I used to live next door to nuns. Swear to God (oops! my bad), a convent of old-fashioned nuns with the long habits and dangling rosary beads who ran a little nursery school. They were very sweet and always brought us baked goods on holidays (the nuns, not the kids). At one point, some grinch-y types in the neighborhood banded together to file a complaint about the noise coming from the toddlers playing outside. To which my response was, "Really? Out of all the bad neighbors you could get, you think nuns are a problem?"
I feel similarly towards the unidentified neighbors of 4-year-old Alfie Lansdell, whose complaint about the boy making too much noise while playing in his garden could end up costing his family 5,000 pounds (the Lansdells live in England, by the way).
Seriously?! One 4-year-old kid? Playing in the garden? For crying out loud ... it can't be THAT loud!
City council sent out a letter to Alfie's parents, SImon and Pippa, to let them know a complaint was made and to warn them that further complaints could result in the aforementioned 5,000-pound fine. Oddly, none of the Lansdells' neighbors will admit to making the complaint -- they all claim to be "disgusted" that anyone should take issue with the sound of such a "lovely" boy as Alfie happily playing in the garden. With his dog. Awww, a boy and his dog!
It seems unlikely that these "noise nuisance" allegations will lead to any real consequences for the Lansdells, given the outrage of just about everybody who hears this story. But that's not stopping me from being seriously peeved at the cowardly neighbor who went whining to city council in the first place, and at people in general who seem to think that children aren't allowed to make noise anywhere, ever.
I have to confess, if I were Alfie's mom, I'd be tempted to sign the kid up for tuba lessons. Or perhaps I'd buy him a drum set. Maybe we'd take up yodeling as a family.
I'm not saying this is a mature approach or that it would do anything to solve the problem.
It would, however, be really, really funny.
Do you think a 4-year-old's family should be fined for the noise he makes playing outside?
Image via Berkeley T. Compton/Flickr
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Comments 11
I think of kids playing outside are like neighbors who mow their lawns at 7 am on a Saturday. If it's once in awhile at a time when you'd rather have quiet (your child's nap time, really early, etc.) then it's easier to ignore it. If it's every day at the same time, then you can talk to their parents to see if maybe they can play outside at a different time or go to a park. We call on our neighbors dogs when they bark nonstop after dark, we call when someone is working in their garage at 6 am. I've never wanted to call on a child who is just having fun. The ones who sit and tantrum scream the whole time might make me call the parents a lot faster though.
I think that kids should be allowed to play in their own yards at any time during the day and would be furious if someone suggested I bring my child to the park--during the day! Yes, if it was loud too early or too late, but in the middle of the day?
hehehe, family yodeling. That would crack me up. They should! Just keep it to between 9 and 9. thats my general rule. 9am is ok to start being a little noisy outside, 9pm is when it needs to shut down.
I have, at time, wanted to shoo those teenagers loudly playing frisbee in the middle of the road outside my house away, because they are loud and my baby goes to bed at 7:00 and they are out there until 8 or 9 and sometimes it wakes him. But I realize that they are just being kids and that its gonna happen.
Kids make noise. One day its gonna be MY kid hanging out in the driveway with his buddies being too loud for some people. I hope they show me the same kindness I show them. And if it DOES get too too loud, just ask kindly to stop.
I was talking about the kids who scream at 6 am and kick balls at neighbors houses for the fun of it. I was just saying that at certain times we complain about a dog barking at odd hours. If you wouldn't let your dog out at that time, why let your kid scream at the top of their lungs? I've always asked the kid if I know them to quiet down a little if it's first thing in the morning or I mention waiting to go to the park if their balls keep hitting my house. I never ask this if it's a reasonable time to make noise, and I move my napping kid to a quieter room if he can't sleep. I have only called parents once, when I caught their kid climbing my tree without them being out with him, and that was a saftey thing.
We're building a music wall in our back yard. This kid's neighbors would LOVE that.
I agree with the thought that there has be more to this than what the story says. Perhaps the kid is an early riser (my son is often up by 6:30am in the summer) -- I can see the parents shooing the kid outside so they can get some additional sleep (maybe their bedroom is on the opposite side of the house, so they don't hear the kid playing).
But if he's out there before 8am or 9am, shrieking & screaming, I'd call the police, too. Maybe the complaint will make these parents start paying attention to their 4-year-old -- who is playing outside, unsupervised.