Anonymous wrote:The mother may not be able to wait it out for the school bus because she may have to get to work.
I may be in the minority, but if it were raining I would let the kids stay on my porch. I would just feel bad sending children to wait for a bus in the pouring rain when I could instead offer them some cover on my porch.
But I have a bit more empathy than most people...So I have been told.
If it really bothers you however, it is your right and your property so you have the right to say no.
Anonymous wrote:OP here- The responses are pretty divided into two camps. I will have to think some more about this. I don't want to be the neighborhood meany, but don't want to be a sap. I don't want to live my life in fear of getting sued, but financially I can't afford to be sued or to have my home owner' insurance increase. I wouldn't ever let my kids go up on someone's porch to wait for the school bus so it annoys me. I don't think the previous owners invited kids to go up on the porch. The place looked a little creepy before we bought it. The porch had junk on it, the paint was peeling, there was no furniture outside. We painted the house, the porch, put some cute patio furniture out there, have lots of plants, etc.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I feel a bit like the neighborhood ogre, but I don't want kids waiting for the school bus on my porch. I wanted to post here to see if I am being reasonable or making a big deal over nothing. I just moved into a corner house in new neighborhood. The house has a school bus stop in front of it. My kids go to another school so don't ride the school bus. As I walked outside to get the paper one raining morning I saw two kids on my porch peering in the front door stained glass window. You can't see inside unless you put your face up to the door. I told them to go wait on the corner and they ran off the porch. As I was picking up the newspaper a car pulled up and a girl around 9 ran out of the car and started walking up to my porch. I called out and told her to wait on the corner. Her mom rolled down and the window and said she was only going to be there a minute until the school bus came. I am not sure if she had said this in nicer tone I would have let it go but the entitled attitude tone she said it in pissed me off. I told her kid again in a louder voice to go wait on the corner and the mom drove off. A few days later the same girl stood on my porch and when I went outside she said her mom said it was OK because it was raining. I again told her to go wait on the corner and she was not allowed on my porch no matter what the weather was like. I feel like it is a slippery slope, that if I am not consistent I will have kids on my porch every morning then in the afternoon waiting for their parents. As it is I pick up a lot of food wrappers on the corner and my plants there all get trampled. I figure that is not a big deal but the porch is. Any thoughts?
Who the fuck drives a child to a neighborhood school bus stop? Have we become THAT lazy of a society?
Anonymous wrote:the liability issues is so dumb, do you not allow the mail man on your property? the fed ex guy, ups? how about trick or treaters?
lawyers ruin everything. Why not put up a gate on your porch or better yet build a mote.
Anonymous wrote:Your porch is your personal property. Just because some say they wouldn't care doesn't mean you're not allowed to care. Continue to tell them no and move them along. It would bug me too.
Anonymous wrote:I would block off the porch, put up a sign and contact the school.
It's actually a huge liability issue. If she slips on your porch, her mother can sue you. And even if you didn't give her permission to be there, you'd still be liable.
Your house isn't a public bus stop. If the mother doesn't want her child to wait in the rain, then she can wait with her kid and let the kid wait in the car. Or buy an umbrella.
Anonymous wrote:Big difference between what that mother did and saying "I am so sorry , Larla lost her umbrella and I didn't know it was going to rain this hard . Would you mind if she stood on your porch for a minute ?"
And then prompted Effuse and multiple thank yous from Larla
Anonymous wrote:The previous owners likely allowed it. I would too in inclement weather. But you can do whatever you want, just be aware how you may now be viewed by the neighbors.
Anonymous wrote:As a parent I cannot imagine telling me kid(s) to go stand on someone else's porch, especially after the homeowner indicated it isn't okay.
Anonymous wrote:There are raincoats for a reason! And umbrellas.