Neighbour who moaned about children playing out told…

Neighbour who moaned about children playing out told to 'stick his ridiculous request'

A mum has been told to refuse her "entitled" neighbour's "ridiculous" request to keep her children indoors on a hot summer's day because he had "very important" meetings.

Neighbourly relations can be tricky to navigate, but this mum was baffled by the demand from next door. Her neighbour, who stressed he has a "very important job" negotiating "multi-million dollar contracts every day" has relocated his home office to the ground floor of his house, which used to be an empty guest bedroom, and now is spending his working day "on the boundary between" their gardens".

With the school holidays still ongoing, the mum has welcomed her 10-year-old son's friends round, where they've enjoyed playing in the garden and making the most of the warmer weather. The neighbour is unimpressed with this, and claimed the children were distracting him as he worked.

He then asked her keep the children inside until he finished work at 6.30pm. The mum was stunned and refused his request, but his "confidence" made her doubt whether she was in the wrong or not.

She shared her dilemma on Mumsnet's popular Am I Being Unreasonable (AIBU) thread, where her post was met with hundreds of responses, with many branding the neighbour "entitled". 99% of people voted she was not being unreasonable by refusing to keep the children indoors.

These were some of the comments left by Echo readers after reading the story. Sandra Loftus said: "If his job is so very important and he negotiates million dollar deals all day suggest he rents some office space! Some people have an absolute nerve!"

June Edge said: "Well with all his money.. why is he living in a family area.. and not a Mansion with ground. This is [your] home .. not an industrial unit. Your garden is your safe place for your children… laughter and fun. Pass this lovely gentleman a nice cuppa and tell him to keep his voice down and windows closed… as you have children who need to play until 6.30."

Debra Kirwan said: "Hope she told him where to stick his ridiculous request." But Paula Green commented: "All parents should teach their children to be considerate and respectful of the neighbours".

Another Echo reader quipped: "My reply to him if he lived next door to me would not have been as calm. My reply would have been are you for real followed by 2 words the 2nd one being off". And another said: "Thought I'd heard it all till I read this story. I would hire a 10 piece band at the weekend and serenade this upstart of a neighbour."

Allison Metcalf said: "If you're going to live in a community. Expect community type noises. If he wants the quiet life. He should move."

Patsy Stephens said: "You can't stop kids enjoying themselves in their own garden, after a certain time of day then maybe quieten down as everyone is entitled to peace. I work nights and have had workies, kids playing in the front and back gardens but if you are tired you'll sleep. To ask to keep your kids indoors in this heat is just cruel and taking their right away from expression. If he works from home like I do then maybe he needs to find a different location in his house to hold his calls the tool".

Irene Cox commented: "Well he would certainly be getting told where to go by me. The cheek of some people is astonishing". Donna Anderson added: "I worked nights for years and dreaded summer holidays because I couldn't sleep. At no point would I have ever considered asking my neighbours to keep their children inside. He needs to close the windows and get a decent fan."

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