Am I just a crabby old lady?

[tink_n_pooh]

I'd be annoyed if someone else's kids where in my garden too. I don't see a problem with opening the door and asking nicely that they please be very careful when retrieving their toy from your garden Now if you opened the door and screamed "get out of my yard!" I would call you the scary lady

I really don't have a problem with kids playing in the street if its a street that is just in a residential area, no one drives fast, rarely any cars anyway kind of thing - so long as they get out of the street when a car comes. The kids in our lake play on the streets but we all drive super slow in here and they all get out of the street when a car comes. In DH's old neighborhood the kids played in the street but also didn't get out of the way when cars came, seriously? Teach your kids right from wrong, tell them to move before they get run over and/or seriously annoy your other neighbors

Where we live now our house is right next to federal land, just off the AT. I have no problem with our neighbors walking through the side of our property to get up to the trails and we've told them that Now when the kids up the street decided to play paint ball in our back yard one day after I already told them no when they asked if they could use our yard for paintball, I was not a happy camper It didn't help that they were illegally playing paintball on the federal land at the same time

 

[OceanAnnie]

I really don't think you are being a crabby old lady.

I have a 7 yr old boy. If I saw him going to retrieve something out of a neighbors garden, I would stop him and get it myself. Little children are clumsy and not always careful about where they step.

Now if you screamed at them like a crazy crabby old lady , then yes you might want to rethink dealing with it in that manner lol.

I would do the same thing. I don't think you were crabby.

 

[Huggles]

We were always told that if our ball went in someones yard then we could retrieve it if it was at arms length from the sidewalk but otherwise we had to go to the door, ring the bell and apologise THEN ask if we could go get it. After that we had to move away to some other place to play. All our neighbors were good though and told us we could get the toy without ringing BUT to be careful of plants etc....we used to rearrange the soil if we stepped on it too....like golfers rake bunkers when they get out! I object if the ball hits our car or something but then usually just go have a chat and ask them to be careful...then ask who's winning. Being interested seems to keep the status quo.

 

[SpecialK]

Not crabby and your request was reasonable. Okay to play in your own yard or the street - not okay to play in the neighbor's yard.

 

[cocodog]

Your yard = your yard. When they begin to pay for it, they can play in it. No crabby lady here ;-)

There is a family with two young boys directly across the street from us. The parents sit in lounge chairs in the driveway while their kids play out front. By "out front" I mean in the street and across the street. One will be on their side of the street and one in front of our house. They'll throw a ball back and forth across the street. Sometimes they have to retrieve the ball in my rose bushes or in my newly planted flower bed. I was on the phone to my sister when I saw one picking his way through the flowerbed. I opened the front door and asked him to be careful as they were newly planted.

I must have scared them, because they went back to their side of the street and talked to the mom sitting out there. I notice that they stopped playing and closed the garage door. Maybe they were about ready to go inside anyway.

My kids are grown. We didn't live in this house when they were little. We lived 5 doors from their elementary school, so once they were old enough, I let them go there to play. I do remember the lady next door (divorced with a grown son, living by herself) once asking if my boys could "keep it down" as they were very loud and rambunctious.

I fear that I'm becoming a crabby old lady. Is there someone in your neighborhood who doesn't want kids playing in their yard?

 

[rparmfamily]

So they aren't actually playing in your yard, just the ball went in your yard on accident? I vote crabby but I think it's all in how you present it. We want kids outside playing don't we?

 

[OceanAnnie]

Our neighbors to the left of us, the wife, is a crabby witch. My DH calls her Nevercracker from Monster House. Why she built a house in a neighborhood full of families is curious. She yells at my kids and other children playing. She yelled at my youngest DD age 4 for riding her tricycle on the sidewalk in front of her house. She told people that our youngest was a "retard". Who uses that word in this day and age and why would you say that about a child?? then ask the mother of that child what is wrong with her child becuase she is loud when she plays outside.... I thought kids were supposed to be louder outside then in???? Thats why we have our inside voices and such. She sits upstairs in the front of her house by the window watching everything and then yelling at people for various perceived infractions

Please dont become this woman! I agree that the kids should not be in your yard or your landscaping.

*Bolding and font mine.*
What the heck is a, "Nevercracker"? It doesn't sound too good.

 

[rparmfamily]

Have you seen the movie? (Monster House) It's the name of the character in the movie. I think it's his last name.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Have you seen the movie? (Monster House) It's the name of the character in the movie. I think it's his last name.

No, I haven't. I did see a reference to, "Monster House" but I didn't know what that was about. Thanks.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I am one of those! I still have young kids, but there are 2 boys (one is gone now, but comes over to visit.) that are bad news. They used to have small fires in the middle of our cul-de-sac, which I always said something about. After mentioning it to parents several times, I figured they had a "boys will be boys" attitude and just told my kids to stay away. One used to light M-80s (illegal here, his dad bought them for him from SC) in his front yard and hold a Roman Candle (also illegal) in his HAND and the other little kids would be playing around in the front yard-I opened the door and YELLED at all the kids to "GET OUT OF THERE HE IS GOING TO BURN YOU!!" I am not a meany to those kids, but I am sure from my reaction that I am the evil witch woman to the offending boys.

BTW, the one that is still next door -age 16- is in bad trouble all the time now. He was even kicked out by his mom because of something he did (he may have tried to hit her, I'm not sure) and so his dad took him to another house they own and they lived there for 3 weeks. He is a smart mouth evil child, and they should have nipped this in the bud a long time ago. But you know, boys will be boys.

These are the only ones who would consider me the witch lady, the other children get along great with me!

I don't chase kids out of my yard, but they very rarely come over.

 

[Marymom]

I don't think you were crabby, if you just told the kid to be careful of your roses. I would be more worried that the child would get pricked and have told him that!
We did have a crabby neighbor at our last house, who called me to tell me she "couldn't take it" anymore and that my 5 year old was walking across her front lawn to get to our front door faster. I think she was crabby! Come on, a five year old little girl making a beeline home from school to use the bathroom, walking on "gasp" grass! Karma came back to bite them though. They overfertilized and killed their grass!

 

[PaulaSB12]

I don't think you were crabby, if you just told the kid to be careful of your roses. I would be more worried that the child would get pricked and have told him that!
We did have a crabby neighbor at our last house, who called me to tell me she "couldn't take it" anymore and that my 5 year old was walking across her front lawn to get to our front door faster. I think she was crabby! Come on, a five year old little girl making a beeline home from school to use the bathroom, walking on "gasp" grass! Karma came back to bite them though. They overfertilized and killed their grass!

That wasn't karma, your neigbour didn't want your child walking over her lawn, why should she have to put up with that? Why is it that people assume that having someone else's child trespass should be something that people have to put up with?

 

[runwad]

I have an inner crabby lady that is just dying to get out, but I keep her in check. We have a family of 3 yr. old triplets in the neighborhood that the mom takes on daily walks. The little boy always goes up to the newly planted little tree on my devil strip and shakes it. Drives me nuts but I never say a word to them. Then he has a habit of picking up our landscaping rocks from around our island and carrying them off with him. But luckily mom notices and makes him bring them back. But man every time. And he's messing up my rock line.haha But so far I only moan to my friends and husband because at this point he's still a baby, it's the mom I get mad at. I don't want to be that crabby old lady but some day she might just bust her way out.

 

[ajk912]

That wasn't karma, your neigbour didn't want your child walking over her lawn, why should she have to put up with that? Why is it that people assume that having someone else's child trespass should be something that people have to put up with?

I think it's pretty crabby. I personally think it's a stretch to say that a child walking across a lawn to get to their own yard faster is trespassing. I personally think things like that go along with suburbian life. If you are going to be uptight about a perfect yard, you might be better off moving to the country where you don't have neighbors and the pains that go along with neighbors.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I think it's pretty crabby. I personally think it's a stretch to say that a child walking across a lawn to get to their own yard faster is trespassing. I personally think things like that go along with suburbian life. If you are going to be uptight about a perfect yard, you might be better off moving to the country where you don't have neighbors and the pains that go along with neighbors.

I don't know, I think there is room for everyone in neighborhoods. I have neighbors that spend a great deal of time on their lawn. It looks fabulous. I enjoy seeing it. I would not let my kids run over their property (or any for that matter unless invited). It's just common courtesy. We have a lawn. There is no reason for them to be over there unless we are chatting or invited over.

They are great neighbors in every way. I don't think they are uptight about it. We haven't tested it.

 

[minniecarousel]

So they aren't actually playing in your yard, just the ball went in your yard on accident? I vote crabby but I think it's all in how you present it. We want kids outside playing don't we?

One was standing on our lawn and throwing a tennis ball across the street to his brother standing on their lawn. That didn't bother me (maybe a little, but not worth saying anything about) but we have a small circular planted area with a tree in the middle. We had just had some annuals planted there 2 weeks ago and they aren't very sturdy yet. Ha-ha the roses will just shred their arms! (they're very sturdy and well established.)

Nice to know that I'm probably not a crabby old lady! (OK, a few think I should have held my tongue!) And my sister heard me yell out the front door and didn't think I "hollered" at them.

I love hearing the kids in the neighborhood. There are two pools adjacent to our backyard and hearing them splashing and having a great time doesn't bother me. (I actually can't wait for the warmer weather!)

 

[Marymom]

That wasn't karma, your neigbour didn't want your child walking over her lawn, why should she have to put up with that? Why is it that people assume that having someone else's child trespass should be something that people have to put up with?

Being neighbors means give and take. They might not like a child walking on their grass. We didn't particularly care for the loud hot tub at 11:00 at night. But really does either of the above scenarios matter or cause harm? I think she was crabby and she only created resentment on my part for her outburst. By the way, I never told her about the hot tub, so don't think it became a heated relationship. I just kept my distance and held my tongue.

 

[ZeitgeistDuck]

I'm the crabby young lady, I think. I yell at my own kids for getting to close to our flower beds. Ask my 4 year old what flower beds are for and she will repeat, "For asthetic purposes, to admire thier beauty, not to play in".

Asking them to be careful isn't being crabby, its asking them to be responsible. Taking thier ball hostage would have been crabby.

 

[coffeeandfags]

Ask my 4 year old what flower beds are for and she will repeat, "For asthetic purposes, to admire thier beauty, not to play in".

 

[Scurvy]

No, OP, you aren't crabby! Your yard = your rules. If they haven't asked permission to be there, they shouldn't be in your yard at all, much less tromping through your flowers. I wouldn't like it, either.

OP, There's nothing wrong with expecting parents to teach their children respect for other's property. If that makes you a crabby old lady I will have to join!

Me, too.