Neighbour's note about noisy kids sparks heated backlash
Aussie parents have united over a note left for a Western Australian mum whose neighbours complained about her kids supposedly playing noisily outside.
It seems Sophie, from Mandurah, recently moved into the street where her kids have been happily playing football, much to the dismay of frustrated residents.
The handwritten letter was shared on Facebook by WA Incident Alerts and it detailed the neighbour's concerns in full.
"Your kids are kicking the footy which at times they get so roudy they wake us all up. There are a few shift workers in the street whom are affected [sic]" the letter read.
"Your direct neighbours are not happy as the footy bangs against the fence and this makes their dogs bark which the dogs then wake up the rest of the street."
"Can you please be quieter and respect us. We would prefer not to get outside agencies involved."
The mention of shift workers would indicate that kids are playing during the day when those who work through the night are catching up on sleep.
Neighbour slammed: 'Get over yourselves'
But the request was out of line according to many Facebook users who were quick to defend the mum and her kids, deeming the note unreasonable.
"I think the person who wrote this note needs to read the UN rights of a child. Children have the right to play, if you didn't play as a child maybe get outside and have some fun yourself, keep doing what you are doing kids, it's your right," one person fumed.
"I'd say tough luck. Buy roller shutters and noise-cancelling headphones and get over yourselves," another shot back.
Another woman, who is a shift worker herself, chimed in to the debate and admitted she'd "never complain about kids playing on the street".
"Let them enjoy their childhood," she said.
An overwhelming number of social media users praised the mum for allowing her kids to play outside in the first place, rather than have them stuck inside on screens.
They told her to "keep it up" and to ignore the neighbour who needs to "get a life" and stop whinging about the kids having fun.
"How dare these parents let their kids play outside, in their own backyard, instead of sitting inside glued to a screen! Or wandering the neighbourhood making mischief. The hide of them," one sarcastically rorted, with many others agreeing.
Others shared their own similar stories and explained they too have kids playing in their street. But unlike the neighbour who left the note, they saw no issue, in fact, they love the idea.
"I love seeing and hearing kids outside playing and kicking the footy. Just like my childhood and that's how it should be. Not indoors on bloody phones etc" one woman wrote, admitting she too is a shift worker.
Heated debate ensued: 'Show some respect'
Although the overwhelming response criticised the neighbour for their remarks, some agreed they had a right to complain.
"I think anything hitting the fence repeatedly would be annoying to any human being, a bit of respect goes a long way," one said.
"Kids have all the right to play in their own homes but there is no need to hit the fence all the time to have fun," they added.
Another said kids "need to be taught to show respect of shift workers" but they were quickly shut down by fuming parents.
And if the dig at the kids wasn't bad enough, the neighbour had one other concern.
"Also, you have a caravan on the property with someone living in it. You need permission from council," they wrote.
The neighbour was slammed for that too and told to "mind your own business," while some said approaching the mum for a chat would have been more appropriate.
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