We are the terrible, horrible, no good..

Parent Cafe
1

<p>very bad, neighbors !</p>

<p>We moved to our neighborhood in our new city about two years ago. Very pretty wooded area, nice houses, large lots. Just nineteen houses in our development. We are located at the top of the cul de sac. Some of our neighbors are really nice. Some…well, they are different!</p>

<p>The neighbors immediately next to us on one side pulled their 5 children out of the local Christian private school because it was too liberal for them. The mother is supposedly homeschooling them, but the children never seem to be doing anything other than running around the neighborhood completely unsupervised (they range from about 16 down to 7).</p>

<p>We have had a few unusual run-ins with them. </p>

<p>They asked that we not let our dog out into our back yard at night because their three dogs (who stay outside at night, although they are allowed in their house during the day?) start barking and won’t stop, and other neighbors are upset at the barking. (They also bark at the deer and other animal creatures, of course…they basically bark all night long).</p>

<p>They objected to my 23 year old son playing poker and having a beer or two while
barbecuing on our deck with his friends when he house and dog sat when H and I went on vacation (they did not want their children exposed to cards or alcohol!).</p>

<p>They insist that my son and his friends performed a satanic ritual in our back yard when they did Havdalah on a Saturday night to end the Jewish Sabbath (for those who don’t know, it is a beautiful sung prayer that involves passing around a glass of wine, an aromatic spice box, and a braided candle. On this one, I could understand their concern but I gave them an article on the ceremony that I printed out for them, and brought over the articles used so they could see them–it didn’t help, they still believe we practice witchcraft. </p>

<p>So we have just a lovely relationship.</p>

<p>Which brings me to today. Early this morning I took my 81 year old neighbor who lives across from me on the street at the corner of my cul-de-sac to the hospital to visit her husband, who fell over the weekend.</p>

<p>Later this morning, I took my dog for a walk, and while I was walking the dog I saw several people in her house and a car I did not recognize parked in front of her house. Her son is flying in from Idaho later today.</p>

<p>So I called 911, and two police cars responded…and arrested five teen boys, including 2 of my neighbors’ sons.</p>

<p>Apparently this group of kids is suspected of a number of recent burglaries in our area.</p>

<p>The parents are livid with me! They say I should have called them first—but I had no idea their children were in the house as I could not see faces, just bodies moving around in the windows when no one should have been there at all.</p>

<p>And even if I had known who was in there… I still think 911 was the right call to make.</p>

<p>Right now I am keeping a low profile, almost hiding in my own house …if I show my face, they run out of their house and scream at me.</p>

<p>The police are aware of what’s going on, and they are patrolling…</p>

<p>I’m sure a lot of you have wonderful neighbors too…</p>

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<p>Sounds like it may be time for a restraining order! :slight_smile: Seriously, if they come out and scream at you, call the police. They will stop doing it. 911 was definitely the right call.</p>

3

<p>Would a burglar park in front of the house they are in?</p>

4

<p>Sounds like they are nut jobs.</p>

<p>You did the right thing. So dont worry about it. If they do something towards you, call the cops.</p>

5

<p>Yes they would. That happened to my cross the street neighbors. I called the cops, they didn’t catch the burglars, but yeah they were trying to break into the house.</p>

<p>Your neighbors are scary odd.</p>

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<p>I think you were correct in calling 911. You were protecting your dear neighbor lady and her poor husband. </p>

<p>I can tell by your post that you are a very considerate neighbor and I would be thrilled to have you on my block. </p>

<p>My next move would be to build a latticed wall on “their” side of the deck. Maybe a year ago someone posted a link to an “anti bark” device that you can hang in your tree and it emits a high pitched sound that will be painful to the ears of the night crawler canines.:p</p>

<p>I am going to google Havdalah. It sounds beautiful!</p>

7

<p>I would have called the cops too. I’m a bit confused–were they in the elderly neighbor’s house or the wacko neighbor’s house? (assuming the elderly).</p>

<p>See, me, being me, would have to put weird stuff on my lawn–call it early Halloween Decor :D, I would invite my son and friends over for a weekly poker game on the deck, etc. until I saw the for sale sign go up :p</p>

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<p>If you are PC-savvy at all you should get a camera, plug it into the computer, point it at the neighbors’ yard and record everything that goes on over there.</p>

9

<p>You were right.
911 is for checking out things that don’t look right.
(If you see something, say something.)
I agree with SteveMA – time for the early Halloween decor. Pier 1 has some cool stuff.</p>

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<p>Our next door neighbors once called the police because “there was an abandoned car parked in front of their house”. The car belonged to my 18 year old son and had for 2 1/2 years. The police asked us if we knew who owned it and I told them. I asked if he should move it and they told us that he was legally allowed to park there and not to worry. The car had been “abandoned” for all of about three hours.</p>

<p>But your neighbors still sound way worse. I defnitely think you did the right thing in calling 911.</p>

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<p>Except for a few VERY minor differences, I could have sworn you were talking about my aunt and uncle. </p>

<p>I think you did the right thing… but I’m a bit confused. Which house were they in? I’m assuming the elderly neighbor’s in which case, you absolutely did the right thing. Let 'em scream. If they get too bad, get some kind of PPO. Sounds like the whole family has some screws lose- those poor kids :(</p>

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<p>It’s not the dogs’ fault that their humans are idiots :(</p>

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<p>I think you are being very generous. They have no right to complain about your of-age son having beer and playing cards ON HIS OWN PROPERTY! Maybe if there was loud music after midnight (if they could hear it over the dogs, that is :smiley: ).</p>

<p>And I don’t think I would have even tried to explain Havdalah to them - it’s none of their business, even if you were performing a satanic ritual!</p>

<p>Is there a local CPS or somewhere you can call to report that the kids are not being schooled? I don’t know your state, but different states have different regs on what has to be done for a homeschooling certificate.</p>

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<p>Surfcity, that’s a great idea. Get them in trouble for that and they won’t have time to think about boysx3.</p>

<p>boysx3, everything you’ve done has been exactly right. I agree with the possibility of the lattice or fence between your property and theirs. I hope you can get in your car by going through the garage, so you don’t have to show your face for the next few weeks. Not that you have anything to hide or be ashamed of, but just to keep the peace.</p>

14

<p>Wow, you’re such terrible neighbors that I want to send you the real estate listing for the house for sale three doors down from me on our street. Especially having raised a child who makes havdalah (possibly my favorite ritual). The NERVE! (And your neighbors seem very nosy…)</p>

<p>While I’m open to the concept that the neighbors are “unschooling” their kids, which to outsiders looks like chaos, I think your decision to call 911 was hands-down the best call.</p>

15

<p>I think you did exactly the right thing. Your elderly neighbor was at the hospital visiting her husband so the people you saw inside her home obviously didn’t belong there. </p>

<p>Since two of the teens who broke into this home were your next door neighbor’s children it kind of makes me question whether their parents really pulled the children out of the Christian private school because it was “too liberal.” Perhaps the children were asked to leave the school because of their behavior?</p>

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<p>I think coffeebean may be on to something.</p>

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<p>If you saw something strange going on at your elderly neighbors home why in the world would you be expected to call your whackaloon next door neighbor? Think about it, if you did she’d be all over you for suggesting her angels had anything to do with it! There’s no logic to it. </p>

<p>You did the right thing. Whackaloon is just angry because her kids got busted and she’s not a nice person.</p>

18

<p>coffebean has a point… I second VH.</p>

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<p>Check into your local pet ordinance. Many cities only allow 2 dogs…then you could report them. </p>

<p>It is also YOUR neighborhood. Please don’t let the whack jobs keep you inside your house…</p>

<p>We have a nut case in our neighborhood that we call “Mad Marie”. She recently asked everyone to by one of those Japanese beetle traps/lures and then proceeded to march up and down the street ranting about how this was everyone else’s fault because 1000’s of beetles from the neighborhood moved to her yard. (she was the only one with a trap/lure):p</p>

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<p>One, you should file a nuisance complaint (with the police) for the barking dogs. You do not need to put up with barking dogs all night.</p>

<p>Two, you cannot get a restraining order against someone for screaming at you. A restraining order is to protect you from a credible threat of harm . . . not mere unpleasantness.</p>

<p>Three, I think the latticework idea is wonderful!</p>

<p>But I have one question . . . You say that they objected to this, complained about that, and so on, and so on. How, exactly, are they communicating with you? If it’s by phone, stop taking their calls. If they’re coming to the house, stop answering the door. If they’re accosting you on the street, just keep walking. They’ve shown their true colors - there’s no longer any need for you to try to be a “good neighbor.”</p>

<p>Oh, and about those kids . . . if they really are running around the neighborhood unsupervised, call child protective services and report them. They can sort out whether or not the family is conforming with local regulations regarding homeschooling.</p>

<p>And about they’re not liking your son’s Havdalah ceremony . . . not liking it is one thing. Trying to interfere with it is something else entirely. If they should ever do anything to interfere with your family’s religious observance, they could well run afoul of your state’s hate crimes law. It doesn’t sound like they’ve done anything so far other than gripe . . . but if they ever do, just know that you have rights.</p>