One of the things I take great pride in these days is the grooming of my property. Particularly because of all the new flowers, plants and landscaping I’ve installed over the past three years. And though I spend most of my time in the backyard by the pool, I also make a point of keeping the front yard as colorful and vibrant as I can.The neighborhood schoolchildren, however, seem to feel my front yard is their personal property to play on, climb over and tear up. During the winter, I don’t pay much attention to them, but come the Spring, when all the new growth is just starting to happen, I keep my eyes peeled every day at 2:30 to watch for the oncoming slaughter. And sure enough, the kids climb on my rock wall (potentially dangerous), cut through my yard, pull on my trees and pick through my flowers. I got so fed up one day that I opened the second story office window and screamed at them to get off my property.
Yes, I became “THAT GUY”---the guy you remember from your childhood who used to yell at you when you stepped on his grass. The annoying older neighbor who seemed to value his precious rose bushes more than your ability to have fun picking through them. And now I completely understand where “that guy” was coming from. After all, the neighborhood kids didn’t pay for all the mulch, and sod, and flowers and plants and trees and fertilizer and irrigation and watering and general upkeep. They just look at my yard as a fun place to play.
Naturally, I was going to do everything in my power can to put a stop to that. So I began sitting outside on my front stoop every day from 2:30 to 3:00 to make sure no one laid a foot on my stone wall or tore a branch from one of my newly blossoming trees. And for a few days, everything seemed to be fine. Then I began to get so bogged down by work, I couldn’t monitor the kids on a daily basis any more. Some time went by, and then one day I happened to be glancing out my office window, when I noticed that the local children had slipped into their usual bad habits. So once again, the window flew open and my screaming voice could be heard echoing throughout the land to “please stay off the grass, and stop pulling on the flowers.”
The kids, for the most part, listened to my pathetic pleading and stuck to the sidewalk for the next few weeks. But there were still a few who would try to sneak up on the wall, or cut through the yard. So for those few occasions, I tried to ignore it. Until one day, when I saw a little boy pick up one of the rocks on our stone wall and throw it on the pavement below him. Meanwhile, his much older sister, who was standing not three feet away, didn’t even try to stop him. (And he was even throwing the stone in her direction.) And when I came running out of the house to reprimand him for it, they both looked at me as if I was crazy.
That’s when I decided to take further action. I began taking pictures of the daily offenders from my office window. I figured I could send them to the Principal of the school, believing that if anyone had influence on these kids, it would be him. And one day, thankfully, I actually got a picture of a kid tearing up an entire bush of flowers. (Well, not thankfully for me, but thankfully for the necessary “evidence” of my complaint.) I sent the group of pictures, along with a well-written diatribe to the Principle, whose only response was “I’ll talk to the children.”
The next day, sure enough, I observed the principle standing in front of my house, waiting for the children to arrive. He spoke to them for about ten minutes on respecting other people’s property and how they shouldn’t cross the lawn. I heard many of the children answer that they never crossed the yard and didn’t know why I complained so much. One girl even began snapping her fingers in a triangle motion, no doubt berating me for having a yard at all.
The talk helped for a few days, perhaps even a week or two. Then the climbing and defacing began all over again. So now I sit on my front stoop again every day with my cell phone and a magazine, daring anyone to touch anything that even looks like foliage. I can’t wait until June when school is out, so I don’t have to constantly disrupt my day in order to defend the integrity of my property. But such is my life in the suburbs.
But that’s just me. Do you have any issues with little prowlers on your property? (And I’m not talking about the squirrel or raccoon kind.)
10 comments:
Maybe hide sprinklers in the flower beds or shrubbery and when you see the rude little miscreants - whammo, turn them on.
I thought that was clever, taking pics and sending them to the school principal, perhaps their parents should know. But then, if the kids have no concept of respecting private property they're parents probably don't either or they would have passed the concept on tho their brats.
I like children, I really do, it's their parents that are usually jerks.
That's funny. I've become that lady too.
When I was a kid, there was an old lady who would freak it out! I never walked on anyone's lawn because I was a good girl, but once I fell off my bike and landed on her grass and she came flying out of the house. The fact that I fell did not seem to matter, she still went to my mom to yell at her. Now, I think it's funny, then I was upset.
I don't have kids after school do anything to my property. I live across from an open field with a few trees. There are kids that yank on the trees and throw rocks at the animals. I am the nutty lady who screams at them. I get the camera out and dare them to keep it up.
It's funny what 20 years can do!
Kelly
Some kids even get worse after being reprimanded and those are the miscreants you really have to watch for. Where I live, people through trash out of their car windows, and I find my lawn littered often. It said the blatant disregard of peoples possessions these days.
Sorry, I wrote that like a drunk man! lol
Grace--I do have an automatic sprinkler system...but I don't want to be mean, or block their only method of walking down the street. And I woul dhave to agree with you that parents are usually the ones responsible for their child's behavior. Not always, but most of the time.
Kelly B--I understand that kids will be kids...but why can't they just do it on their own property? I hate it when I see kids abusing animals...even if they are pesky squirrels.
Mr. New Dilemma--I know...it's a fine line I'm treading right now...if I really get them mad, there could be repercussions. That's why I try to be as nice as possible when I'm sitting on my stoop.
Ut oh...had a thought...with summer approaching you may have to do even MORE time on your front stoop. Kids are everywhere then from dawn to dusk and they might remember you (no principal around) LOL...Just sayin'
Try a motion sensor that turns your sprinklers on. Maybe. How old are these little brats anyway? And do they have to cross your property? Turn it into tar and cement with a big sign explaining why? No, then they would treat it as a playground. It's tough, because there is no movie happy ending where they see the error of their ways and help you grow the flowers. Don't know - maybe a BIG shotgun?
We live on a corner lot with a huge yard and no fence-hopefully that will change soon. Just the other day I had a full grown adult cut through my driveway as if he was coming to my door and cut across my side yard, almost stepping in my flower beds. I was just bringing in my dog so I didn't notice the extent of his rudeness at first. From now on, my dog stays outside on his chain for the better of the day to discourage any rude people.
Judy--the cool thing about summer is most of the kids don't live on my street or very near by. We have neighbors with children, but they are very well behaved and stay in their own yards.
Jan--I agree. There is no movie ending where the kids learn a valuable lesson. It's an elementary school, so the kids are pretty young...
Jenera--good idea. Wish I had a dog to do the same thing. But then again, I have plenty of woodland creatures that do their own damage to the flower beds...but that's an entirely different posting.
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