A mum-to-be was left furious after her neighbours, who she said she'd had issues with before, had taken their unruliness to the next level by allowing their children to hit her car with their basketballs.
She specified that she didn't mind them 'playing basketball all day', but said it became annoying when the balls hit her car or became 'wedged against my tyre', or under her car, or in the garden. The woman took to Reddit's 'neighbours from hell' thread to say they'd never had a good relationship, and 'dealing with them hasn't been easy', but she thought things had 'cooled off'.
She wrote: "I don’t mind neighbour's kids playing basketball all day, but I do mind when their ball ends up wedged against my tyre or under my car (or in my yard).
"These neighbours have been hell since the start of our move over a year ago (they are renters and we own) who first started out with loud music and they never left us a spot to park in front of our house. Dealing with them hasn’t been easy, but I thought things had cooled off.
"So today the kids are playing and my dog barks like crazy. I look outside to see what’s going on and see both of them pulling two basketballs from under/next to my passenger front tyre.
"I tell them to please not have the balls hit my car and that the balls shouldn't even be in my area as the hoop is nearly two houses away. I’m reminding you guys, this happens constantly (for about a few weeks now).
"The boy sasses me so I decide to walk out and talk to his parents. I’m friendly and explain I don’t mind them playing ball but don’t want my car hit and that this has happened on numerous occasions.
"I end up with one parent questioning whether it was her kid and one parent mumbling an 'okay'.
"I can't wait to move in a few years. And I'll add, I’m six months pregnant. I don't need this."
The post received a mixed response from Redditors, with some understanding the woman's predicament, and others not grasping why it may be annoying.
One wrote: "Door or dash cam, send a letter to them (and a copy to yourself) stating that if any damage occurs you'll hold them liable.
"Make sure you actually can hold them liable in case you need to follow through, but if you're able to charge them on vandalism the parents should react a bit more appropriately."
Someone suggested a more practical way to get the kids to stop, commenting: "These situations always occur in neighbourhoods. Your best bet is to avoid confrontation.
"A camera on your car protects you in the rare instance the ball somehow damages the paint."
"Get a dash cam", another insisted.
Someone questioned: "How is a basketball going to hurt your car?", and it received the response: "You've got to be kidding. It can dent, break a window, and knock off mirrors."
Another fumed: "I am awestruck by the amount of people who don’t understand that it’s not okay to allow their kids to throw balls at other people's property."
What would you do in this situation? Let us know in the comments.
