Kids Walking Through Our Yard to Catch the Bus
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Anonymous
You have way too much time on your hands, OP. |
Anonymous
| good umbrella insurance, which you should have anyway |
Anonymous
Nice neighbor memories from the good old days. I was caught in a downpour walking home once (without an umbrella or hood, naturally). A neighbor I didn't know beckoned me to come to her porch to wait it out. I still remember that kindness. |
Anonymous
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I would put in a post-and-rail fence. I would break the fence if there are trees on the property line, rather than cutting a tree. I would leave a patch for trespass open, but located one or two sections from the corner. I would put "stepping stone" pavers in the midpath, some hardy astroturf near the property edges, and keep the path a bit of a curve, at least at the beginning and end. No straight line that would temp a surveyor into making a right of way. Maybe a trellis or two on the inside. I would make it look like I care about the land....although a kid could sneak through but with some guilt. If it looks landscaped, rather than a mudpit, you will have less lingering because it will be obvious the property is watched.
Here is the essential thing: to do this, surface tree roots the could cause a tripping hazard need to be buried or cut. You are correct that a kid can trip and hurt themselves, and you would have both the guilt of responsibility AND the child's medical insurance company would sue your homeowner's insurance (raising your rates). You may kill a tree in the process of dealing with roots, in which case a shadowbox fence to keep the kids out may ultimately be the best alternative. Consult an arborist before doing anything. You will weigh the monetary cost of liability and the social cost of providing a service to the neighborhood, and this is one that you need to feel out the particulars. No judgement either way from this poster! |
Anonymous
| I’d be annoyed to OP, it would be different if they asked, but the assumption they can use your yard as a cut thru on a regular basis would piss me off. It’s rude. Not sure what I would do though but u have my solidarity. |
Anonymous
| Hard no on the trespass from me. I would have already scheduled the fence installation. |
Anonymous
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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. |
Anonymous
Not OP but we spend time, energy and money on our yard. We enjoy it. Repeated trips through will eventually do damage. If you don't want them walking through, OP, it's time for a low fence. |
Anonymous
| I suspect if you went to the parents, and the parents told their kids not to take the short cut, they would ignore you sooner or later. Probably run through laughing. And you would be the evil grinch. |
Anonymous
The fence is the ultimate d move, especially this time of year, if would be really obvious who it was meant for |
Anonymous
| As a kid who used to cut through a neighbor's yard, I would let them. It's probably safer, as well as quicker. This is the kind of thing that can irritate you in the moment (I do get it), but by its very nature, this is a short term problem. Kids grow up. You are probably looking at a maximum of a few years of this, and then it will be over. If you stay in this house longterm, this will go by in an eyeblink and the goodwill will last longer. |
Anonymous
NP. Haven't finished reading yet but had to stop to respond to this. At my last house we discovered after moving in that not only were we the cut-through spot, our backyard was part of a set of yards where some of the neighborhood dads held baseball practice. They all knew we had moved in but no one, ever, introduced themselves to ask or discuss it. When we go outside during the baseball practice they would just stare like the idiots they were. If they had approached us and asked, it might have been different. I'm telling you now that a fence is the only solution. They will not listen to or care about you asking them to limit the days of week. Nothing except a physical barrier will work. Yeah maybe some people may think you're a "d1ck". Who cares about their opinions. I certainly did not. As to poster who accused OP of "peering out her window", if these are anything like my old neighbors, they screamed at the top of their lungs for no apparent reason whenever they were outside, so yeah I kinda knew they were there as they screamed their way through my yard. And to the people rushing in to dismiss the liability aspect, no it is NOT that unthinkable. Our trespassers later came INTO our locked fenced and hurt themselves playing. One dad while he didn't end up suing did knock on the door suggesting we pay medical bills. Anyway, fence. ASAP. |
Anonymous
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I do want to be "neighborly" but quite frankly this is a one-way situation where they get all of the benefit and I get all of the wear and tear and potential risk. I literally NEVER cross into their yards and as I mentioned the one family got annoyed when my kids and some friends stepped over onto their property at one point last year.
If their kids want to come on our property to play with my kids or cross occasionally when they are running late or there is bad weather, that's totally fine, but crossing through my yard at least twice per day every single day...at least 4 pairs of feet? That's gonna leave a mark. |
Anonymous
| If they were playing or sledding through your lawn, that would be one thing but these kids are just walking to and from a bus stop. |
Anonymous
+1 You aren't worried about a potentially slippery incline...you just want neighbors to praise you. I think you just need to look out a different window. |