Actually - funny and sad at the same time. These kids are going to have no chance at a normal adult life.

Glad to see you are back to semi-normal anyway. Feel free to keep posting your NFH stories... I commisserate with you.

Funny how times have changed.
In another era, the neighbors would have picked up their own tools and offered to lend a hand, instead of watching and waiting for something funny to happen. In another era, neighbors and extended families took a part in educating the young, in this case the art of building something.

Too bad that these people seemed to have burned the necessary bridges to get a helping hand from the folks next door. Ya reap what ya sow!

My kids are only 17, 18, 21 & 23 and the neighbors were different then. They knew whatever they did - it'll get back to Mom & Dad. Anyone of 3 to 4 neighbors over here would have helped out, but we aren't going anywhere near the unruly little you-know-whats. You see it's also the village hangout for all their little friends, who act just like them.
My house was the "kool-aid house" when mine were growing up, everyone came to our house (they could only have water or kool-aid - I'm not feedin em) so that I knew where they were, who with, and what they were doin. The 17 & 18 still have their friends come here the majority of the time. Believe me I think the other Moms/Dads were grateful their kids were under my watchful eye, and I didn't allow the shenanigans either.

Yeah - kids back then knew they would get in BIG trouble for mouthing off for an adult.

New age parents defend them and think of reasons the kid would want to do it. They could see their kid robbing a store on video tape and say it's not "my child".

My kids would get a major grounding for having a bad attitude. Probably the reason so many parents LOVE when my kids come to play at their house. I get the "your kids are so polite!"... hopefully my kids will raise theirs with manners too.

Ain't it the truth. although there are some good kids out there. My daughter just walked up to the store, and a kid on a bike about 10 or 11 said excuse me for riding around her on the sidewalk. I think she was alittle shocked after putting up with the screamers. And I know mine are always getting funny looks from their elders for holding open doors, saying excuse me, etc.

Yep - In the 50's, my mother would tell me that "her spies were everywhere" and put the fear of god in me; sure enough, if I strayed, she heard about it and then I did!! Learned very early not to stray, lie, try to hide, cheat, etc. I'm still that way and have been called a PITA, but that's the way it goes. I can look at myself in the mirror every day. Both sons can too.

I guess I spoke too soon. It started around 5 pm this evening, the boom box on the porch roof turned up so loud it was scratchy. we were hoping the speakers would blow. Then the hammering on the "deck", and then all the friends showed up. Chasing each other down the middle of the street screaming at the tops of their lungs, obsenities every other word. I turned my scanner on to see if anyone would call. Sure enough a lady from the next block over called the cops. Half an hour later and no cop, I'd had enough and called 911 (so it's taped) stepped to my front door (it's on an angle and the neighbors can't see me) and held the phone out, asked the dispatcher if she could hear it. She says "yes Ma'am", I asked when the police would be arriving since they were requested by a resident of the other block to come investigate. They were here within 2 minutes. That was at 9 p.m. It's midnight and the kids are coming and going, albeit quietly. My daughter suggests if we have to call again we should request an unmarked car, as they see the cruiser coming - yell "s-it, cops" and turn the boom box off. Also, the officer was really interested in what they were building and all the crap all over the front lawn, so we'll see if codes comes now.
Hopefully they aren't home schooled and will go away during the days - beginning next week!!!

"Funny how times have changed.
In another era, the neighbors would have picked up their own tools and offered to lend a hand, instead of watching and waiting for something funny to happen. In another era, neighbors and extended families took a part in educating the young, in this case the art of building something."

Nowadays, if you went over and helped them and something went wrong, you'd get sued! No good deed goes unpunished these days!

I can relate.

There is a group of three houses on one property up the street that I call the WTC (White Trash Compound). Over the years, we've met some of the kids/adults who live there. From what I've heard from the other neighbors, they take in a lot of foster kids. There is one woman, "the mom" who I see the most often. She seems sort of normal, and takes one of her children (not sure if this kid is foster or not) to the bus stop every morning. It seems like most of the other kids have disabilities, and go to other schools, or stay at home. She also has an adult brother who hangs out in front of the property smoking cigarettes most of the day. He always looks very dirty, and he also supposedly has learning disabilities (there is definitely something wrong with him). They don't really cause any problems, but their property is a mess. Lots of garbage everywhere, old vehicles etc. This morning while we were waiting at the bus stop, two teenaged girls came out of the house and started swearing and beating each other up!!! I took my kindergartener back in the house because I didn't want her to see/hear it. The "mother" actually came out of the house and was watching them swing at each other. Finally, she told them to take their argument inside. It was very strange. Luckily, they live about 5 houses away. If I had to live next door/across from them, I don't know what I would do.

"White Trash Compound" - that is hilarious! LOL! You made my day.

Note, if their old vehicles do not have up-to-date plates and registration (if they are deadbeats, then chances are good), they will be removed around here. You can try calling them in to get those removed if they bother your neighborhood.

Not to highjack the thread, but thanks for the tip klimkm! It's kind of sad because everyone else in the neighborhood tries to keep things clean and looking nice. A few of our neighbors have painted their houses lately and done landscaping. The White Trash Compound is definitely the neighborhood eye sore.

Yeah, there's always a few bad apples in every basket (i.e. neighborhood) isn't there? Oh well...

I sympathize with you folks & the noisy neighbors, been there, had to listen to that. On the other side of the spectrum, we live on a very quiet dead end road in a suburb. The guy who owns the large property across the street lets his brother live there free. Now, the brother has no job and goes up to the bar every morning when it opens and stumbles home every day about noon (hence our nickname for him, "Stumbly Legs"). We've had to help him up a few times or the cops bring him home. His sisters clean the house, bring him food and they all enable him to live that way because THE GOVERNMENT GIVES THEM MONEY FOR HIM BEING DISABLED. But we hope they never sell out, we're happy with the nice quiet drunk living across the street.

Ok, I got excited and started a new thread - it's around here somewhere. Anyway, codes got involved - the dumpster arrived; the "porch" they built was ripped down, the car was towed away, the previous tenants stuff was dumped or hauled out and the yard was shoveled into the dumpster. The landlord has been there to oversee all this. We're still waiting to see what he got hit with about the porch and steps the kids tore down. Right now their front steps are the risers and 3 cement blocks which are too high off the ground (all against code). Weekdays and weeknights are quiet (they do attend public school), but the weekends are still free entertainment. We have discovered it's not just the kids screaming - the "mom" was out front last night screaming like a drill sgt (now we know where the kids get it) and every other word was a cuss word. She quit during the villages bicentennial fireworks and then started up again. I checked that website NFH but compared to their stories - mine will remain 'free entertainment'.

Yeah, most places are weird about the step thing... as many people get hurt on steps when they ARE to code.