Neighborhood Kids

[aaronc879]

It seems a group of pre-teen kids have made a habit of cutting thru my driveway/lawn. So far they don't seem to be damaging anything. I'm a first time homeowner(first Summer), do people usually look the other way or do you put an end to it somehow? I'm on crutches recovering from a broken hip so I can't get outside fast enough to confront them and my neighbors house is blocking me from seeing their destination. I don't want to come home to something being broken/damaged. Suggestions?

 

[iloveyoga]

It seems a group of pre-teen kids have made a habit of cutting thru my driveway/lawn. So far they don't seem to be damaging anything. I'm a first time homeowner(first Summer), do people usually look the other way or do you put an end to it somehow? I'm on crutches recovering from a broken hip so I can't get outside fast enough to confront them and my neighbors house is blocking me from seeing their destination. I don't want to come home to something being broken/damaged. Suggestions?

Can you put up a fence? As a long time homeowner this has worked well for us.

 

[aaronc879]

Can you put up a fence? As a long time homeowner this has worked well for us.

That would not be something that is in the budget right now.

 

[REWahoo]

If it happens about the same time each day, maybe leave a lawn sprinkler on to make them take a different path?

 

[braumeister]

Well, there's always the old standby:

 

[aaronc879]

If it happens about the same time each day, maybe leave a lawn sprinkler on to make them take a different path?

I don't have lawn sprinklers. Don't really need them in Wisconsin.

 

[REWahoo]

I don't have lawn sprinklers. Don't really need them in Wisconsin.

Far less expensive than a fence - and maybe you DO need them.

(Not suggesting a sprinkler system, just a single sprinkler on the end of a garden hose, placed strategically in their path...)

 

[aaronc879]

Well, there's always the old standby:

That's what I would probably do if I wasn't on crutches. I'm looking for other alternatives. I'm 6'6" so normally I would just confront them and scare them away but i'm not very scary on crutches. Of course I would first ask them to take a different route and only scare them if they ignore my request. Since i'm on crutches I can't get outside fast enough to talk to them.

 

[aaronc879]

Far less expensive than a fence - and maybe you DO need them.

(Not suggesting a sprinkler system, just a single sprinkler on the end of a garden hose, placed strategically in their path...)

I'll keep track of the time and see if it's always close to the same time and then consider this option.

 

[sturbridge]

Thorny rose bushes not only smell divine, they are a good deterrent.

 

[splitwdw]

We are the last house at the end of the street with woods on two sides. Adults and kids would cut through, walking and biking. A dirt path was starting to get worn. I'd be working out back and when I saw people coming out of the woods I'd ask them not to cut through. Some turned around and went back and others would have excuses, "I'm lost" was popular. We came home one time to a kid with a bow and arrows shooting arrows straight up in the air. We put up no trespassing signs. When we got dogs it finally stopped. Dogs have been gone for about 2-3 years and the walkers are starting up. Didn't replace the dogs because my husbands been sick and didn't think it would be fair to dogs having to leave them if husband has to go back into the hospital. Maybe try no trespassing signs or beware of dogs!

 

[Silver]

Is their shortcut in an area where a "PRIVATE PROPERTY NO TRESPASSING" sign might help?

 

[aaronc879]

Is their shortcut in an area where a "PRIVATE PROPERTY NO TRESPASSING" sign might help?

There is about a 20-30 ft long area along my front yard and driveway where they could cut thru. I doubt a sign would help but may consider it. I just saw them cut thru my neighbors yard this time. My neighbor is on the corner and i;m one house in from the corner. The kids are just trying to cut the corner by going thru the yards. Probably not a big deal but if they keep coming thru twice a day then maybe it could be a problem.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Im also a first time home owner. Seems the dog walkers prefer my grass to the fire hydrant or their own, if they have any. Sign do not help, as my lawn guy put signs stating pesticide stay off 24 hours, and put yesterdays date on them. They just walk on it. I pointed out to one of them I suggest they wipe off the dogs paws before he licks them, Did you see the sign.? So signs dont even work with certain adults let alone kids. I also have a telephone pole on my edge of the lawn. Another favorite watering hole. 5 Years ago when I got the sod, I had to water like every 23 seconds so it would grow. I got a timer that had up to 4 time settings per day for short durations. I had it set for 630 am, 4pm, 730pm and 930 pm. Those were my prime dog walking pit stop times. It certainly curtailed the problem. But I would sit outside in case a regular walker was coming by then I would hit the cancel button. If I saw a dog walker I went inside for 5 minutes till I knew they passed. I live in an older part of town, I certainly didnt want to give a spritz to a wheel chair passerby.

 

[Sunset]

We had that problem, as our house is on a corner.
I planted privet hedges, and stuck metal fence poles in the end of the hedge, with thick wire running between them and little tape/cloth flags hanging from the wire.
It really cut down on it and once the hedges grew, in about 3 years, the kids stopped, now the hedges are 10 feet tall and would stop a motorcycle.

As a kid I used to do it, and really they are just being lazy, and adventurous as it's more exciting and shorter than going around.

Another choice would be plant a flower garden across where they walk, then get real fertilizer and spread it on top, after they step into it once, they will go around.

 

[Fedup]

I put up the No Stress passing sign per our city police department advice. Except the people who can't read English or refused to read English. I hope you have better luck.

 

[LOL!]

You should enjoy those kids while you can. Don't you talk to them and find out what they are doing? I talk to everyone in my neighborhood. The kids are the greatest. And even the grandpas are great.

Those kids are the same ones who can bring your paper in for you or cut your grass for you or do all kinds of favors for you. Or take care of your pet lizard when you are on vacation. Don't diss them.

That said, we had to teach a neighbor's child not to run across our driveway from the edge of the house without looking for a car backing out. There would be no way to see him nor to stop.

Be a Mensch.

 

[bw5972]

It seems a group of pre-teen kids have made a habit of cutting thru my driveway/lawn. So far they don't seem to be damaging anything. I'm a first time homeowner(first Summer), do people usually look the other way or do you put an end to it somehow? I'm on crutches recovering from a broken hip so I can't get outside fast enough to confront them and my neighbors house is blocking me from seeing their destination. I don't want to come home to something being broken/damaged. Suggestions?

Just don't go this far:

Off duty LAPD officer vs kids cutting thru his lawn....

https://youtu.be/o6BR3l6oarc

 

[aja8888]

Like LOL said above be friends with the kids.

Before we moved in this 55+ neighborhood, which I hate, my old street was full of young families with lots of kids. I was "Mr. A" to them all and was good friends with all of them. Guess who's house didn't get TP'd or other trick done to it at Halloween!

Aaron, why not see why they are cutting through and see if you can work something out. Are they damaging your grass?

 

[LOL!]

^Or if your trees are TP'd, then you'll have young friends who will clean things up for you.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Welcome to home ownership. I can list a few more downsides. But I want to be able to sell this place in a few years, so Ill say again, turn on the sprinkler hhHhHahahah

 

[Philliefan33]

Are they doing any damage? Are they hanging out in your yard? If not, I'd be neighborly and let them go. Unless, of course, you want to be the old cranky neighbor.

I used to see kids cutting across our lawn in one direction to get to their friend's pool, or in the other direction to shorten their walk to the street behind me. The only time I said something was when a boy was trying to climb on a tree that was not big enough to hold his weight. I yelled at him to get down before he broke my tree.

That tree is now 30 feet tall and those kids are all grown and moved out. Grass grows back. Hopefully those kids remember growing up in a friendly neighborhood where they could cut across lawns to visit.

 

[joeea]

It seems a group of pre-teen kids have made a habit of cutting thru my driveway/lawn. So far they don't seem to be damaging anything. I'm a first time homeowner(first Summer), do people usually look the other way or do you put an end to it somehow? I'm on crutches recovering from a broken hip so I can't get outside fast enough to confront them and my neighbors house is blocking me from seeing their destination. I don't want to come home to something being broken/damaged. Suggestions?

Have you talked to them as they start to cut through?

If not, you should. Politely asking kids is often the simplest way to change their behavior.

Even if on crutches, you could sit outside and get friendly with neighborhood kids.

 

[Amethyst]

When we first moved in (very large lots - had been cornfield) the neighbor's son and friends rode their go-kart all over our back lot, as they'd been used to doing. I went out one day and got right in the middle of the action and explained that we were starting to plant trees, shrubs, and grass, and would they please not run over the area since they might be harming new small plants?

They didn't say anything, but they listened, and quit barging onto our property. They had plenty of their own property to ride around on. If they had kept up, my next step would have been to talk to their parents.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

When we first moved in (very large lots - had been cornfield) the neighbor's son and friends rode their go-kart all over our back lot, as they'd been used to doing. I went out one day and got right in the middle of the action and explained that we were starting to plant trees, shrubs, and grass, and would they please not run over the area since they might be harming new small plants?

They didn't say anything, but they listened, and quit barging onto our property. They had plenty of their own property to ride around on. If they had kept up, my next step would have been to talk to their parents.

Seems you had better luck with kids than I did with adults. The early morning non stop barking of the dogs(illegal) took probably 10 personal home visits to curtail(i.e. not stopped completely)