As most of you know, I have an ongoing struggle with insomnia. This is often aggravated by severe weather changes or noise. We moved out to the middle of the boonies for peace and quiet, the area where the elderly and quiet seekers retire to. After living far too close to a woman with kids who was often caught trespassing as well as peering through our windows, we got in to the habit of closing blinds, pulling curtains and basically securing our privacy.
That kind of behavior always pisses me off, while at the same time baffling me. I just don't get people like her.
Lately, however, I have a hard time sleeping due to noise. Lots of noise. Unnecessary noise.
There are some neighbors with kids, not bad people, just incapable of controlling their kids. While the occasional foray into the yard to retrieve a ball, or chase their dog is one thing, the day long camping out under my bedroom window and shrieking like banshees does no good for my health. Or my sleep.
Of these kids, one in particular really needs a muzzle. This litttle guy stands and screams bloody murder for no damn reason at all. He just likes to scream. The sound rips through my every nerve as my heart races and I fear the bloody stump of a severed appendage.
Last week he woke me SIX times as I tried to sleep. Then once I was unable to get back to sleep, the little shit ran back and forth across the porch, shrieking and thumping to the point we could not hear what we were trying to watch online. With my stress level hitting a hard 9 on a scale of 0 to 10, I asked Cain to tell this kid to go away. After he did so, the kid was back in less than fifteen minutes, at it again.
The family has said they try to keep the kids in their own yard, but the kids do not obey. We have a really good sized yard, it came with the house, y'know? We can't help it if other yards are smaller or larger. But some folks seem to think abusing it is A-Okay. Well, it isn't.
If the kids would not scream for no reason, and would stay off the porch it would not be so bad. I am not unreasonable. But I do not feel it is my responsibility to watch a slew of ill mannered, wild kids. They are not my children, nor are they my burden nor my joy.
A problem that I have run into over and over, is that people with kids (not all, just some) seem to feel it is up to the rest of us to expend our energies, money and time watching over their offspring. While I want to be neighborly, we did move out here for the QUIET. I do not need another stroke nor heart attack, especially when it could be entirely avoided.
I don't feel that it is asking too much for parents to PARENT. If you choose to have kids, then raise them already. Teach them, guide them and for God's sake do not be afraid to enforce your rules.
If you told your kid to stay out of the neighbor's yard and he refuses to obey, then sit his ass down for a time out.
If he screams after being told to stop it, sit his ass down and make him be quiet.
For those who are incapable of this, let me give you some tips. If it screams, squirt it in the face with a spray bottle (of course make sure it is clean and has had no chemicals in it EVER!) Kids get the message quickly.
If the situation involves tresspassing, sit them down and make them watch the other kids at play. Usually a 10 minute time out is enough. If he/she keeps trying to get up before the time out is up, sit them back down and restart the timer. If you are consistent and persistent, they will get it.
As I've said, I try to be reasonable. I try to be a good neighbor. But damn! This has become a daily infringement of noise and stress. If the weather hits 45 or more, this screaming child and half a dozen or more are screaming in our yard, raising seven shades of hell.
Like I've said, I have no problem with them fetching wayward toys or chasing their dog(s) back home. I get it, kids are kids. But this repetitious crowding really makes me feel stressed and put upon.
Some of it, I know, is because of the crazy assed peeping Tom lady who used to live out here. And the daft churchy folk who bang on the door and scream time to get on the Jesus trolley at 7 a.m. ! Ugh. Idiots. If I am not in your church, I do not wish to be in your church. No amount of telling me I am going to hell will change my mind. As a matter of fact, around these preachy harpy types I'm pretty sure hell is already here.
Anyway, I just want my quiet. I've tried numerous sleep aids, use ear plugs and white noise. I've tried everything reasonable, now I just want others to be a little respectful of the rest of us. Just because we don't have kids, or have already raised ours, does not mean we want to raise yours.
As it stands, if screamer boy doesn't shut up, I think I'll be buying his parents a gift: a ball gag. I know they aren't made for that purpose, but it is a step in the right direction.
Parents, muzzle your overly loud children, before your neighbors do.
By the way, it is impossible to write when this screaming is going on, or you are so sleep deprived you have seen only 10 hours in the past seven days!
