46 replies to this topic

[cw68]

Sounds like a game we used to play, Ditch. Two blocks as territory, every kid who lived in those two blocks played, two teams. Played until well after dark and every yard (except the one with the really mean dog) was in bounds. We did this for years. Then again, in the Midwest people aren't all freaked out about their "property" and you only have a fence if you have a good you need to keep in. Otherwise, the yards are all open to each other.

Man, let's let kids be kids!

[mylo]

Otherwise, the yards are all open to each other.

That always weirds me out. I've had fences my whole life. Can't imagine not having privacy in my own back yard...

[Robert Giacometti]

I don't have any fences for my yard and see people walking through frequently.

Usually they have light rail passes and are carrying catalytic converters.

I investigated setting up a toll booth, but its a 2 year process to get the permit for approval to build it and I have to provide subsidies for those who can't afford it and then keep records on everyone so I'm not discriminating against any class that has been declared disadvantaged.

I then had to construct a paved path to meet the requirements for Disability Act.

The State Assembly rushed through legislation taxing any funds raised through toll booths on private land. Then they went out and granted funding for additional programs based upon their new revenue source and held a big press conference touting their success.

So then I decided to just to build a fence, but was sued because I was taking away the established rights of others to walk through my yard without my permission, called a mean spirited racist ( because anyone who wants to build a fence to keep people out has to be a racist)and of course selfish for thinking about my own privacy and security.

Since I'm a small part American Indian & Italian I'm now exploring forming my own tribe, building casino and avoiding all of these requirements.

[chris v]

Yep, it's a game called burglary he was trying to play.

Maybe he was trying to get in the backdoor....

[Bill Z]

Sounds like a game we used to play, Ditch. Two blocks as territory, every kid who lived in those two blocks played, two teams. Played until well after dark and every yard (except the one with the really mean dog) was in bounds. We did this for years. Then again, in the Midwest people aren't all freaked out about their "property" and you only have a fence if you have a good you need to keep in. Otherwise, the yards are all open to each other.

Man, let's let kids be kids!

I have no problem with letting good kids be good kids. If my yard wasn't fenced like they are back east, I could see kids going through my yard. but my fence is there for a reason, so stay out if you aren't invited in. As a kid I hopped fences, but never into a strangers backyard.
Across the street, we always hopped from my friends house into the school yard as it was shorter than walking around the block. At a another friends house, we hopped his back fence to get to the drainage ditch to play in. But I was raised to respect people's private property.
I expect others to respect my property as well.

[john]

I think it's OK if you know the kid. We used to do this too when we were kids (playing hide and go seek or some kind of ambush game), but then again, everyone knew one another where we grew up.

Some random kid you've never seen before (or a kid you don't trust)? Nuh-uh. I'd be tempted to call the cops, but more likely to tell my neighbors. I'd say your best course of action is talking to neighbors (Get to know them if you have never chatted before). Nothing is more effective than neighbors looking out for one another.

[wrabbit]

Yeah, kids need to play...but....

When we lived in our last house, I heard a sound, like something hitting my garage, and went out to my front yard to see what it was. Turns out, the kid across the street had been told not to throw his ball against his houses garage door, so he crossed the street and started throwing it against ours. I told him to stop.

The week before, we had come home to find one our windows in the front of the house, broken.
We didn't know how it happened, but knew it just didn't break itself. It costs us $300. dollars to repair it, because it was a duel paned window.

After I caught that kid throwing his ball against our garage door the following week, I had a feeling he had broken out window too. But I could prove it.....

His, or somebody's fun, cost me $300. dollars. Nice.

[sat]

If I saw someone if my backyard, a stranger, I sure would be calling the police. I am a little mistified that some people think it is OK. If my kids happen to kick a soccer ball (thankfully, not often) over our fence, and into our neighbor's backyard, I don't let them climb the fence to retrieve it, and we know our neighbors well. I make the kids go to the front door, and if they aren't home, they have to do without their ball until someone gets home to let them in the backyard.

I view my backyard as an extension of my home, and I wouldn't just want anyone walking in to my home because it was a fun game.

We live in a quiet court, so the children can all play outside, and it's free reign with the doorbell ditching, the riding their bikes on every house's driveway, and the hide and seek. But just don't go into a backyard without permission.

[wrabbit]

"We live in a quiet court, so the children can all play outside, and it's free reign with the doorbell ditching, the riding their bikes on every house's driveway, and the hide and seek. But just don't go into a backyard without permission." Sat

Wow, that sounds like the neighborhood we just moved from!

I guess there's no need to ask you how your front lawn looks....because with how you are describing the situation, it probably looks like mine did.....very unloved.

In our old neighborhood, the people thought it more important for the kids to have fun, in whatever way they wanted, than to have a decent looking front yard.

That's why we moved. We sold our house to like minded people, who had four kids, so everybody was pleased as punch!

[sat]

My yard is not "unloved", the same with any of my neighbors' yards. We set boundaries for the kids, and if they are caught riding their bikes on the lawn, they are reprimanded, whether it being no bike privileges for a week, or whatever. My kids know, that as their parents, we take pride in our landscaping, and, hopefully, realize the hard work that it takes to maintain it. Most of the time they are respectful of our hard work. And, yes, I do get their rear out there to help out!

[DrKoz23]

Sounds like a game we used to play, Ditch. Two blocks as territory, every kid who lived in those two blocks played, two teams. Played until well after dark and every yard (except the one with the really mean dog) was in bounds. We did this for years. Then again, in the Midwest people aren't all freaked out about their "property" and you only have a fence if you have a good you need to keep in. Otherwise, the yards are all open to each other.

Man, let's let kids be kids!

That's what I loved about the Midwest. No fences! You really got to know your neighbors well. It was odd moving out here and seeing fences everywhere... but I got used to it.

I can now understand having fences out here... the lots are smaller.

[wrabbit]

My yard is not "unloved", the same with any of my neighbors' yards. We set boundaries for the kids, and if they are caught riding their bikes on the lawn, they are reprimanded, whether it being no bike privileges for a week, or whatever. My kids know, that as their parents, we take pride in our landscaping, and, hopefully, realize the hard work that it takes to maintain it. Most of the time they are respectful of our hard work. And, yes, I do get their rear out there to help out!

That's great! I feel kids should be taught to respect property and also how to take care of it. I imagine most kids in Folsom don't know the first thing about mowing a lawn, by the numbers of gardeners on our street every week. When I was a kid, I had to mow both front and back lawns to get my allowance...if I trimmed bushes I got more. I got smart and started mowing neighbors lawns and after saving for about a year, bought my very first car. Haaa, those were the days!

Now days, you can't find a kid to mow your lawn.

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[cw68]

"We live in a quiet court, so the children can all play outside, and it's free reign with the doorbell ditching, the riding their bikes on every house's driveway, and the hide and seek. But just don't go into a backyard without permission." Sat

Wow, that sounds like the neighborhood we just moved from!

I guess there's no need to ask you how your front lawn looks....because with how you are describing the situation, it probably looks like mine did.....very unloved.

In our old neighborhood, the people thought it more important for the kids to have fun, in whatever way they wanted, than to have a decent looking front yard.

That's why we moved. We sold our house to like minded people, who had four kids, so everybody was pleased as punch!

I admit, I think it's more important for my kids to play outside than to have the perfect lawn. Our lawn looks bad, we've been fighting with it for two years and we like to garden, it's just so rocky and the soil stinks AND we're on a decline so the water just hits the hardpan and rolls off. Drives me up the wall! But, the non-lawn looks great and we really work hard at making it look nice.

That said, there is a big dirt spot where the tree swing is. I'd much rather have my kids enjoying the big tree and playing with the neighbor kids in the front yard than any perfect patch of climate-wrong lawn. Our kids have trees that mark each of the bases and they spend hours each week out front when the weather is nice. Luckily, my neighbors (whose lawn looks GREAT darnit) feel the same way and their front yard is an extension of ours.

My kids know not to ride their bikes on the lawn or do anything that destructive. In fact, they have weekly gardening duties, too, which they love. They weed, pick up acorns, rake, etc. It's a great family activities. My kids also don't walk on other people's lawns, I've always been very strict about this. They know to use sidewalks and driveways and respect other people's lawns.

But geesh, how hard must it be to be a kid today?

[swmr545]

But geesh, how hard must it be to be a kid today?

There's a difference between a kid and someone who is at least a Junior in high school. How happy and understanding would you be if you saw someone jumping over your fence from your backyard?

Or if you were woken up in the middle of the night to noises in your backyard and you saw a kid hiding out in it?

[wrabbit]

I admit, I think it's more important for my kids to play outside than to have the perfect lawn. Our lawn looks bad, we've been fighting with it for two years and we like to garden, it's just so rocky and the soil stinks AND we're on a decline so the water just hits the hardpan and rolls off. Drives me up the wall! But, the non-lawn looks great and we really work hard at making it look nice.

That said, there is a big dirt spot where the tree swing is. I'd much rather have my kids enjoying the big tree and playing with the neighbor kids in the front yard than any perfect patch of climate-wrong lawn. Our kids have trees that mark each of the bases and they spend hours each week out front when the weather is nice. Luckily, my neighbors (whose lawn looks GREAT darnit) feel the same way and their front yard is an extension of ours.

My kids know not to ride their bikes on the lawn or do anything that destructive. In fact, they have weekly gardening duties, too, which they love. They weed, pick up acorns, rake, etc. It's a great family activities. My kids also don't walk on other people's lawns, I've always been very strict about this. They know to use sidewalks and driveways and respect other people's lawns.

But geesh, how hard must it be to be a kid today?

When I was a kid my parents made me and my brother play in the back yard....told us we were lucky we didn't have to play in the streets like some kids did, who lived in the projects. In those days people bought houses with large back yards for their kids to play in, and they were expected to play in them, not out on the street or in the front yard.

And, there is a big difference between a child making a worn spot in the lawn to swing on his own swing, and a kid driving over other peoples lawns. The most pleasant yard I ever saw was obviously one which had children playing, but it still looked well cared for. The children managed to play without tearing the flower beds up, trampling the bushes or breaking the limbs off the trees. And, not one window was broken.

On the other hand, I've seen children so destructive, they managed to break almost every window in front of their house, tear all the grass from the lawn and no flowers, or bushes were left standing after they had only been in their new house for a month. With these kind of children, it's best to keep them in the back yard.

I don't think people of any age should be trespassing on other peoples property. And if I find anyone trespassing on mine, the police will be called.

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