topic Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors? in Community Chat

Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

Susan Louise — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 04:09:09 GMT

Have Mercy! Oh how I wish we could just up and move!

We are surrounded on ALL sides by inconsiderate neighbors...

Those that fed feral cats to a point where they multiplied to 13 before we had to start trapping them! Then we had neighborhood kids throw balls in our yard so often they dented the side of our home, plants in our gardens and nearly clocked me when I was sitting on our patio!

Neighborhood kids that LOVE to ride their bikes and skateboards up our driveway...

And neighbors we had to bring to court over a barking dog...and we won! It is now looking like we are on the way to having to go through it all again. They now have another dog...same problem...should we be surprised?

Then the be-all-end-all...their 3 kids are between 4-7 yrs old. When they play outside in the backyard, they scream when they play with each othernot just for a few minutes, but for an hour or more.

While I was trying to enjoy sitting on our patio about 100 yds away from them, the kids BLOOD-CURDLING screams go straight to my nerves everytime...and then add in the dog barking. HOW in heaven's name can the mother and father, which are both sitting outside with them take it?

They don't wear ear plugs and they don't even try and curb their kids or the dog's behavior...

I can't imagine what these kids are going to be like when they are adults. They certainly are not given any guidelines at this early stage of their lives.

I had to go inside and not enjoy being outdoors because of the insanity. Call me kooky, but I know I never behaved like that as a young kid. I don't remember ever screaming throughout my entire life other than seeing a scary movie at the movie theater! These kids do it nearly every day!

Off my soapbox...time to let my blood pressure go down with a glass of wine

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

AliJoi5 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 01:26:59 GMT

Oh dear... it sounds like it may be time for you to find an area with fewer young families and one that is more suitable to your quiet lifestyle. Good luck with everything!

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

151949 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 01:28:40 GMT

I used to have a horrible neighbor and I tried everything I could think of to communicate with her, but it was all to no avail because she was way too self focused.Eventually she moved from her house next to us into a townhouse. When she eventually sold the house she owned next to us we had already moved , thank goodness , because she sold it to the county who made it into a halfway house for parolees from jail.(in a middle class suburban neighborhood). The township eventually got that moved out but now it is being used as a home for people with pretty severe learning disabilities who I understand scream all day and night and are frequently running outside disrobed, poop and pee outside in people's yards etc. And the staff who work there come and go 24/7 disturbing the neighbors and are outside smoking, talking and laughing all night so much that no one can open a window. So now the original bad neighbor with the barking dogs doesn't seem so bad.

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

italia8140 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 01:38:54 GMT

I would move if I were you. I've ALWAYS had considerate neighbors.

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

Dusty1 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 01:51:33 GMT

Then I have to stop & wonder if my neighbors would pick me? Am I pleasant & thoughtful? I feel that I am, but maybe those neighbors feel that they are too.

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

Susan Louise — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 01:57:59 GMT

@italia8140 wrote:
I would move if I were you. I've ALWAYS had considerate neighbors.

@italia8140 Oh, you are so lucky!

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

missy1 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 02:09:46 GMT

The kids across the street do this. They think they can play in my driveway. It's not my problem they don't have a concrete driveway. I have asked them nicely over and over, not to play here. The liabilities, the noise, and my dog is very ill. (gets upset), My kid even told them. They say nasty things after I say it. I love kids, but when I was a kid I would never play in someone else's yard if I didn't have a friend there.I do not want to confront their parents. It seems after a few times they would get the message.

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

ROMARY — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 03:00:42 GMT

I've noticed that some youngsters sure do a lot of screaming now-a-days. Then, I've seen/heard teens as well as youngsters let out a big scream as soon as they get out of their car(s). Must be some sort of fad? Or an overt imitation of our present society.

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

Susan Louise — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 02:37:42 GMT

@ROMARY wrote:
I've noticed that some youngsters sure do a lot of screaming now-a-days. Then, I've seen/heard teens let out a big scream as soon as they get out of their car(s). Must be some sort of fad? Or an overt imitation of our present society.

@ROMARY I just call it poor quality and lazy parenting for the kids. In the end, the lack of social responsibility will hit the parents when the kids get older and become adults...so they will all pay for it in some way later in life.

It is not normal to have kids scream at each other on a near daily basis.

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

AliJoi5 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 02:45:48 GMT

The houses in my neighborhood are spread out pretty well, so we don't tend to get on one another's nerves. But we did have this one neighbor steal our cat once. I was only maybe 8 years old. My cat had been a stray so we never felt right about keeping her in 24/7. We'd let her out to stretch her legs, but one night she didn't come home. Days go by and I'm heartbroken. I start walking to all of the neighbor's homes and asking if they've seen my cat... describing her... showing photos... sobbing. The guy who lived behind us said he'd never seen her before and wished me luck finding her. So one night maybe a week later, my dad is walking my dog very late. He is certain he sees my cat in the guy's upstairs window. He bangs on the guys door at 1 a.m. and demands the cat back. He eventually gave her up and whined that his kid had become attached to her... and that's why he (a grown "man") lied to an (adorable... j/k!) 8-year-old girl crying for her missing pet! To this day, I'm just... speechless. He's lucky I hadn't been hardened by the world yet (lol), because I would have went gangsta on his arse.

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

ROMARY — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 03:06:35 GMT

Uh, oh. I just thought of something: If youngsters do a lot of screaming for years and years, isn't there a chance that they will develop irritated vocal cords and/or nodules? I once knew a singer who had to stop talking/singing because of nodules on the vocal cords or related area. But that person was an adult at the time. Screaming from a very, very young age wouldn't be ideal at all. In the long run.

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

Susan Louise — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 03:15:03 GMT

@ROMARY wrote:
Uh, oh. I just thought of something: If youngsters do a lot of screaming for years and years, isn't there a chance that they will develop irritated vocal cords and/or nodules? I once knew a singer who had to stop talking/singing because of nodules on the vocal cords or related area. But that person was an adult at the time. Screaming from a very, very young age wouldn't be ideal at all. In the long run.

@ROMARY Well, I guess I can always hope the kids will lose their vocal cords until they become adults so I don't have to listen to them scream anymore

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

nunya — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 03:17:32 GMT

I feel your pain. About 5 yrs after I bought my house, My neighbors converted an old building into a daycare center. I would have never bought this house had I known that would happen.

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

feline groovy — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 04:10:37 GMT

It's not just a matter of being inconsiderate - or seriously affecting your (& your child's or pet's) health - but many are also involved in criminal dealings that affect everyone's safety.

You never know...

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

Shorty2U — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 04:25:00 GMT

Wow that's a lot to deal with. I am sorry for what you are going through!

Yes i wish we could pick our neighbors. Well on the one side. (The other side is fine).

These neighbors- Their dog "goes" on our lawn, they park their 5 cars all over the street that no one can park when visiting. (We have a driveway and garage but our 2 cars are in/on those). Lastly the worst, they throw cigarette butts in our mulch and set off fireworks all Summer (the cops were here twice for those incidents to no avail).

This is in the country. if I could pick, Id pick my old neighbors in the city I grew up in! My neighbors in the city were wonderful! People here condemn the city but really they are worse here and I might add VERY UNfriendly!

We would move in a minute but this house my husband built is almost paid off and i don't work, so we have to stay here and are not about to start over.

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

Julie928 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 04:33:18 GMT

Hi Susan Louise! So sorry to hear what you've been going through. Believe me, you're not alone. Here's my story ~

Our next-door neighbors and I haven't talked in over a month and I'm good with that. Talk about dogs barking? On more than one occasion they have let their two dogs (hounds) bark and howl outside our window for 45 minutes or more. They also have a screaming child that likes to kick the metal garage door apparently to let her parents know she wants it open. (That must take less effort then just asking them to open it, lol). They let those weeds with the puffy white things at the top of them grow on the other side of my fence which are now probably about eight feet tall. Whenever the wind blows the white puffy things blow all over our yard ~ you know what that means ~ they will most probably seed themselves and we'll have the pleasure of those weeds all over our property. Let's see, what else? OH! OH! Then there was the evening they had some friends over and the men (and I use that word loosely) hooked up an amplifier in the driveway and starting playing their guitars (well after dark). Their front porch looks like a garbage dump. Speaking of garbage, they hoard their trash on the side of the house because they're too freakin cheap to pay for it's removal. Just yesterday morning I went along the side of our house to water our flowers and found a half full plastic bottle of choclate syrup lying there. I think we all know where that came from. There. That's my story. I should add that I love dogs ~ have three of them myself. The difference is when ours start barking we bring them in the house. As far as moving is concerned we aren't going anywhere. I love this house and love our yard and all the beautiful birds that visit it everyday. Nope, not going anywhere. Good luck with your situation. In a way it's comforting to know I'm not in this boat alone, lol...

Edited to add the best part of all (couldn't leave this out)..

One time when we were still friendly we were out front talking in my driveway. Here comes little miss garage kicker, lifts up her dress and squats to take a you-know-what on our lawn. I was mortified! I was like, NO NO NOOOOOOOOO!!! People, I don't even let our dogs do that on the front lawn, lol! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is a true story...

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

Susan Louise — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 04:47:06 GMT

@Julie928 GAWD! We could both write a book...LOL

BTW, I think I recognize you/your name from the Hummingbird forum!

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

shoekitty — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 05:00:37 GMT

@Susan Louise

You poor thing! I feel bad, as I know how a batch of bad neighbors can make your life miserable! We have lived here 30 years and thank God the neighbors on each side are sent from God! Nicest, most pleasant quiet people on earth. But, Oh boy 10 years back we had 3 homes with noisy, inconsiderate idiots. One home had a couple with 4 kids there. She let the kids out to play on Friday, and I don''t think she checked on them until Monday. They partied hearty, and let the kids run up and down the block until 1 or 2am. They roller skated, yelled, played tag would run through everyone's yard. Then the singing began. They howled and sang so drunk. pitiful. Police were called at least 3 times a week or more. The noise was so bad it woke us up from a sound sleep, and we lived across the street and down 3 homes! The police were out so much, they told us we needed to sign a complaint form, that means our names would be revealed! . But no one wanted to do that, because these were people who were really rough and scary. After 5 years of terrorizing the neighborhood they moved as the house got that black mold. Sweet justice.

Another home used their home for church services. You'd think as a church they would be considerate. But with about 50 people there a few times a month they had these BBQ's that sent smoke so thick we had to close windows in the middle of summer. The parents would be having Bible study, and about 15 little kids would run like Banchee's through our yards, yelling, screaming and laughing..totally uncontrolled. I wouldn't mind that during the day, but they started at about 5 pm and were out until 12pm. They moved after a few years.

The last wild group was the family across the street. They had 6 kids, and when they were little the family was quiet, and respectful. Then, as the kids grew into teens they turned wild and wayward. The son joined a gang, and the girls were rough, I think one was in a gang too. They had these parties with 100 or more kids. Every time we called police, they filed out over the fences. That takes time. I hate to call police, so the neighbors and I took turns. Luckily, they seemed to call first. Then after you call the police don't come for a while. We shouldn't have to call police. The father was a gambler I think, and the kids back talked the Mom and terrorized her. We have 2 stories, and I could see her pacing the upstairs bedroom, while parties were going on. The son would yell at her, and I can't even tell you here what he said to her. She left her husband and the 3 of the kids.He tried to keep the home for 2 years but it fell into bankruptcy, Yes! God is good,

All the neighbors are great now. We haven't had problems in years, but all us old timers on the block remember when....

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

Julie928 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 05:01:37 GMT

Yes, Susan Louise, that's me! We've had so many hummingbirds these past couple of days, all females. I guess the males have left already. I'm so sad all the hummingbirds will be migrating soon. :-(

Re: Wouldn't it be great if we could all pick our neighbors?

Susan Louise — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 05:28:23 GMT

@shoekitty Thanks for sharing! Maybe there should be a support group for those who have to deal with $%&* neighbors

I'm so glad you have much better neighbors now!