...i'm old. ;_;

[wordinista]

I just totally pulled a "GET OFF MY DAMN LAWN."

About six or eight neighborhood kids were playing on and around the dock in our backyard.  Lots of screaming, lots of generally being little asshats. 

The dogs? Going ballistic.

Me?  TIRED OF THE DOGS OF THE DOGS GOING BALLISTIC.  So I peeked out back and saw the above scene.

Me: "OH, HELL NO."

So I went out back.  "Excuse me!  Is this yours? Any of it?"

"....no."

"Then what are you doing? GO PLAY IN YOUR OWN  YARD."

Then one girl pipes up with, "Well, my uncle said..."

"I. Don't. Care.  Did he ask me?  No."



I totally "get off my damned lawn"d them.

Comments

[coldblossom.livejournal.com]

And that's the other side of the coin.

I seriously doubt that their uncle would have let you, the property owner, off the hook if something happened to those kids. I grew up with this rope-swing (very big and climbable to about 25 feet in the air) that I mentioned AND a swimming-pool (screened-in and locked-up, but that didn't stop kids from breaking in) and it was always something that concerned us greatly, especially the swing because our yard wasn't fenced so anyone could access it (very natural/woodsy neighborhood with giant trees--no visible fencing allowed and this was in our side-yard). Nothing ever happened, fortunately, but why take the risk? CYA first.

[w0rdinista.livejournal.com]

It's even more complicated than that -- we rent the property, so it would have actually fallen on our landlord (who is actually quite nice, all things considered).

I swear, the next time this happens? I'm walking them home and having a word with their uncle. I mean, I GET it. We live in Florida, where canal-front property is plentiful, and it's totally a kid-magnet, what with the turtles and frogs and minnows and manatees (and occasional aligator, yes), but for crying out loud, why is it suddenly OKAY for kids to play and scream and carry on (THEY WERE STANDING ON THE FRONT OF THE BOAT. I MEAN. WHAT?) in the yard of a complete stranger? I COULD HAVE BEEN A PEDOPHILE. OR A CANNIBAL. OR SOMETHING.