Parents with no common sense

tealady

Gooseberries, what a great idea!
And just imagine the look on their faces when they steal one and bite into it.

pollypenny

Berberis doesn't grow too madly, JoJo. We have one in the front; it's about three feet each way.

FreeBear

My favourite for hedging is Poncirus Trifoliata - Once established, produces sweet smelling flowers followed by orange fruits (non-toxic). The US military often plant it in place of using barbed wire fencing :eek:
Chaenomeles Speciosa is also quite pretty and doesn't get out of hand. If you want something cheap and evergreen, Pyracantha is good. The bees like the flowers during the spring & summer and birds will eat the fruits over the winter months.

nwc389

I used to work in a bank that had a narrow queuing counter that people used to sit kids on , we had to constantly tell them not to do it as the floor was marble tiled and if they fell ....
I always found the grandparents to take it the worst - how dare that woman tell nanas little treasure they can't sit on the counter .
I think the plant ideas are great btw

maman

FreeBear wrote: »

My favourite for hedging is Poncirus Trifoliata - Once established, produces sweet smelling flowers followed by orange fruits (non-toxic). The US military often plant it in place of using barbed wire fencing :eek:
Chaenomeles Speciosa is also quite pretty and doesn't get out of hand. If you want something cheap and evergreen, Pyracantha is good. The bees like the flowers during the spring & summer and birds will eat the fruits over the winter months.

That's a shame!;)


What about anti-climb paint on the top of the wall?

System

Anti-climb paint, or ask the landlord if they could replace the brick wall with a hedge, fence, or something they won't climb on?

Loz01

nwc389 wrote: »

I always found the grandparents to take it the worst - how dare that woman tell nanas little treasure they can't sit on the counter .
I think the plant ideas are great btw

Lol agree 100%, I used to work in M&S and the grandparents used to hoist the kids up and and sit them ON the till/counter. When I used to ever so politely ask them to put them back down they would look at me in disbelief. Or say loudly OH COME ON THEN MAX, THIS MEAN LADY DOESNT WANT ANY CHILDREN SITTING UP THERE! WHAT A SHAME! IN OUR DAY IT WOUD HAVE BEEN OK!

splishsplash

I like to hear kiddies playing. I was just thinking that earlier as I listened to my neighbour's (five doors up) kids playing.

Then I thought they sounded closer than usual, then realized they were in my garden... along with their little friends.

So I've just spent the last hour cutting my grass with an audience of four little kiddies telling me their life stories and commentating on my grass cutting techniques, my cats, my house colour, my shed and many other subjects.

I was reminded that we all did the same as kiddies and my kids all did that as kiddies, and I felt lucky to be in this part of the world where kiddies being kiddies are still regarded benignly.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

splishsplash wrote: »

I like to hear kiddies playing. I was just thinking that earlier as I listened to my neighbour's (five doors up) kids playing.

Then I thought they sounded closer than usual, then realized they were in my garden... along with their little friends.

So I've just spent the last hour cutting my grass with an audience of four little kiddies telling me their life stories and commentating on my grass cutting techniques, my cats, my house colour, my shed and many other subjects.

I was reminded that we all did the same as kiddies and my kids all did that as kiddies, and I felt lucky to be in this part of the world where kiddies being kiddies are still regarded benignly.

A one off isn't such a bad thing. Were you to come home and find that fifteen of them were in your garden, had damaged things and at least one had hurt themselves in there each day - and they were encouraged as well as allowed to do it by their parents, you might feel slightly differently.

I wasn't a perfect child, anymore than my children were - but none of us went into other people's gardens to help ourselves to flowers, deliberately run/ride through or walk on their walls and fall off, because they belonged to somebody. Admittedly, once a house was boarded up, any fruit trees or bushes over the walls were fair game, but if somebody lived there, you just didn't do it.

I genuinely don't believe it's the children's fault, as it's the parents' responsibility to call them away and off - some parents do, but when there's one kid being called back and ten of them being lifted up onto the wall, what are they supposed to think?


Interestingly, the local dog walkers, even with animals off leash, don't seem to have any difficulty stopping their pets from walking in, even with a cat visible on the windowsill. I've had one Labrador trot in to say hello as I was watering the windowboxes, and that owner was incredibly apologetic about it.

It's lovely and peaceful over the weekend and school holidays, though.

lincroft1710

Slightly different scenario.

About 40 years ago whilst working at VOA, guy rings up complaining about his rates (precursor of Council Tax). He was complaining about living on a new estate and lots of building work going on all around. He also said it was not safe for his 5 year old to be playing in these half built houses.

Without any hesitation I told him that he was an irresponsible parent allowing a 5 year old out alone on what was potentially a dangerous building site. He retorted I had no right to say this, but I countered I had every right as he was putting his child's life at risk. He didn't seem to want to continue the conversation and he never appealed his rating assessment.

I actually think that as I had his name and address, he believed I would report him to social services!