Ok, I don’t like ranting much on here but I would like the collectives opinion on this minor issue.

The estate we live on is quite nice and,until recently, peaceful and quiet. Up until 12 months ago we lived on a cul de sac but this has been built up at the end and a further 40+ houses have gone up, doubling the traffic on our road.

The problem are the neighbours kids and the kids opposite. Age about 4-6yrs, the parents allow them to play unsupervised on the road, often allow them to ride their bikes without supervision, these kids have zero road sense. (often all we hear is CAR!!!) as the kids try to get out the way in time.
The kids play in other peoples front drives, chucking stones and just generally getting in the way.

So, what would be the best way to deal with this, before little timmy is run over and death occurs. Baby robins everywhere!!! (you get the picture) 🙂

A strongly worded letter to the mail would be a start…. 😉

“politely” mentioning to the parents about a “number of near misses”, etc.
Failing that – a stronger “mention” and failing that a full on word with parents…
It’s amazing how fast things happen when ££’s get mentioned – i.e – that the ££’s WILL be coming out of their pockets for damage, etc….

sounds like normal kid behaviour TBH – do you have kids?

Normal kids behaviour, where you ever a child, or just from birth morphed in Victor Meldrew.

Just wait till they get cars, and the right to vote.

Drive slower when approaching your house and tell them not to throw stones

The chucking stones is the only thing I would have a problem with. The rest is kids playing as long as there is no damage from the drive incursions that’s ok too.

Be nice these people are your near neighbours and good relations will pay for themselves.

Just wander around with a long cloak, long straggly greasy hair shouting “lollipops, lollipops, come and get your lovely lollipops”. 😆

Do they not have TVs and iPads to veg in front of?
Poor blighters.
As a parent of three primary age kids, I’d be keeping an eye if off our property and they wouldn’t be going into others drives and gardens (unless kids lived there)

Should kids give way to cars? Really?
The kids *should* be playing in the street.
Perhaps the kids should be quiet, indoors, maybe playing computer games for hours on end?

just generally getting in the way.

Sums it up eh. Those pesky kids, growing up and learning about the world in a way that we as adults find ‘different’ (read we don’t like) to our view.

On the other hand, it is the family and neighbours responsibility to help guide the kids as to what good play and responsibility looks like.

Read Tim’s blog:
http://rethinkingchildhood.com/2013/09/23/playing-out-street-why/

Watch this – the kids have a right to play.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tjRPWPhIfA[/video]

And this:
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/10/perfect-childrens-playground-the-land-plas-madoc-wales

This is how childhood SHOULD be – not the experience that many children now face.

I agree with Matt.

As an aside I let my two play on the road (cul de sac) and every neighbour I’ve spoken to doesn’t mind and in fact have said they like the fact they can hear kids having fun. I’ve had occasion to tell one of the neighbours kids off for kicking stones about but that’s about it, it’s an open plan estate so I don’t mind them on my lawn etc.

Same experience as you Marcus – neighbours who commented when we moved in that it was so nice to hear kids outside again.

Not having a go at him specifically but the op’s post depresses me. The car is king culture drives me mad and kids infront of screens. Small residential roads should have maasive increases in road furniture and obstacles to ensure cars are driven at 20mph imo

Ffs… please find more drama in your life and report back. seriously depressing reading

You live on a cul de sac if people are driving badly enough to endanger playing kids you need to haul the anti social twunts out of their cars and give them a talking to.
Try getting your neighbours to park on alternate sides of the road a sort of self help traffic calming .

Was a cul de sac. Now a busy through road. I don’t have an issue with the kids playing out, but if one of them steps out into the road and a driver can’t avoid them, imagine the impact on the family of the child, and that of the driver who has to deal with knocking a kid over. Its the lack of parental supervision that is annoying me.

(often all we hear is CAR!!!)

Do you live in Aurora Illinois?

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpkecYVRt_E[/video]

I assume you don’t have kids of your own ? One of my tactics with the more adventurous kids on our street is to make clear my sons rules no going into gardens unless invited or playing with the kids from the house no playing in the road (he is 3) no going pasta particular point. The kids all agree to keep the rules or crankbrat can’t play with them .It seems to work without having to lay the law down to someone else’s kids.

Don’t post on here much but had to – seriously depressing post. Apart from throwing stones which I’m sure could be sorted out easily enough, they’re just kids doing what kids want to do. Agree 100% with Matt.

Yes, you should be looking out for them on their bikes. Let’s face it, where can they ride roads in relative safety these days? Why should they be supervised? I have great memories of disappearing all day went I was a kid without parental supervision.

Sorry but get a life.

often all we hear is CAR!!!

I cba reading all that, I’m just pleased that in the 30 years since I lasted shouted it, the cry of CAAAAR is still in use across the UK.

So, what would be the best way to deal with this, before little timmy is run over

Expect kids to be there, slow down and get home 5 seconds later?

I’m on a culdesac with 20 kids, mostly primary school age. They chuck gravel onto the street sometimes, make mud at my garden tap which ends up strewn around, draw on the road with chalk, leave bikes and scooters all over the place. It’s great!

I suppose the difference is that we have great neighbours who all know each other and I’d be able to approach any parent if their kid was making a real nuisance of themselves.
I appreciate if you don’t know the parents well it would make things much harder though.

has the internet made us all less capable of speaking to actual people or something?

Go and have a friendly chat, see if the parents are aware and share your concerns.
I think though you’re very thinly masking your general annoyance of kids cluttering up the place, with a safety concern.

Is it still a Cul de Sac but with 40 extra houses?

Or is it now a through road?

Is it still a Cul de Sac but with 40 extra houses?

That is *some* cul de sac…

Yep, apart from the stones and possibly being on other peoples property without permission, sounds great to me.

The grumpy old biffer at the end of our cul de sac had a go at the kids for playing in the road as he swept in in his big old Honda. Next day the kids mother stopped him and gave him a firm but polite rollicking in front of most of the street suggesting he drove more considerately.

He sat there squirming and looked pleadingly at me for help for some reason. “She is absolutely right mate” wasn’t what he was hoping for 🙄

They sound like kids to me, unless they’re causing damage, let them play you miserable sods.

Do you really expect parents to sit outside to “supervise” their children? If you do, your childhood must have been, errrrm, great.

CAR COMING !!
The sound of my childhood playing football across a road that is now a superhighway of fatties going nowhere and doing nothing but updating their Facebook status whilst poisoning kids and wondering how to meet next months finance payment.
Soon (the ones who aren’t too fat and sat at xboxs) will be pretending to kick shit of their little mate until you get out of your car only to call you a **** and all run away…hahahah!
God I wish I was ten and lived on your street, you’d have a **** breakdown.

Most people on modern estates have kids, accept kids will play outside and reflect that in their own driving and other behaviour. I have kids, they annoy me, so do the other kids on the estate, that’s what kids do !! Sounds like OP maybe doesn’t have kids and is the minority on the estate.

Depends on the parents I guess, they sound typical, let their kids run riot & think thats normal without any consideration for others. Can you get one of them high frequency things to keep them away from your property perhaps?
I hate kids, they should be grown on a farm & released into society at 18 or so once they have had some manners & sense drummed into them.

Plant a couple of Apple trees in your garden,
Then you can shout at them when they come a scrumping.
And confiscate a football every now and again.
I genuinely grew to love the grumpy gits I grew up with.

All part of the rich tapestry of life.

😀 @ CAR COMING!!!!

Brings back memories, kids scattering in all directions panicking as a car trundled round the corner at 5 mph.

It was strange how the football would hit the miserable folks car more than others…….

It’s worth a thread of its own, our fave was old man clayton he would sit in his garden reading the Yorkshire evening post and shouting at kids but inside the paper was a copy of razzle, always had a suit and tie looked immaculate but was probably one of jive bunnies kiddie fiddlers.

We used to get double points if we scored a kerby over a passing car.

We had two main antagonisers.
One was huge an known as evil structure but due to some of the younger kids poor pronunciation became evil scrupture.
The other was known as Peggy or peg leg as he lost a leg fighting in the war, who used to chase us waving his stick .

Actually there was a third an old African lady who used to grow veggies in her front garden and would be out like a whippet with a carving knife and run through any footballs that landed in her garden.

Happy days, was genuinely saddened when I heard Peggy died.

Of course kids should be playing in the road. And just the other day, I went up to the local park for a drive round the swings.

People should be driving carefully through residential areas of course, but roads are built for the transfer of vehicles, not as recreational areas. Is there nowhere more suitable for the kids to play? Timeshare between parents’ gardens perhaps, or fields, or local amenities?

We discussed this to death the other week, but when I was a little kid I played on the pavement outside our house, and wasn’t allowed across the road unsupervised. As I got older, we milled around the local park and woods, and the largely traffic-free back streets behind terraces. A “busy through road” surely isn’t the best place for kids to play. Are there no communal green bits on your estate?

Well I don’t think there was anything unreasonable about the OP’s OP. The answer is to talk to the kids, especially about chucking stones about, but in a friendly manner.

I just told my neighbours that I hate children especially ones with no manners and don’t do as there told, they (the children) give me and my house a wide berth I just smile & wave at their parents who give me rather nervous glancing looks if their little shits are play out ( by their own houses) 😈

What greatape says. Too many people seem scared of talking to other peoples kids. Kids playing is fine. Kids chucking stuff abit possibly not. Step outside and with a smile ask them politely to stop it.

I just told my neighbours that I hate children especially ones with no manners and don’t do as there told, they (the children) give me and my house a wide berth I just smile & wave at their parents who give me rather nervous glancing looks if their little shits are play out ( by their own houses)

That’s what I am talking about, you sir will become a legend, past from one small child to another.

God bless you. 😀