Am I over reacting? (Kids and dog playing in our front yard)

OK, we live in a family neighborhood and are like the only people without kids here. The neighbor's kids continuously play in our yard. Today they are playing in our yard with their giant pitbull that our little dog Gracie is afraid of.
I had the larger front window open and was sitting on the couch watching tv and eating strawberries in panties and a t-shirt and now I feel all self-concious and am sick of hearing them yell and their dog come up to the window and bark at Gracie.
Not to mention that Andy keeps our lawn really nice and we have rose bushes and marigolds that I don't want trampeled over.
The other weekend the kids were playing soccer in our yard and I had to ask them to stop hitting our cars and the wondows with the soccer ball.
I don't want to seem un neighborly and we kinda appear to be yuppies without kids.
Here's another example. There is a wooden fence that goes around our backyard...well the6're pitbull chewed a hole in it and tries to bite Gracie through it. So Andy had to stack a bunch of landscaping planters up so Gracie wouldn't get scared and the dog wouldn't chew the fence anymore.
It just pisses me off. I know we are renters and they are prob home owners as is most of the neighborhood...but still that doesn't devalue us to such an extent that we shouldn't be able to not have screaming kids and a pitbull disrupt out Sundays

 

How long do you envision living there?

 

Just a year then we are most likely moving to Seattle

 

well, with that dog, i dont' think your over reacting...if its chewing through the fence and stuff...then yea, i'd have a talk with the parents.

the kids, i know as a kid i was in everyones yard, doing something. but all the kids were...but if the're hitting your cars and such...then that is'nt good.

 

Ahahh... well there's no long term investment in relationships with neighbors then -eh?

I'd favor a diplomatic approach to the parents though... perhaps if they can be made to care about "that nice couple who rents" they might, by extension care about how their devil spawn behave near that nice couple's apartment.

By a mid-priced magnum of champaign and present yourself on their doorstep... suggest a night of full-contact Parcheesi and drinking until the wallpaper patterns dance... or something along those lines.

 

Ask nicely first, then speak to the parents second then if that fails well I am afraid I cant post the solution in a public forum.

 

I would say something to them about the dog before something happens.

 

you could pray to joe pesci and get the same 50/50 response...

 

I would just talk nicely to the parents/neighbros themselves...communicate exactly what you communicated to us...nicely..and there shouldn't be any problem.

 

I'm going to have Andy say something when he comes home next week.

The kid's football hit our garge door so I asked them to please be more careful and then their parents came out and yelled at them and went inside and they kept doing it. They are all inside now.
The reason it bothers me so muchis that I work with loud kids all week with footballs hitting the windows in my office. The last thing I want is to deal with that on the weekend. And when we pay 1250 a month to live here in a state that has a low cost of living I expect for the neighbors to be considerate. part of the reason we moved intot his neighborhood is not only because it's safe and pretty, but because it looked quiet.

 

noooooooooooo i do not want to become friend with these people and have their kids running amuck in our house, Plus the guy is a freaking chain smoker it is soooo gross.

 

yea, i'd definately have a talk with the parents...

don't the kids have there own yard to play in?

 

Yes! One kid stands in our yard and then the other kid stands in there yard and they throw the football

 

ah i see

 

Black out one tooth and tell them you have candy and funny stories for their kiddies. Be sure you haven't showered for a week or so

 

haaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaa We should do something really weird like that. This one time Andy and I went to a resturaunt and he wanted to embarass me so he said 'yes, a table for two. it's just me and my daughter tonight'... and then he tongued me. It was very bizarre, but really funny. He thinks it's funny to embarass me in public. I bet if he pulls that in front of them they won't let their kids anywhere near us.

 

hahaha thats too funny

 

it is to me now...but at the time I wanted to kill him. I needed a drink as soon as we sat down

 

oh i bet haha

 

It could be worse.

My neighbor down the street has a school bus stop assigned right in front of her house. Every day there are about 18 to 20 kids playing on her front lawn, dumping pop cans and candy wrappers in her bushes, and so on.

20 kids at one bus stop seems excessive. Guess the town is trying to save gas money by having one big stop. Some of the kids walk to the stop from a couple blocks away.

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