To preface, my neighborhood is full of kids age 10-15 who don’t seem to have any supervision. They all ride around on golf carts, four wheelers, electric scooters blaring music, leaving their bikes in the middle of the street, and generally have no respect for anything or anyone. So I was out walking my dog last night, and I walked by a large group of them playing basketball. This kid about 12-14 years old says “Hey, I like your cat. How’d you get that thing on a leash?” Yes, I have a small dog. No big deal. Hilarious joke. This kid’s attitude just really bothered me. I smirked and kept walking and this kid continues to crack jokes at my expense. I get it, he’s showing off in front of his friends, but it’s clear he’s a bully. That doesn’t sit well with me. I knew that I couldn’t say anything that would put this kid in his place so I turned around and walked right to the front door to talk to the homeowners. When he saw what I was doing his tone changed immediately, starts apologizing, and pleads for me not to ring the doorbell. Most of the kids playing ball ran home leaving him standing there shitting bricks. I talk to the mom of the house, turns out this kid doesn’t live there, but she reprimands him anyway. I didn’t feel great about ratting him out, but I’d never been shown such disrespect like this from a kid. My wife is pregnant with our first, and I think I just imagined my own child dealing with a bully like this and I didn’t like it, especially only a few doors down from our home.
I didn’t feel great about ratting him out, but I’d never been shown such disrespect like this from a kid.
at some point in time the kid has to learn about life and that actions have consequences.
hopefully he, and/or a buddy or two of his, learned a lesson.
Agreed. This house is the neighborhood party spot for all the kids with a huge pool, cabana, hot tub. Figured if he’s not welcome there he might actually learn a lesson.
To preface, my neighborhood is full of kids age 10-15 who don’t seem to have any supervision. They all ride around on golf carts, four wheelers, electric scooters blaring music, leaving their bikes in the middle of the street, and generally have no respect for anything or anyone. So I was out walking my dog last night, and I walked by a large group of them playing basketball. This kid about 12-14 years old says “Hey, I like your cat. How’d you get that thing on a leash?” Yes, I have a small dog. No big deal. Hilarious joke. This kid’s attitude just really bothered me. I smirked and kept walking and this kid continues to crack jokes at my expense. I get it, he’s showing off in front of his friends, but it’s clear he’s a bully. That doesn’t sit well with me. I knew that I couldn’t say anything that would put this kid in his place so I turned around and walked right to the front door to talk to the homeowners. When he saw what I was doing his tone changed immediately, starts apologizing, and pleads for me not to ring the doorbell. Most of the kids playing ball ran home leaving him standing there shitting bricks. I talk to the mom of the house, turns out this kid doesn’t live there, but she reprimands him anyway. I didn’t feel great about ratting him out, but I’d never been shown such disrespect like this from a kid. My wife is pregnant with our first, and I think I just imagined my own child dealing with a bully like this and I didn’t like it, especially only a few doors down from our home.
Right move. Kids these days will fabricate things to try to get adults arrested if they intervene on their own. Either grabbing another adult, video, or preferably the parent themselves is a good bet. It’s also best to go ahead and intervene.
In our neighborhood we’ve called the cops on a kid (and the parents) over the kid riding their dirtbike down the greenway at 30+ mph. I say the parents, because if you live in a city and your kid owns a dirtbike that you let them ride around without a license and terrorize people…you’re a piece of shit.
Cops did go to the house. Not sure what happened, but never had a problem with them since. Around the same time, saw a motorcycle police officer go down the greenway. Amazing handling skills to maneuver THAT maze. Maybe the cops chased the kid confiscated the moto and crushed it. No idea.
We’ve got the electric scooter brats in our neighborhood, but generally the houses are far enough apart being an older neighborhood that it isn’t an issue. I say brats because why the fuck does an able bodied child need an electric conveyance device? They’re not off to the club, the store, or anything else. Legs broke? Just rich parents or poor parents with no sense letting their kids have WTF ever they want.
My issue is with the parents, that when confronted about their brat child, either defend the child or themselves using lots of foul language and threats. Real winner there. Someone in the family will probably wind up in jail someday in a scenario like that. Be it the kid or the parent.
It’s just not “PC” for anyone to be held accountable anymore.
Sounds like our neighborhoods are similar. About 70 houses, and there’s at least 10 with a golf cart with huge tires and a sound system. And it’s not some retirement community where you’re puttering around visiting friends. We’re right off a road with 50mph speed limit. One of these days they’re going to take a corner too tight and get blasted by an oncoming car.
Sounds like you made the right move to me. If nobody is willing to step up and intervene, that kind of stuff is only going to get worse. We have a somewhat similar situation in our neighborhood (post). A fair number of neighbors are actively intervening and the authorities are involved.
After years of being yelled at/jeered/taunted while running or biking, like many of us, unless you yell out my SSN, full name and address, I will not look at you when you honk or shout at me from your car, your street corner, your balcony, etc. I’ve already heard it all, kid/girl/dude/guy/woman. At least the youngsters today no longer yell out “Run, Forrest.” Although that gem was at least somewhat quaint in terms of the available arsenal of verbal slings and arrows.
Groups of teenagers can be the worst. Particularly mixed groups, where the boys are looking for any reason, any stimulus, anything, really, to latch onto and prove to the girls that they’re tough or funny. My usual weekday run is along a bike path cutting through a higher income suburb, and kids like to gather on a bridge there, hang out, jump into the creek, and generally comment on whomever happens by. The local bike cops shoo them away about twice a summer, but there’s usually some group there most afternoons.
Running past them isn’t my favorite thing, but my position is there’s little to be had from engaging in some salty back-and-forth. Another story if one of them got in my way or tried to impede me, but whatever. I’m the adult, just ignore the adolescent bullshit and concentrate on the workout.
That’s what I was thinking one day last week when I passed the bridge gang and received no shouts or insults. Great, fine. I turned off the trail and was running down a sidewalk, again, in a well-to-do neighborhood. I passed by a house with a couple kids -I’m guessing 5 and 7 years old- in the drive waiting to get into their Range Rover. The youngest one saw me and resolutely flipped me the bird with both fingers. The 7-year-old saw him do it, started laughing, then did the same.
I admit- that one surprised me, and frankly made me a little sad. As mentioned, I’ve had a lot of shit yelled at me over the years, but usually by teens and adults. I guess you got me, kid. Maybe some day you’ll understand.
Sounds like you made the right move to me. If nobody is willing to step up and intervene, that kind of stuff is only going to get worse. We have a somewhat similar situation in our neighborhood (post). A fair number of neighbors are actively intervening and the authorities are involved.
Oof, that’s a rough situation. I think we’ve had some vandalism (not our house thankfully) as there’s at least 1 or 2 posts a month on the neighborhood facebook page about attempted break-ins. It’s probably just these shitty kids. You can’t afford to not have multiple cameras these days.
sounds to me like you handled it about right. Kids have been doing crazy shit since the dawn of time where the adults don’t approve–especially when it’s a group of kids. Now i’m not talking outright immoral (wilding) illegal (rape) shit. But just general ass hattery. I’ll bet you don’t like their music either and think they dress like punks? Ha.
you’re sounding like you’re Dad. Welcome to the club
now get off my lawn!
/r
I hear ya. I’m fortunate to have a park within a twenty minute drive that has a 10 mile loop and open water swimming. It looks like an IM event every weekend. But runs during the week are often met with the same experience you have.
sounds to me like you handled it about right. Kids have been doing crazy shit since the dawn of time where the adults don’t approve–especially when it’s a group of kids. Now i’m not talking outright immoral (wilding) illegal (rape) shit. But just general ass hattery. I’ll bet you don’t like their music either and think they dress like punks? Ha.
you’re sounding like you’re Dad. Welcome to the club
now get off my lawn!
/r
Lol the music isn’t all bad, but I am glad I don’t live next to this house. It’s blaring till at least 10-11pm most nights. I can hear it down the street. Kids do dress weird these days. Brands like fila and champion are cool again? What? I am sounding old in this thread…
Poor kid. Parents left her in the dust, literally.
Golf carts? Kids with golf carts?? Where do you live??
I have never, ever seen kids or adults on golf carts unless they are playing golf or at a retirement community.
Edit to add: Yeah, they sound like brats. Golf carts or not.
After years of being yelled at/jeered/taunted while running or biking, like many of us, unless you yell out my SSN, full name and address, I will not look at you when you honk or shout at me from your car, your street corner, your balcony, etc. I’ve already heard it all, kid/girl/dude/guy/woman. At least the youngsters today no longer yell out “Run, Forrest.” Although that gem was at least somewhat quaint in terms of the available arsenal of verbal slings and arrows.
Groups of teenagers can be the worst. Particularly mixed groups, where the boys are looking for any reason, any stimulus, anything, really, to latch onto and prove to the girls that they’re tough or funny. My usual weekday run is along a bike path cutting through a higher income suburb, and kids like to gather on a bridge there, hang out, jump into the creek, and generally comment on whomever happens by. The local bike cops shoo them away about twice a summer, but there’s usually some group there most afternoons.
Running past them isn’t my favorite thing, but my position is there’s little to be had from engaging in some salty back-and-forth. Another story if one of them got in my way or tried to impede me, but whatever. I’m the adult, just ignore the adolescent bullshit and concentrate on the workout.
That’s what I was thinking one day last week when I passed the bridge gang and received no shouts or insults. Great, fine. I turned off the trail and was running down a sidewalk, again, in a well-to-do neighborhood. I passed by a house with a couple kids -I’m guessing 5 and 7 years old- in the drive waiting to get into their Range Rover. The youngest one saw me and resolutely flipped me the bird with both fingers. The 7-year-old saw him do it, started laughing, then did the same.
I admit- that one surprised me, and frankly made me a little sad. As mentioned, I’ve had a lot of shit yelled at me over the years, but usually by teens and adults. I guess you got me, kid. Maybe some day you’ll understand.
So, you live near Ricky Bobby’s place then?
But seriously, who raises kids like that? It is sad.
Golf carts? Kids with golf carts?? Where do you live??
I have never, ever seen kids or adults on golf carts unless they are playing golf or at a retirement community.
Edit to add: Yeah, they sound like brats. Golf carts or not.
I’m in metro Detroit north of the city right near a lake with a huge boating community. So it kind of goes hand in hand with owning a golf cart (I don’t get it either). Side by sides and slingshots are pretty popular too. A waste of 20-30k if you ask me. But yeah, young kids piled on them driving around aimlessly in the middle of the street or on the sidewalk at night is common. It’s so illegal and will most definitely end badly for them whether it’s crashing or getting caught by the police.
Sounds like our neighborhoods are similar. About 70 houses, and there’s at least 10 with a golf cart with huge tires and a sound system. And it’s not some retirement community where you’re puttering around visiting friends. We’re right off a road with 50mph speed limit. One of these days they’re going to take a corner too tight and get blasted by an oncoming car.
Where do you live? Is the point of the golf carts so the kids/parents don’t have to, God forbid, walk around the neighborhood?
I had no idea this was a thing.
Nevermind, about the where, I see the answer.
Golf carts? Kids with golf carts?? Where do you live??
I have never, ever seen kids or adults on golf carts unless they are playing golf or at a retirement community.
Edit to add: Yeah, they sound like brats. Golf carts or not.
You must not live in the Southeast. Over the past 10 years or so the proliferation of golf carts has been incredible, especially if you live near the beach, or a lake or a river. I live near the coast in Virginia and they are everywhere in my neighborhood. A group of teenagers ran a stop sign in one of them at full speed a few nights ago right near my house. I was playing basketball with my son in the driveway and I lost my cool and went ape-shit on them. Probably not the best move but I scared them pretty good and they got the message.
I’m only 43 but I feel like such an old man now when it comes to stuff like this. I guess in the eyes of those teenagers riding the golf cart, I am an old man.
See my post above. Yeah, I guess that’s the reason. They somewhat make sense at marinas … driving around drunk visiting your fellow boating friends who can’t afford the gas to actually take said boat out on the lake. That’s another strange, but popular, thing here. Sitting at the dock having a BBQ in front of your boat, rather than on it.
Sounds like our neighborhoods are similar. About 70 houses, and there’s at least 10 with a golf cart with huge tires and a sound system. And it’s not some retirement community where you’re puttering around visiting friends. We’re right off a road with 50mph speed limit. One of these days they’re going to take a corner too tight and get blasted by an oncoming car.
Where do you live? Is the point of the golf carts so the kids/parents don’t have to, God forbid, walk around the neighborhood?
I had no idea this was a thing.
Nevermind, about the where, I see the answer.
My brother-in-law and his family moved to a new development in GA a few years ago and the majority of the homeowners seem to have golf carts to get around (it’s not a golf course community, and most of them are their 30s/40s). Seems to be some kind of status thing - “everyone else has one so I need to get one” mentality.
Sounds like our neighborhoods are similar. About 70 houses, and there’s at least 10 with a golf cart with huge tires and a sound system. And it’s not some retirement community where you’re puttering around visiting friends. We’re right off a road with 50mph speed limit. One of these days they’re going to take a corner too tight and get blasted by an oncoming car.
Where do you live? Is the point of the golf carts so the kids/parents don’t have to, God forbid, walk around the neighborhood?
I had no idea this was a thing.
Nevermind, about the where, I see the answer.
My brother-in-law and his family moved to a new development in GA a few years ago and the majority of the homeowners seem to have golf carts to get around (it’s not a golf course community, and most of them are their 30s/40s). Seems to be some kind of status thing - “everyone else has one so I need to get one” mentality.
By get around, you mean around the neighborhood? I know it’s hot as balls down there, I lived in eastern NC for 3 years, but that seems to be taking laziness to an extreme. I moved to Maine 10 years ago, I don’t remember ever seeing anyone with a golf cart to just get around down there at the time.