Among Friends

[gmkb]

@dex  I agree with you. I have always enjoyed teenagers -.my own when they were that age and my grandchildren.   We all probably did something as a teen that was not appropriate.  Most grow into responsible adults.  That is not to say that the teen should not be reprimanded for wrongdoing.

I'm glad you enjoyed the story of our experience.  No one got angry; the boys parents just wanted their son to make things right, the policeman was wise and calm, and my husband accepted the apology and thanked the boy for cleaning the egg off the car.

[Lapdog]

I know the importance of having good neighbors.  I cherish mine. (and 2 of them swear like sailors!)

I sure would try to make friends with them too.  I would bake some chocolate chip cookies and find them and give them to them. 

(I would not invite them over) 

They might be so shocked that they come around to being nice. 

When kids are raising kids they don't have any direction in their lives.

Good luck and best wishes!

[Lapdog]

@makena  I had to add this when I read more of the responses.

Pease take great care approaching their parents.  This is my families story.

A family member called the police when the neighbors refused to move their "partiers" cars off their property.  

That was 10 + years ago.  They have not stopped to this day with their retribution.  And the police never spoke to them, just pulled into my families drive.

The neightbors have Called the city/ called their work/ illegal dumping  animal parts  (blatant)/constant burning/ unnecessary noise/ you name it.   Please take care.  they know where you live. 

[VaBelle35]

I live in a townhouse community and almost everyone has purchased cameras because of this.

I need to find one that I can mount indoors as we can't put things on the outside of our homes per HOA rules (my TH is considered a Condo).

The HOA had cement repair work done last week in the community.  Some steps but a lot of side walks.  The workers told me that kids were writing their names in the wet cement.  One kid actually asked him if he could do it, he told him no and he did it anyway (apparently twice).

We have a lot of cars vandalized.  The big thing is throwing the trash around on trash day.  People put their cans out the night before and by morning, the bags are ripped up and thrown in the streets.  We have city-provided cans with locking lids, so it's not animals getting in.

I put my trash out when I leave in the morning or, if I"m working from home, when I hear the truck come onto my block.

[hckynut]

@Mominohio

I relate to your very last sentence in your post. Smile and be nice to someone that came onto my property and destroyed? Not me! While I have lots of patience, none of it is wasted on destructive undisciplined kids that know right from wrong.

Why waste my time wondering why they like destroying property. If I know who they are, their parents would be my first choice. If they can't be found and/or seem not to care? Law Enforcement would be my next stop.

Where we live now these hoodlums would in for a big surprise should they try this on our property. Patience is a good thing for some things, but willful/destruction of my property on my property? No way!

hckynut(john)

[hckynut]

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@chrystaltree wrote:

Why are painting every teen in the whole wide world who has ever lived with the same brush....based on the actions of handful of kids.?  And over a couple plants.  Sure you have every right to be ticked off but you need to keep things in perspective.

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Really, a couple plants? What the heck is the difference what it is, or how many? Destruction by vandals is just that, not p-ing on a tree, it is destruction. What if it were only a couple feral cats? It's only a couple!

Minimizing someone's property destruction tells me all I need to know about anyone that thinks that way, but it is probably different when something destroyed belongs to them.

hckynut(john)

[AuntG]

@hckynut is so right.  Vandalism is wrong, no matter how many plants were ruined.

[debic]

Some kids are monsters and some aren't.   It's not always the parents neglect.   2 in my family of 8 were, only one never outgrew it.    So many factors.

LOL, my Dad once said that at 13 teenagers grow horns and they don't go away until about 25.

[just bee]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

The question should be, why are 14 year olds out roaming the streets in the middle of the night.  Where is the parental supervision? 

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@Kachina624

Parent?  What's a parent?

[CalminHeart]

It isn't always teens.  There are adults who also do these things just for the thrill or to be mean.