Neighbour problems - help!

BillTrac

Trpoez,

I assume you are joking?

Cars are designed to drive at different speed over all sorts of road surfaces etc and you think a small boy retrieving his ball is going to cause damage?:eek:

Tropez

BillTrac wrote: »

Trpoez,

I assume you are joking?

Cars are designed to drive at different speed over all sorts of road surfaces etc and you think a small boy retrieving his ball is going to cause damage?:eek:

I said superficial damage, which can be caused, yes.

A watch with a metal strap, for example, can easily catch on and scratch paint work.

Nobody has clarified what type of damage the child supposedly caused but bearing in mind the fact that the neighbours did not accept any form of monetary reimbursement for the repair of said damage it seems reasonable to assume that it may be minor, superficial damage.

Tiddlywinks

If your son was crawling under my car to retrieve a ball then I would be really cheesed off as well - why did he have a ball by the neighbour's car in the first place? He should be taught a bit of respect for the property of others rather than you just seeing this as acceptable behaviour.

As for the cats, the neighbours have already been wound up by the actions of your son so have probably reacted more strongly than they would have if you were an unknown quantity. You will find it difficult to get back on good terms realistically.

Plans_all_plans

I think people are being touchy about the ball under the car issue myself: the amount of cars I crawled under to retrieve balls when I played out was innumerable! These things happen when kids play out with footballs! Nevertheless, they feel your son has damaged the car and this should be taken into account in the name of good neighbourly relations.

In future, I'd suggest that you tell your son that if the ball goes under their car, he is to knock on and ask for them to get it.

Tiddlywinks

Plans_all_plans wrote: »

I think people are being touchy about the ball under the car issue myself: the amount of cars I crawled under to retrieve balls when I played out was innumerable! These things happen when kids play out with footballs! Nevertheless, they feel your son has damaged the car and this should be taken into account in the name of good neighbourly relations.

In future, I'd suggest that you tell your son that if the ball goes under their car, he is to knock on and ask for them to get it.

No, in the interests of "good neighbourly relations" the boy should not be playing ball by the neighbour's car full stop.

Your parents should also have taught you to take more care around other people's property too.

Plans_all_plans

I think you'll find my parents wanted me to have a happy, healthy upbringing which included being out playing when at all possible, instead of being indoors watching TV, getting fat.

I am unsure as to how you've arrived at the conclusion that a child's ball rolling under a car (as opposed to through the windscreen) is showing a lack of respect for people's property?! I think that a child has as much right to play on the pavement/on a quiet road as a car does to drive/park on it.

Tiddlywinks

Plans_all_plans wrote: »

I think you'll find my parents wanted me to have a happy, healthy upbringing which included being out playing when at all possible, instead of being indoors watching TV, getting fat.

I am unsure as to how you've arrived at the conclusion that a child's ball rolling under a car (as opposed to through the windscreen) is showing a lack of respect for people's property?! I think that a child has as much right to play on the pavement/on a quiet road as a car does to drive/park on it.

There are parks, leisure complexes etc to provide venues for ball games - why play on the road?

It IS disrespectful to crawl under someone else's property without their consent - if you cannot see that then that speaks volumes really. Children need boundaries and telling them to stay away from and show respect to neighbours property is a message which parents should deliver to their children as soon as they are old enough to understand.

Plans_all_plans

Indeed there are parks, but they are not always near enough for parents to let their children visit them unaccompanied. Playing in the street outside their home allows the parents to keep an eye on them and make sure they are safe.

We will have to agree to disagree on the issue of going under a car to retrieve a ball: I do not see any disrespect in it at all. I feel that it is more respectful to get it yourself if you're fit and healthy than bother your neighbour to get it for you.

A fully fledged game of football around parked cars is another matter in my opinion, as there is an actual risk of people's property being damaged, but retrieving a ball from under someone's car is perfectly acceptable to me and if you think that that reflects badly on me and my upbringing, then so be it.

koalamummy

Slightly off topic but may be helpful for those who have unwanted cat visitors to their garden and should in no way harm the cats either. . Place sparkling wine corks around the areas frequented by the cats and they will not come back. We did this after seeing it done in Lanzarote to keep the strays away from hotel and restaurant garden areas as we had serious problems with our neighbors cats . After the corks went down the cats never came back.

I am not a cat hater by any means but we had a 1 year old child who could not safely play in his garden for the mess the cats were leaving behind so something had to be done.

PhilipP_2

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

There are parks, leisure complexes etc to provide venues for ball games - why play on the road?

It IS disrespectful to crawl under someone else's property without their consent - if you cannot see that then that speaks volumes really.

Are you serious? The child didn't jump over the fence, broke a window and trespassed. Leave him alone. He probably lost control of the ball, which went under the car. This doesn't mean he is disrespectful. It means he is having fun and lost his ball, because yes, a ball bounces, and sometimes goes further than one can think.

As far as the cat, if it happens once, it should be no big deal. I would only complaint if it happens a lot.

These neighbors are just terrible. Good luck with that.