'Entitled neighbour yelled at my three-year-old daughter for horrible reason'

A mum has been left gobsmacked after her 'entitled' neighbour started shouting at her daughter for playing in the garden. She explained how her three-year-old girl was giggling away in the garden while playing with her toys - but the neighbours turned her joy into sadness with their complaints.

Taking to Reddit, the mum said: "My retired neighbour yelled at my three-year-old daughter who was playing in our back yard and was being a little loud. They yelled at her because they were trying to nap at 1pm." Wanting to get her own back, she penned a polite letter and posted it through their door.

It read: "I hope this note finds you well. I recently became aware of your concerns regarding the noise from my children playing in our yard. I wanted to take a moment to address it, as we certainly value being part of a respectful and considerate neighbourhood.

"That said, as I'm sure you can understand, children do tend to laugh, shout, and play especially when they're outside enjoying the fresh air in their own backyard.

"We encourage them to stay active and imaginative, and fortunately, our yard provides a safe space for just that.

"Of course, we do our best to ensure that their playtime remains within reasonable hours and isn't excessively disruptive.

"If there's ever a specific incident or unusual situation, feel free to let us know. We are happy to have an open line of communication.

"That said, we also trust that a bit of joyful noise during daylight hours isn't entirely unexpected in a family-oriented neighbourhood.

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"Thanks for your understanding, and I appreciate your patience as we raise kind, energetic kids who will hopefully grow into respectful neighbours themselves someday."

While most users praised her for how she handled the situation, others slammed the couple next door for being so narrow-minded.

One user said: "Wow. If they want quiet hours, maybe they should move to a retirement village in their sunset years.

"I remember being irritated when I was jobless and stuck at home during the day, when the neighbourhood toddlers and preteens would play next to my windows during the day.

"I just got headphones so I could listen to the tv if needed. Kids got to play and have fun so they can sleep at night."

Another user added: "Very kind and respectful note. I hope the neighbour realises they were out of line and apologises.

"I would love to have a child next door to get to know and to be a maybe extra grandparent to… I miss having little ones around."

A third user said: "I am a grumpy neighbour in my 60s, I have no issue with normal noises of the neighbourhood. The neighbours behind have youngish children who can scream from 10 a.m. to lunch and again after lunch until 5'ish. Then the dogs bark around 8, for a while.

"My husband came home the other day and I was sitting outside reading. He said, 'I'm surprised you aren't bothered by the noise'.

"I said, 'I hear the lawn mower, the kids playing, the baby crying, the normal noise. I can handle those. I can't handle screaming-screeching for hours on end or barking for any longer than 10 minutes'.

"I am more likely to giggle at the sounds of joy from a young child. I love the baby-laugh and silly kitten videos.

"Your grumpy neighbour should be ashamed. They sound like our neighbour who takes the lightbulb out at Halloween to signal to kids not to stop for candy. Hubs and I are out for hours with a bin of candy and one of chips."