Would you tell a neighbor if you saw their children doing something they shouldn't?

[aprilgail2]

Since its a safety issue I would definitely say something.

I agree. a safety issue and because they are so young-my neighbros teenage son is always up on the roof, he forgets his keys all the time and climbs up there to get in the upstairs window but he is older so there is no telling on that! I would certainly mind my own business though if it was just a neighbors kid having a pool party.

 

[kellyg403]

I also would approach it like Nicole would. I have been told by neighbors if something goes on at my house while I am at work and visa versa, but we do watch out for each other and its a unspoken thing.

Once, my oldest dd was watching her brothers..She was 17 and they were 8 and 10. The eight year old was giving her fits so she sent him to his room until I got home. A little bit later she saw him outside and couldn't figure out how he got there. She sent him up again. I come home, my next door neighbor came by and said 'hey J was climbing out of his window..on the second floor...jumping on to the carport, onto the top of the van parked 1/2 underneath it etc. Boy, did he find out how mean of a mother he has! Safety comes first and goodness knows how long he would have done that before he got caught.

Kelly

 

[powellrj]

When my oldest was about 3 my dad was babysitting for him when 2 ladies came to the door and asked him if he knew there was a little boy on our second story roof? Needless to say he didn't know and he hasn't lived the experience down 20 years later! In this situation I would definitely tell. Its a safety issue.

 

[shortbun]

I think it's ok if you tell as an f.y.i. type thing. When I grew up, my neighbors were wild hellions and their parents allowed them to climb out their 2nd story window and climb down the trellis as a way of exiting their unusually tall home -think Southern mansions style.

 

[MushyMushy]

I know it's not the same, but I just remembered an incident a few years back. I was at my mom's house and we kept hearing this dog sort of whining and howling, but couldn't figure out where it was. I finally got outside to look and the dog was on the neighbor's roof!

Luckily I knew where she worked, so I called to let her know. Thankfully, they left their doors unlocked (yes, people still do that in this small town ), so I was able to go in and rescue the poor dog. She closed her windows better after that.

 

[mlynn]

I would if the child could get hurt or somebody else could get hurt. I don't see how they could get mad at a neighbor for letting them know something like that.

I can't stand my neighbors.But last summer there 4 year old daughter was 1/2 way hanging out of her bedroom window.(New screens stink anybody can open them) But I told her to get back int eh window and I knocked on the door.now they have the window guards. in the window.

 

[ols386]

I would tell the parents if I thought the child were doing something dangerous.

If someone saw my children doing something dangerous, I would want them to tell me.

 

[Carys]

Well, as a kid I used to climb onto the neighbour's roof (with the kid next door) using a conveniently placed fence. We did it several times until the friend's mother made us get down because she thought we might damage her roof somehow our own necks didn't come into her logic equation. Our climbing frame in the back yard at our previous home had been as tall as our first floor roofline. We climbed some pretty tall trees too.

If what they were doing at that moment looked dangerous I'd tell them on the spot to get down before they broke their necks. But I guess I'd have to eyeball the roof line height for myself before I decided whether it was worth paying a call on the parents at a later date.

Follow your gut feeling The worst that can happen is they'll tell you to MYOB, if your mind is truly not at ease about the kids' safety then that's a small risk to take, and the consensus on this thread seems to be they probably wouldn't mind.

 

[daisax]

Well, as a kid I used to climb onto the neighbour's roof (with the kid next door) using a conveniently placed fence. We did it several times until the friend's mother made us get down because she thought we might damage her roof somehow our own necks didn't come into her logic equation.

See, I might use that line, too, expecting that you'd be more impressed and afraid of getting in trouble for hurting my roof. Because obviously if you had any sense of your own vulnerability you wouldn't have been up there in the first place!

I'm sure her first thought was your neck. And second thought was her insurance if you broke your neck

 

[daughtersrus]

I went over a couple of times but no one answered the door. We're leaving on vacation so I think that maybe I write a note saying that I saw their young children using the deck box to climb onto the garage roof and from there, they walked up the house roof. I'll leave them my cell phone# if they'd like to call me.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I went over a couple of times but no one answered the door. We're leaving on vacation so I think that maybe I write a note saying that I saw their young children using the deck box to climb onto the garage roof and from there, they walked up the house roof. I'll leave them my cell phone# if they'd like to call me.

Good idea.

 

[Carys]

I'm sure her first thought was your neck. And second thought was her insurance if you broke your neck

Ordinarily I might agree, but this was a special kind of lady shall we say The kind that used a normal vacuum cleaner to clean water out of a swimming pool (still no idea how she didn't electrocute herself) and generally had a limited sense of her own mortality.

I'm going to disagree with your comment on my sense of mortality too because I've always been afraid of heights, and can think of much more dangerous things we were encouraged to do as kids, I think perhaps we have different standards to those in the US (Probably why we started commercial bungy jumping and other such pursuits!) No need for that kind of liability insurance in NZ, we basically can't sue under our law, Govt pays for healthcare, loss of income etc in any accident type situation. Crazy kiwis

OP, I think was a good way to go, if they're concerned they can contact you and if they're not it gives them to option to shrug it off without feeling there'[s been any confrontation,KWIM? Nice work

 

[stsomewhere]

I was just speaking to my elderly neighbor. She told me that 9yr old boy that lives on the other side of me came into her backyard on his bike this morning and ran over her flowers and destroyed them.

Should I mention this to the mom? My elderly neighbors are too nice to say anything.

 

[SydSim]

I would certainly mind my own business though if it was just a neighbors kid having a pool party.

Well would you please do me a favor and mind MY business if you ever see my 12 year old DD, with her 13 year old friend and seven 14 year old boys in my pool, in the dark, when my DH and I aren't home? I'd appreciate it

 

[aprilgail2]

Well would you please do me a favor and mind MY business if you ever see my 12 year old DD, with her 13 year old friend and seven 14 year old boys in my pool, in the dark, when my DH and I aren't home? I'd appreciate it

Wouldn't happen sorry.

 

[MushyMushy]

Well would you please do me a favor and mind MY business if you ever see my 12 year old DD, with her 13 year old friend and seven 14 year old boys in my pool, in the dark, when my DH and I aren't home? I'd appreciate it

I sure would. I guess it's just in my nature to watch out for kids, though.