<p>I am so depressed over the neighbor situation. At this point, he has mounted cameras in both the front and back yards, to point in to our yards and film us. We cannot have company over anymore because people do not want to be in front of the camera. If we go in our front or back yard, we are on video at all times. We tried to put up trees and bushes, but the kids came in to our yard and chopped them down. Now he plays with fire. The police says all this is legal because the kid is only 11 years old. He also has broken our windows with his paintball gun and told us he will kill our children. </p>
<p>Part of me thinks I should send my 8 yr old in to their yard to do something, but I am just not their sort of people. I could never teach my child to do such evil things. </p>
<p>Yesterday, it was 70 degrees out. My 1 and 3 yr old stood at the backdoor, crying to go out, but I could not allow them to go out. I finally told my husband he could take care of them while I took a xanax and went to bed for a few hours. </p>
<p>But then, there is today. I have to face this again today. And then tomorrow, and the next day. It will never end. My children have lost their childhoods. I have to sell off everything in the backyard. The kids climbs the fence and vandalizes what we have. Since he plays with fire, I am afraid he will destroy the rainbow system play set we have. So now, everything is being sold, right down to the sandbox. I told the kids that I will replace their bikes with video games. Life really sucks. And all I can do is sit back and cry and wait for the next damaged thing in the backyard or the next broken window or broken light on the house.</p>
<p>Assuming this is a real post–time to talk to the police again, and get a lawyer to see what you need to do to move forward. I cannot imagine anywhere where it is ‘legal’ to break window, threaten to kill you, and trespass and destroy property. The kid’s behavior is the parent’s responsibility. Soon he will be an age where he CAN be charged with crimes.</p>
<p>Do the parents videotape you or is it the kid? What do the parents say when you talk to them about the camera, and the property damage?</p>
<p>You have you documented things and talked to the parents, right? You have to be careful not to escalate things, but on the other hand, you have the right to use your yard and your kids should be able to play outdoors. </p>
<p>Do NOT send your eight year old into their yard to do anything, that will escalate the situation and put your child in danger.</p>
<p>You need to contact the police again and document everything they tell you and whom you are talking about. Nobody can get away with vandalizing your property even if it is a child. The police may think you are exaggerating and just trying to blow you off. Can you build a very high fence on their side? And I would contact an attorney.</p>
<p>Take pictures and document everything. Everything. Keep a file on this for lawsuits or police action. Take pictures with timestamps on them. If you put up a larger fence or a tree, take a “before” picture, and if any damage is done, you take the “after” picture.</p>
<p>Do not get this neighbor enraged, just be professional and take the steps through the legal system to stop the harassment. Which will probably enrage them, but at least you aren’t having personal contact with them. I wonder if there is a peeping Tom law where they can’t film you on your property.</p>
<p>Great advise above, and I know this doesn’t help in the long term, however do you have public parks that you can at least take your children to. Right now they are quite young but are obviously going to feed off of your anxiety and begin to understand a life of not being able to go outside in their own backyard. As a temporary solution, while you are exploring things discussed above, I would make attempts to find public parks for the children to play and you to have some social time with other mom’s. It’s free, and can be great therapy for everyone.</p>
<p>Again, assuming that this is a legitimate posting, where do you live? Do you have paparazzi laws? Invasion of privacy laws? Or…the guy is threatening my family we need a restraining order? Is he a the guy who will set his camera to invade your privacy in your home? Does he have guns?</p>
<p>What was the trigger in this? </p>
<p>I echo the other posters with their information. Get an attorney, call the police.</p>
<p>We got the police out here and showed them the mounted cameras before Christmas. They said it was legal. The kid was threatening to kill our child with his paintball gun, which apparently shoots hard enough to break the window. We brought the police out then too. I was laughed at and even when I told the officer to leave my house, he refused to go because he was too busy laughing at me. </p>
<p>I called the DA’s office yesterday and spoke to an investigator there. Turns out, where we live, which is Texas, it is only illegal to do that filming if you can prove they are doing something sexual with it.</p>
<p>My husband refuses to stand up for us. A little on that, we have multiple children with autism spectrum disorder. Our oldest has PDD-NOS and our middlest has Aspergers (soon to change when the DSM changes) and our youngest so far is only diagnosed as delayed, but they do not really DX ASD at this age. Anyway, my husband refuses to speak to the police when these things happen. So I look like a complete idiot when I tell the police that my husband saw the kids shooting his office window because my husband works from home, BUT my husband won’t speak to them. In the past, a neuropsych that one of my children saw, when the issue of the genetics of autism came up, and the fact that my kids keep having ASD, she told me it was very obvious to her that my husband likely has ASD too. SO, that would explain, I guess, why he would rather have a divorce, than have to speak to the police about what is going on. </p>
<p>This is where we are at now. Looks like we will be divorcing. My husband told me today that he would rather have a divorce than deal with any of it. I am horribly depressed anyway, so I will go to the doctor to get medication to help get through this. I feel like I am barely holding on anymore because of this. Then, I will work toward packing my things up, and the kids, and us moving on out and on with our lives.</p>
<p>I like that Stockade Fence idea! Maybe you can just put it up on the sides that face the neighbor…with a little bit of barbed wire on top. Well, maybe just the fence. In fact, maybe you can leave the fence that is there already, and just build this one right in front of it. Make sure they get the uglier side.</p>
<p>Since I do not see ordering information on here, do I just go in to the store to buy these panels? I am unsure if these panels are better than what we have. I am guessing they are taller. Our fence is currently 6 feet up. The cross beams are on their side for a portion of the fence so the kid climbs it by stepping on the cross beams and then jumps in our yard. Then he climbs out through the front, where the cross beams are on the inside. Our gate is padlocked.</p>
<p>If it’s just this one issue making everyone crazy, when you move, the problem is gone. I sure wouldn’t divorce over just one disagreement. If you move, problem solved.</p>
<p>Please, please go to your doctor right away for your depression. If you’re already depressed, these sort of stressful situations can make things so much worse. You might see things completely differently when you are feeling better.</p>
<p>I’m always very sorry to hear that you are having so many problems. Not sure why your neighbors are allowing this. What do they gain from making your lives difficult? I don’t get it. Someone earlier asked if you had been able to approach the parents about these things, or is that even an option? Also, do you know what precipitated these events in the first place? You mentioned in the beginning that “at this point” the neighbor had put up cameras. Has something been ongoing for some time with these people?</p>
<p>Oh, and if ANYONE can help with the camera situation, we did buy cameras, but they did not work with our macs. We have macs in the house, not PCs.</p>
<p>This family is just nuts. The kids could not have mounted those cameras themselves. When we first moved in, I went over to introduce themselves. The mom was right in my face rude and nasty. To top it off, I am overweight. So, she makes remarks about that. I don’t care about the weight remarks. But the point is, she is nuts. The dad is never there. When he is, he drinks heavily and talks crude. He was laughing so hard he was practically falling down when his kid, right in front of us and him, was throwing things at my car. We keep our cars parked inside at all times now.</p>
<p>I do hope, that before you try to divorce your husband or take on your neighbors that you seek support from your health care professional. Perhaps the doctor who prescribed you the Xanax? With your heady responsibilities involving your very young children and an already strained relationship with your husband, you might want to get all your own ducks in a row first. It seems as if there are a lot of pressures in your life that you are having a tough time coping with. We all go through this one time or another. Get healthy and strong and you will come up with a solution. It is not easy. Best wishes.</p>
<p>Plant some big shrubs or evergreen trees right in front of the neighbor’s cameras. If he moves cameras, plant more bushes. The cops should throw a net over your neighbor.</p>