Kids Walking Through Our Yard to Catch the Bus

[Anonymous]

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."

[Anonymous]

I would put up a fence anyway, OP. TBH, I hate non-fenced yards. I like the sanctuary for peace and quiet when needed and privacy. We are neighborly and have parties for neighbors all the time in our yard. However, sometimes I like to sleep and swing on the hammock unperturbed.

Nothing wrong with getting a fence. No one likes to be stared out in their backyard.

[Anonymous]

We shopped our yard more strictly than even our house because we wanted privacy and quiet. I agree what they are doing is annoying but also agree there isn’t much you can really do besides put up a fence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

You say this like there is no data out there saying an average stay in a house is 7 years. You say this like houses never get sold and bought. You say this like cul-de-sac properties aren't marketed explicitly as "good for young children". You say this like a house purchase is a life sentence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

OP what is this really about. You don't like the family so you want an excuse to chase them off your property with a hose?

I don't need an "excuse" to not want people trespassing in my yard. One of the families I DO like (although I don't want their kids in my yard EVERY DAMN DAY) and the other I barely know but they have been less than neighborly to us so I'm not sure why I should put myself at risk to make their lives a little easier.

PP. Nope, you sure don't. No matter how many different ways and different times posters will try to themselves into pretzels to excuse constant trespassing, it's not something you need to be okay with. Hang in there, I know very well how annoying it is.

[Anonymous]

Are all of you that are ok with multiple kids walking through your yard every single day also ok with neighbors pets using your yard to relieve themselves? Come on, be neighborly. Don't be a grinch. Don't be a Karen. Let the dog poop in your yard, it's not going to cause any harm!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are all of you that are ok with multiple kids walking through your yard every single day also ok with neighbors pets using your yard to relieve themselves? Come on, be neighborly. Don't be a grinch. Don't be a Karen. Let the dog poop in your yard, it's not going to cause any harm!!!

Totally different situation, but nice try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are all of you that are ok with multiple kids walking through your yard every single day also ok with neighbors pets using your yard to relieve themselves? Come on, be neighborly. Don't be a grinch. Don't be a Karen. Let the dog poop in your yard, it's not going to cause any harm!!!

I have a 10lb dog who doesn't take long walks and I 100% let her poop in people's yards. I pick it up immediately. You know that foxes and deer and squirrels $hit all over everything and they don't pick it up, right?

Unless you live in the stix and are willing to shoot someone over it, there is little you can actually do about any of this.

[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."

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.

[Anonymous]

I’ve always taught my kids to stay off peoples lawns when walking to the bus. Our neighborhood is very kid friendly and it would still never occur to me to let my kids cut thru someone's yard unless specifically told it was ok. I’m baffled by all the people that think this is no big deal

[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 [/b]I'm thinking of telling them they can walk through our yard twice per week and no more than that and no friends. [b]

Anyone else have this situation?

You can’t be serious. That’s so ridiculous and over the top, and how are you going to enforce that? Stand out with a clipboard and mark off the two days they did it and note if they had friends? JFC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve always taught my kids to stay off peoples lawns when walking to the bus. Our neighborhood is very kid friendly and it would still never occur to me to let my kids cut thru someone's yard unless specifically told it was ok. I’m baffled by all the people that think this is no big deal

I don't let my kids cut through other people's lawns. But, my backyard neighbor's daughter does cut through our yard in the exact kind of situation OP is describing as far as the culdesac and bus stop placement. I don't say anything and would never say anything to someone who I share a property line with unless it was a HUGE problem.

OP -- your plan of 2 times a week is crazy. If you're really concerned about liability I would think pretending you didn't know it was happening is a better option than providing explicit permission.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Man you sound like a real grinch. And being scared of kids walking on your grass b/c of liability is a real stretch.

It's always easier to say that when it's not your problem or hiding behind DCUM. People like you are worse than OP in real life. You don't impress me.

- dp

It's not really a problem though. The OP is manufacturing a problem.

Or trying to be proactive to prevent a problem?

Not really a problem. NP.