BlazingSaddler

October wrote: »

Make friends with them. The first few times you chat to them, don't mention anything about them kicking the ball against your house. When you do eventually mention it, hopefully you will all be "friends" and they might be more co-operative. I used to live in an estate and there was a lot of kids there. I went out of my way to become friendly with the one I thought was or could become the biggest trouble maker!!!

Very good advice that. Either make friends with the kids or their parents. It'll be like a red rag to a bull if you confront them about it!

ClubDead

I had the same problem. Its a tricky one because you don't want to seem like a nag but at the same time you have the right to have your property respected. In my case I put up with it for a couple of years, hoping that they would just go away. Instead it got worse so I spoke to them and ask them to not use my house/windows as target practice. In the end I had to speak to their parents, they just would not listen. If you know where they live I would suggest speaking to their parents. Kids have no idea how much of a nuisance they can be and often the parents have no idea what they are getting up to.

spurious

Bit of Wagner would have them on their way.

Watch them for a while and identify which one is the ringleader. That's the one to work with, whether it be to chat with, suss out where he lives, talk to parents whatever.

In a couple of years they will discover girls.

evolving_doors

I'll give you a tip I got from another boardsie a while back..

2 words

Liquid Ass

Quick spray outside on the path while they're not looking... problem gone.

The reviews are worth a read alone

victor8600

Can you put a fence limiting the access to the wall and the door? Making friends with the kids and their parents is fine, but it will probably not achieve much. My neighbours in a semi-detached house had a nice low brick boundary wall around his front garden which served as a meeting point and a bench for companies of local kids. They have behaved generally well, but one of them started putting graffiti on the neighbours' wall. After having to clean up this wall art, my neighbours had put a metal fence on top of the brick boundary wall. No more kids hanging around, no more graffiti.

Hilly Bill

Just sit outside with a cup of tea as if you are minding your own business and and they will move on.

DoozerT6

victor8600 wrote: »

Can you put a fence limiting the access to the wall and the door? Making friends with the kids and their parents is fine, but it will probably not achieve much. My neighbours in a semi-detached house had a nice low brick boundary wall around his front garden which served as a meeting point and a bench for companies of local kids. They have behaved generally well, but one of them started putting graffiti on the neighbours' wall. After having to clean up this wall art, my neighbours had put a metal fence on top of the brick boundary wall. No more kids hanging around, no more graffiti.

This is the reason I would never buy a corner house in an estate. They often have long, low front walls curving around the corner and can be a magnet for kids as a meeting point and place to sit. Even if they're not doing anything wrong per se, it can get noisy and they'll leave bottles and sweet wrappers behind too. I've lived in corner houses before and this is a reality. A (properly maintained) high, prickly hedge along the wall would help, but of course you have to wait for that to grow in.

You definitely need to to nip that behaviour (kicking the ball against your wall) in the bud before it becomes entrenched. I'd pop my head out, just casual like, when they're doing it and just say, firmly but friendly "lads will ye stop kicking the ball against the house please, it's noisy inside when ye do it and there's no need for it when you can *point at the wall* use the wall across the road. Which one of ye is looking to be the next Ireland striker? Haha, yerself is it? Go on over there, keep up the practice. Thanks."

TBH I wouldn't mention the glass door, that might give them a target And if they don't stop, or escalate, are you in a position financially to quickly put up a metal fence and a gate to keep them out? Not the prettiest option, but in a pinch....

LostHiigaran

Thanks for all the suggestions and input since I last posted.

They since moved to the next apartment, ha!

Dublin is big but I don't want to give too much info away...awhile ago they were hitting the ball against the top of the apt (trying to hoop the ball between something) and they hit the window. They were told then that we dont mind the NBA stuff but just be careful, which they were after that which suggested they were not bad. Like I said they are not knackers, but can be energetic and mischievous.

My room-mate actually elaborated on what was going on which has made the situation better. Between our door and a small path is a small fence. They were kicking up and down the path and hitting against the door. It sounds very loud but its basically the ball hitting against the door slightly, not them kicking against the wall.