Neighbors aren’t the easier people to get along with. A mother asked fellow parents for their advice when her neighbor requested that her children stop playing outside because it was “distressing” their dog.
In her post, she wrote: “New neighbours came round last night to complain that the sound of our teen boys playing in the garden was upsetting their dog who is a rescue, very nervous and reactive to sound.
“I’m really torn on what to do. I’m sympathetic to their situation and I really don’t want to fall out with them.”
She added: “I know the dog has problems because it barks at us from his side of the fence whenever we go out in the garden.
“When they came round to complain they brought the dog with them to show us what it’s like – the woman had it in her arms and it spent the whole time growling and baring its teeth.”
The previous neighbours never complained about the noise but the new couple in town are already irritated by it. They believed that the boys’ ball might “come over and hit their dog.” The mother told her sons to not play basketball anymore despite their love for the sport.
“It is a shame as they absolutely love it and it will probably mean they’re just inside playing Xbox. Because they’re teens, most of the games they’d want to play in the garden do involve some kind of ball. Do I just resign myself to a summer of them sat inside?” she said.
Most parents agreed the woman should just ignore the couple and let her children continue to play in their yard. One user wrote: “Don’t do anything. The second you cave to one request, she’ll be round with another. Then another.”
Another was more sympathetic towards the situation: “You shouldn’t have to, but if you’re trying to find a way to work things out with your neighbours could you perhaps suggest a certain time of day where your children will not play ball games?”