Kids Walking Through Our Yard to Catch the Bus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our backyard backs onto a culdesac where there are two families with elementary aged kids living. In order for them to catch the school bus they have to walk about 10 minutes down their street and up ours to the top of the street where the bus stop is. Or, they have a 3 minute walk if they walk across our lawn. This was previously not a real issue because the bus used to pick up at the bottom of their street so the walk was about the same either way. They would occasionally cross our yard to get to the top of our street but like a couple of times per month. Now there are 4 kids crossing twice per day and sometimes they have friends with them. I want to be a reasonable neighbor but I worry about:
1. Wear and tear on our lawn (it's just grass, no pavers)
2. Liability if a kid slips and hurts themselves in our lawn when we've granted permission for them to cross
3. Our yard becoming some sort of right of way over time.

Our street is much busier and therefore the houses are less expensive. The houses on the culdusac enjoy a lot of privacy and a very quiet street.

My kids aren't close with any of the kids (not unfriendly but the genders and ages are off my kids' genders and ages so they very infrequently play together). I'm fairly good friends with one of the moms but barely know the other one. If we were close friends I guess I'd feel differently.

I know the kids will be pretty pissed off having to walk around but I'm thinking of telling them they can walk through our yard twice per week and no more than that and no friends.

Anyone else have this situation?

Borrow a dog and let it out when they're cutting through. These people who have no problems with children trespassing through yards are the d!cks here. They would be the same whiners having a fit if it happened in their yards. The entitlement is unreal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think these kids are being very rude. I would never allow my kids to use the neighbor's yard as a cut-through, especially without asking.

I think you are well within your rights to tell them to knock it off. Do their parents even know they are cutting through your yard?

But I would not go with a "two times a week" option, that is just muddying the waters. Either no, they can't come through your yard, or yes they can.

This. I’m surprised so many people are okay with their children trespassing. You don’t get to freely walk on another person’s property because it’s convenient for you.

Unless you live in a really friendly neighborhood. This is the kind of thing they talk about when they say "sense of community" and so on. Not a bunch of old bats complaining about the neighborhood kids all the time. OP is the type that makes a neighborhood not "family friendly."

Realize this: those of us who could afford to live in single family houses with yards pay a lot of money in property taxes each year so that we don't have to have people like you near where we live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think these kids are being very rude. I would never allow my kids to use the neighbor's yard as a cut-through, especially without asking.

I think you are well within your rights to tell them to knock it off. Do their parents even know they are cutting through your yard?

But I would not go with a "two times a week" option, that is just muddying the waters. Either no, they can't come through your yard, or yes they can.

This. I’m surprised so many people are okay with their children trespassing. You don’t get to freely walk on another person’s property because it’s convenient for you.

Unless you live in a really friendly neighborhood. This is the kind of thing they talk about when they say "sense of community" and so on. Not a bunch of old bats complaining about the neighborhood kids all the time. OP is the type that makes a neighborhood not "family friendly."

Yep, we live in that type of neighborhood with a bus stop situation almost identical to what OP describes. The shortest walk to the school (not bus stop but same idea) from our culdesac is through someone's backyard and between two homes on the street behind us. Do you know what those two families did? The two husbands put in beautiful pavers between the homes for everyone.

They put those pavers in because your rude children were ruining their yard and they decided it was worth the trouble of spending $$$ to install pavers vs starting an issue in the neighborhood. You're entire oblivious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had neighbors that did this when I was growing up, 30 years ago. I still think about what dicks they were when I see their house.

The people who valued their "lawn" over a few kids....it's focusing on what's important. I just cannot imagine a lawn that would take priority over this.

But I guess I now believe family I visisted in DC a few months ago talking about not taking 1 step onto the neighbor's patch of grass or I'd be screamed out. Now I believe them. I truly didn't then.

No one cares about your kids but you.
If you cared about your kids you would teach them to be neighborly and ask before breaking the law. Entering another person's property without permission is trespassing, plain and simple. Your children are not entitled to use the property of others without permission for any reason. You are rude , at fault and lacking in parenting skills.

[Anonymous]

What if your neighbors have a lovely patio and you would like to sit out there and have a glass of wine because your yard doesn't have one. If you're not using it at the moment...Is that ok?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had neighbors that did this when I was growing up, 30 years ago. I still think about what dicks they were when I see their house.

The people who valued their "lawn" over a few kids....it's focusing on what's important. I just cannot imagine a lawn that would take priority over this.

But I guess I now believe family I visisted in DC a few months ago talking about not taking 1 step onto the neighbor's patch of grass or I'd be screamed out. Now I believe them. I truly didn't then.

It's not a life or death choice for the kids. They are perfectly capable of walking ten minutes. She's not gunning them down...yet.

No one cares about your children except you. You don't care about anyone else's children either so let's not pretend like you do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd just make a walkway somehow if lawn gets messed up. But I doubt it will. Let the poor kids thru.

Oh poor kids. These poor poor poor kids. Forced to walk for the WHOLE TEN MINUTES!!!!! over the mean streets of American suburbs. Here my love, let me help you over this dangerous curb. I am so sorry you have to trouble your tender feet by contact with this rude uncouth sidewalk. O the humanity. How you tolerate this and not shed a tear for the pain these kids go through. What if they get a blister? What if they get tired? How are tired children with blisters expected to learn?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think these kids are being very rude. I would never allow my kids to use the neighbor's yard as a cut-through, especially without asking.

I think you are well within your rights to tell them to knock it off. Do their parents even know they are cutting through your yard?

But I would not go with a "two times a week" option, that is just muddying the waters. Either no, they can't come through your yard, or yes they can.

This. I’m surprised so many people are okay with their children trespassing. You don’t get to freely walk on another person’s property because it’s convenient for you.

Unless you live in a really friendly neighborhood. This is the kind of thing they talk about when they say "sense of community" and so on. Not a bunch of old bats complaining about the neighborhood kids all the time. OP is the type that makes a neighborhood not "family friendly."

Yep, we live in that type of neighborhood with a bus stop situation almost identical to what OP describes. The shortest walk to the school (not bus stop but same idea) from our culdesac is through someone's backyard and between two homes on the street behind us. Do you know what those two families did? The two husbands put in beautiful pavers between the homes for everyone.

They put those pavers in because your rude children were ruining their yard and they decided it was worth the trouble of spending $$$ to install pavers vs starting an issue in the neighborhood. You're entire oblivious.

They put the pavers in before we moved in. And their kids use them as often as anyone to access the culdesac behind their house where everyone plays. Sorry you have a crabby antisocial neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had neighbors that did this when I was growing up, 30 years ago. I still think about what dicks they were when I see their house.

The people who valued their "lawn" over a few kids....it's focusing on what's important. I just cannot imagine a lawn that would take priority over this.

But I guess I now believe family I visisted in DC a few months ago talking about not taking 1 step onto the neighbor's patch of grass or I'd be screamed out. Now I believe them. I truly didn't then.

I'm a PP. I absolutely value my lawn more than anyone's kids. They are not important to me.

[Anonymous]

1. Wear and tear on our lawn (it's just grass, no pavers)

Grass, if grown well, should stand up to kids running across it quickly twice a day.

2. Liability if a kid slips and hurts themselves in our lawn when we've granted permission for them to cross.

Call your insurance company and inquire about an umbrella policy that would cover this weird kind of liability. If you're worried about it, then your insurance company can cover it. I'm guessing it would go on your home owner's policy and it wouldn't be that much.

3. Our yard becoming some sort of right of way over time.

Then eventually you install a fence. Or you just put up with it temporarily. These neighbor kids will leave elementary before you know it. Then they'll be off to middle and high, and they (1) will be walking the other direction to the bus; or (2) they won't want to get their good sneaks dirty on your gross lawn, OP. Think ahead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had neighbors that did this when I was growing up, 30 years ago. I still think about what dicks they were when I see their house.

The people who valued their "lawn" over a few kids....it's focusing on what's important. I just cannot imagine a lawn that would take priority over this.

But I guess I now believe family I visisted in DC a few months ago talking about not taking 1 step onto the neighbor's patch of grass or I'd be screamed out. Now I believe them. I truly didn't then.

I'm a PP. I absolutely value my lawn more than anyone's kids. They are not important to me.

I hope every dog in town pees on your lawn. You deserve it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had neighbors that did this when I was growing up, 30 years ago. I still think about what dicks they were when I see their house.

The people who valued their "lawn" over a few kids....it's focusing on what's important. I just cannot imagine a lawn that would take priority over this.

But I guess I now believe family I visisted in DC a few months ago talking about not taking 1 step onto the neighbor's patch of grass or I'd be screamed out. Now I believe them. I truly didn't then.

I'm a PP. I absolutely value my lawn more than anyone's kids. They are not important to me.

I hope every dog in town pees on your lawn. You deserve it.

I love when people bring their dogs into my yard! I don't mind the pee at all. I live on a cul de sac and all the dogs come by. It's kids I don't want there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had neighbors that did this when I was growing up, 30 years ago. I still think about what dicks they were when I see their house.

The people who valued their "lawn" over a few kids....it's focusing on what's important. I just cannot imagine a lawn that would take priority over this.

But I guess I now believe family I visisted in DC a few months ago talking about not taking 1 step onto the neighbor's patch of grass or I'd be screamed out. Now I believe them. I truly didn't then.

I'm a PP. I absolutely value my lawn more than anyone's kids. They are not important to me.

I hope every dog in town pees on your lawn. You deserve it.

I love when people bring their dogs into my yard! I don't mind the pee at all. I live on a cul de sac and all the dogs come by. It's kids I don't want there.

Yeah right, old curmudgeon. I'm sure you just love all the dead brown spots in your valuable lawn.

[Anonymous]

Get a sprinkler system and set the timer for when the kids are passing through

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

1. Wear and tear on our lawn (it's just grass, no pavers)

Grass, if grown well, should stand up to kids running across it quickly twice a day.

2. Liability if a kid slips and hurts themselves in our lawn when we've granted permission for them to cross.

Call your insurance company and inquire about an umbrella policy that would cover this weird kind of liability. If you're worried about it, then your insurance company can cover it. I'm guessing it would go on your home owner's policy and it wouldn't be that much.

3. Our yard becoming some sort of right of way over time.

Then eventually you install a fence. Or you just put up with it temporarily. These neighbor kids will leave elementary before you know it. Then they'll be off to middle and high, and they (1) will be walking the other direction to the bus; or (2) they won't want to get their good sneaks dirty on your gross lawn, OP. Think ahead.

You say this like no one ever sells houses.