When you live in a neighborhood with lots of kids, you have to expect that they will be out playing in the area, which is fine. What you shouldn’t have to put up with is the kids damaging your property.

That is what happened to the young woman in this story when a group of neighborhood kids kept riding their bikes through her flowers and onto her driveway. Eventually, she caught one of them doing it and sternly told him to cut it out.

Shortly later, the kid’s mother knocked on her door, upset that she had yelled at her son, and told her to talk to her if she had any issues.

While the homeowner is happy to talk to the mom directly, she also thinks she should be able to confront the kids immediately if they are damaging her property. Still, she doesn’t want to escalate any drama with the neighbors. Read on and see what you think.

AITA for telling my neighbors kids to stop playing in my yard/driveway

I live in a new build neighborhood and was initially super happy to have kids play as I want my toddler to grow up in a fun neighborhood.

Kids can certainly cause problems if you let them.

Last couple months with the group of kids, I’ve gotten many motion alerts and have opened my camera to kids riding bikes through the HOA flowers in front of my house (two plants are now dead), my driveway, my dirt and rocks, and my flower bushes.

We’ve also had many bike tire tread marks in our driveway very close and some looking like they’ve been very close to or ran into our garage door.

They are really being destructive. Where are the parents?

At one point I watched the kids play in our neighbors dirt pile out front (landscaping work) and proceed to throw dirt in my yard and their shoes at my house.

This lead to them chasing each other through my bushes and over the new drip system that we were having settling issues with in regards to the dirt. I let it go and repacked the dirt.

You can’t just let this type of thing go on forever.

I finally said something when I saw them ride their bike through our plant we just planted and leave their bike in it, collapsing the stems.

I let them know “hey, whose bike is this, it’s smashing my flowers. I don’t care what you guys do please just stay out of my yard and driveway.”

The kids aren’t listening.

We continued having track marks in our yard and since I wasn’t able to see who was doing it (camera not recording) I went and fixed the yard again and swept the rocks.

Multiple people also let their dogs walk off leash and poop in our yard where my toddler is stepping on it often if I don’t go out and pick it up first.

She needs to get more cameras, or better ones.

My husband is gone a lot so I try to keep up with our yard, I’m also pregnant with a toddler. I’ve also tried to determine whose parents to these kids for potential conversations, but I could never determine and I’m not one to stalk a kid.

Yesterday I noticed a kid doing a wheelie up into my driveway, get super close to my garage door and kept repeating it.

She is being far more patient than the kids deserve.

He looked older I went out and said “hey I’ve already asked before, you’re leaving tread marks in my driveway and I’m the one that’s cleaning that. Respect my stuff please.”

I was stern but not rude. I watched to see where he went but the group rode to the unbuilt side of the neighborhood.

It is beyond time to take this more seriously. And this kid’s mom is making it easy.

I called my husband and said “hey we need to find the parents of these kids to talk”.

I get a knock on my door with the mom asking me why I “yelled at her 12 year old and gave him a stomachache.”

If the kid is on her property, she has every right to address it with the kid directly. And then follow up with Mom.

I let her know I’ve watched her child and others ride into my yard, damage plants, and using my driveway to ride bikes in.

What the mom basically told me is to not talk to her child and to address it with her, so basically this kid went to his mom saying I yelled (I did not yell but was stern), and she implied that I am not to talk to her child if he comes on our property.

The mom of this kid is out of line for not apologizing and even offering to pay for the damage.

I get it but I also would be really apologetic if my kid was damaging things.

Anyhow, half the neighborhood was watching this conversation and I look like that angry old lady now.

She is being more than accommodating.

I even emphasized to the mom “hey I don’t care what they do, can they just stay out of my stuff.”

AITA

No. If anything, this lady is being too understanding. While it is good not to intentionally start a conflict with the neighbors, you also can’t let these kids destroy your nice things.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a young woman who didn’t expect closing her door to study to lead to a sibling blowout.

Let’s see if the people in the comments have any advice on how to handle this situation.

This isn’t a bad idea. Just tell mom that you’ll let the police figure it out going forward.

I agree with this commenter. Send mom a bill and let her figure it out.

Bad parents raise bad kids.

She has a serious liability concern to think about.

This commenter says she needs to do more yelling.

If you don’t want your kids yelled at, keep them under control. Honestly, this homeowner was beyond patient with them.

There are many reasons why she can’t just let this go, including legal liability, property damage, and just general disrespect. If the mom won’t take this seriously, she needs to document the damage and escalate to the HOA and/or police.