"But can't THEY hear it too?"

A few doors down from us, there is a family with two young children.

All day, every day, one of these children alternates between shrieking (you know, that kind of shrieking that goes right through you) and crying.

My dad, who is off work at the moment and is home all day, has been subject to this all week while he's been sorting out the back garden. He's a fairly patient sort of bloke, but these kids have really tested his patience.

You see, the parents don't seem to do much about this screeching.  God knows if we can hear it, they must hear it louder?  Why would you ignore it?  Why live like that? 

I'm not a massively maternal person.  I like children when they say terribly profound things, or when they inadvertently embarass their parents - for example the story my therapist told me about the little boy in the supermarket with his parents who, after being told he couldn't have chocolate, announced to his mother and all the shoppers in the vicinity; "If you don't let me have a Mars bar I'll tell Grandma that I saw you licking Daddy's willy".

Badly behaved children are a problem for me.  In restaurants, or shops - but especially when I've been at work all day and I want to chill in my back garden with a glass of wine and talk to the cat that isn't ours (more on her another time).

Yesterday, Dad was pushed to the point that he ended up yelling "Would you just SHUT THOSE KIDS UP".  Shortly thereafter he saw both children being put into their carseats and taken out for the afternoon, leaving him with a bit of peace to do what he was doing.

I've just got back from having my hair done and they're back at it again.

Is it wrong that I'm considering giving social services a quick call, just saying how concerned I am about all the screaming?

I mean, it may just be a phase (my friend Su's little ones went through the same thing, albeit on a lesser scale I think) but what if it isn't and I have to put up with it for the rest of the summer they're actually hurting the children?

Comments

[Dena]

My daughter is nearly eight years old now but when she was around three, she decided to pitch a fit (the howling, shrieking, arms-and-legs a'flippin' kind of fit) inside of Walmart. I dragged her outside and made her get it out of her system and told her she couldn't go back inside until she was finished acting like a brat. Eventually, she became pretty self-conscious of everyone looking at her like "Dammit, kid. Shut up!" that she finally did. It was the first and last time she's ever done that.

It's hard to say what's going on but sometimes children will behave differently (usually better) when other adults call them out when they're acting like little a-holes. Maybe you and dad should just stare at these kids or tell them how ridiculous they sound. Either way, it's their parents' fault - whether by abuse or bad parenting. Good luck.

[HereInFranklin]

Shrieking neighbors would drive me crazy. My comparable experience is this...my neighbor (who does not work outside the home) usually chooses the exact moment I take my wine and magazine onto my deck to start her lawn mower. (You have to understand that we have REALLY large lawns and the mowing takes a hour.) Why can't she do it earlier? Why does she have to start at 6 p.m.? Why isn't she drinking like normal people?

[Beth]

Dena - Thats what may parents did if I acted up - "Everyone in here is looking at you" - soon snapped me right out of it! I don't really think there is anything physical going on, I just think its lazy parenting as it is in so many cases these days. Its easier to let the child do what it wants than to risk going through the worst to get it to do whats right.

HIF - Ohhh, thats just evil. And you're right, why isn't she drinking like normal people? Thats just odd! Maybe you need to go over with a bottle of something strong the next time she starts mowing and suggest that she open it, finish it and if she's still mower-friendly at the end, she can carry on!

[Daniel Hoffmann-Gill]

Taser should sort it.

[Beth]

Daniel - Oh yes, that definitely would!

[blush]

i'm with you beth. can't stand it. i work in a shopping mall and it's horrible. i don't have kids, but i'm with daniel. taser should take care of it. or a mouthful of cookies, heh

[Beth]

Blush - I don't envy you at all, but at least you've got the cookies to bribe them with! x

[Su]

Hmm! Depends how old they are and what the shrieking is about! They could be playing harmlessly, could be seeking attention from parents who don't pay them any, or yeah, could be being hurt. Mine both went through it very very early (I mean, like, 10 months or so) discovering their vocal chords, which all kids do. And then again at probably about two for Ella, but fortunately Molly hasn't started it again yet.

Some parents believe ignoring it and it will go away - maybe they are those type of people. But unfortunately kids need to be told in order to learn. How do they know it's bad if the parents ignore it? On the other hand, they could be yelling because they get yelled at and don't know any different. Swings and roundabouts eh.

If you call social services you may get the parents backs up, especially now your dad has yelled at them. But another suggestion may be to call your local doctors surgery and get the number for the health visitor working in that area and she could just "pop by" and see how they're doing. They are obliged to do that till the kids are 5. If they are older, then I dunno, just get your dad to shout some more, it will soon put them in their place - I've heard his shouting! :P