Basketball hoop at our house and we are caught between multigenerational neighbors

[Anonymous]

My kids are in college but the family next door uses our hoop and my senior citizen neighbors on the other side of my house don't like the noise. I have voluntarily restricted playing before noon (I do try to respect our neighbors). I don't have an ending time but they don't play much past dinner/dusk. The daughter is eight and is trying to learn how to play. She usually plays first by herself (I lowered the hoop for her) but sometimes with cousins her age. The older brother, late 20s plays with a friend or two (he raises the hoop but it is a small court and does not accommodate many) and they play hard as in the ball shakes the backboard or rim. They don't do any loud thrashing talking but do ooh and aah while scoring.

They all played this afternoon and I received a call from the senior citizen husband which did not set well with me from the beginning. The wife and I very close friends and I feel strongly she should have called me. He said that I have a problem because the neighbors don't like the playing all afternoon. I don't watch football but I can tell you it was quiet during the Washington game. He wants me to tell them they can't play "all afternoon."

I told him I would think about his call but if my son was still in high school (4 years ago), I would allow him to play "all afternoon." How should all of us handle this in a multi-generational neighborhood? I only want to regulate the times and not implement and enforce breaks.

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

either take down the hoop or tell the old man to call the neighbor with the kids.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, it sounds as if you set reasonable limits so I would just ignore your senior citizen neighbor. The reality is that we live in a crowded area and reasonable noise level, such as the basketball playing as you described, is normal.

[Anonymous]

The neighbors were probably counting down the days until your son moved away and stopped playing basketball and now the neighbor kids are playing! LOL

I would let the kids play all they want on the weekends (weather's going to change soon anyhow) but on weekdays I would limit it to a couple of hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, it sounds as if you set reasonable limits so I would just ignore your senior citizen neighbor. The reality is that we live in a crowded area and reasonable noise level, such as the basketball playing as you described, is normal.

Yes, your neighbor is being unreasonable. (There are posted loud hours in most cities/counties, and the kids are in violation of those.) Children's physical exercise trumps crotchety neighbors.

[Anonymous]

We have a hoop in our driveway, and our kids (and other neighborhood kids) play all the time. It's on my property, so I am in charge. Not my neighbors. We don't let our kids play before 10am (so your noon is generous). We don't let them play after 8 because our neighbors have little ones with an early bedtime. Those are my rules. My property, my rules.

If anyone complained to me it would not sit well. Here's why: one neighbor puts his two large dogs outside at 6am every morning and they bark for two hours. Not cool. Another neighbor has a teen who blasts music. Also not cool. And another one mows his lawn at 8:30am on the weekends. Also not cool. But I've never complained. Never.

[Anonymous]

I would do nothing.

[Anonymous]

Old people like to get up early - there's no need to say they can't play until noon.

Honestly, I'd let kids play from 9-9 or until you can't see outside anymore. If the old neighbors don't like it they can go live in a 55 and up community. You live near kids, then kids will make kid-noises.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: The wife and I very close friends and I feel strongly she should have called me.

She probably told him, "I'm not calling that lovely woman and complaining about kid noises. If it bothers you that much, you call her."

[Anonymous]

Honestly, it sounds as if you set reasonable limits so I would just ignore your senior citizen neighbor. The reality is that we live in a crowded area and reasonable noise level, such as the basketball playing as you described, is normal.

Your hours are more than reasonable. We don't let our kids play loudly outside until after 9AM on weekends, nor do we mow grass, use the leaf blower or any other loud yardwork before 9AM. That's being considerate of your neighbors. After 9AM, well, people need to be able to get that stuff done. We also don't let the play loudly outside after 8:00. If the neighbors have a kid with an earlier bedtime, they let us know and we respect that. We do have neighbors (like the PP) that let their dogs out at 6AM, leave them there for a couple hours during which time they bark and get into fights with each other. We've never spoken to them about it - although if I had a newborn, I just might.......

It's very nice of you to make the basketball goal available to other kids. Ignore the crotchety neighbors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a hoop in our driveway, and our kids (and other neighborhood kids) play all the time. It's on my property, so I am in charge. Not my neighbors. We don't let our kids play before 10am (so your noon is generous). We don't let them play after 8 because our neighbors have little ones with an early bedtime. Those are my rules. My property, my rules.

If anyone complained to me it would not sit well. Here's why: one neighbor puts his two large dogs outside at 6am every morning and they bark for two hours. Not cool. Another neighbor has a teen who blasts music. Also not cool. And another one mows his lawn at 8:30am on the weekends. Also not cool. But I've never complained. Never.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would do nothing.

I would NOT take the hoop down. Good grief! the horror of kids playing outside. I would not take their calls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a hoop in our driveway, and our kids (and other neighborhood kids) play all the time. It's on my property, so I am in charge. Not my neighbors. We don't let our kids play before 10am (so your noon is generous). We don't let them play after 8 because our neighbors have little ones with an early bedtime. Those are my rules. My property, my rules.

If anyone complained to me it would not sit well. Here's why: one neighbor puts his two large dogs outside at 6am every morning and they bark for two hours. Not cool. Another neighbor has a teen who blasts music. Also not cool. And another one mows his lawn at 8:30am on the weekends. Also not cool. But I've never complained. Never.

+1

+2. It's the weekend, for goodness sake. Of course kids are playing. As another PP said, if they don't like it, that's their problem. Your hours are perfectly reasonable.

[Anonymous]

I'd give the hoop to the neighbors with kids and let the two neighbors work it out. It will be one more house away from the elderly neighbors, and you don't have to be in the middle. I mean, they should let your kid play when he comes home from college right? If you are letting theirs play.

[Anonymous]

Call the neighbor that complained. Tell him to call the parents of the kids that use the hoop, and have them work something out. Easy, then you are neutral like Switzerland.