A mother sought out advice from other members of the online forum "Am I Being Unreasonable" on Mumsnet after her neighbors complained about the noise her children made while they played outside.
Mumsnet user mrsh1807 shared the post on June 21 and said her neighbors told her to send her children to the park down the road. While many readers were sympathetic to mrsh1807, others wrote that they could see where her neighbors were coming from.
According to Homegate, a property searching tool, parents are encouraged to be considerate of their neighbors and their needs.
While the piece noted that children are entitled to play outside and listen to music, there may be a point when they become too loud.
"If your neighbors' children are being loud, it is a good idea to speak to the family about it," the piece stated.
Calmly explaining the issue may lead to a solution that works for both parties.
"It is worth trying to come to an agreement on matters and to decide what can be changed in [the] future," the piece stated.
In her post, mrsh1807 wrote that she received several "unpleasant" text messages from her neighbors telling her to stop her sons from playing in their yard "as they don't want to hear it."
"They've never raised it as a concern before the messages, and the tone was intimidating," she wrote.
Mrsh1807 replied to the texts and suggested that they find a solution for everyone to enjoy their time outside but she was told to send her children to the park instead.
Many readers asked for clarification on the noise and said they could potentially see why her neighbors were frustrated.
"There is a world of difference between quiet playing and making a racket, both of which they could be doing, and one is rude and unneighborly, especially at an age where they could go to the park," a commenter wrote.
Another wrote that the sound of a ball repeatedly bouncing can be "annoying."
"I have a neighbor who shoots netball goals every day and it's driving me up the wall," they wrote. "I won't say anything as she's not doing anything wrong per se, but it really is grating, so I do sympathize with your neighbors."
One suggested that mrsh1807 come to a compromise by having her sons go to the park for part of the day.
Others, however, wrote that mrsh1807's neighbors were being unreasonable.
"If they want dead silence at the weekend, they can move to the countryside," one commenter wrote. "Live next door to somebody and you will hear them in their garden, that is part of normal life."
"I don't think it should matter how long they are out or if they make a noise, if you have neighbors you should expect noise," another commented. "As long as it is not too early or too late then I think it is fine."
Other posts on Mumsnet invited readers to share their thoughts and advice.
A pregnant woman's partner was criticized after he forgot her birthday, while another mother received backlash for teaching her daughter how to count calories.
One woman asked for advice from readers and revealed that her friend's husband made her feel uncomfortable, but she was blamed for the behavior.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Catherine Ferris is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting for the U.S. Trends Team. She ... Read more
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