Woman Annoyed After Her Neighbor Lets Their Kids ‘Run Amok’ on Her Property. Now, She Wants to Ban Them from Coming Over

After months of feeling frustrated that her neighbor’s grandchildren constantly play on her property, a woman turned to Reddit’s AITA forum to ask whether she’d be wrong to finally tell them they’re no longer welcome in her yard.

In her post, she explained that she lives on a busy road with a large oval alley behind her house that connects a handful of homes. Directly behind her lives Jack, a man in his 60s. Recently, Jack’s adult son Art, his daughter-in-law, and their five children moved in with him.

According to the poster, Art has two biological sons and three girls, all between the ages of 3 and 13. She noted that she often sees Art disciplining his boys, but has never once seen him parent the girls — who are at the center of her concerns.

She described the girls as “a handful,” saying they frequently run through the alley screaming, cutting through neighbors’ yards, and touching items that don’t belong to them. While she doesn’t mind children playing outside, she believes that should come with being “respectful and responsible” around other people’s property.

She made it clear that Art’s family does not have permission to use her yard and that no one has ever asked if the kids can cut through or play there.

On Halloween, things escalated. It was dark, and Art’s family was gathered in front of her house on the busy road. She didn’t initially mind, noting that her bright porch light actually makes the area safer. But then she heard Art’s wife tell the girls to run through the homeowner’s yard to get back to their house.

At that point, the poster stood up and asked the girls not to run through her yard, explaining that there’s a small but very steep hill that’s difficult to navigate in the dark. She said she was worried someone might fall and get hurt. According to her, Art’s wife rolled her eyes at the request but did ultimately tell the girls to use the access road to the alley instead.

The problem didn’t stop there. The following weekend, Art hosted a birthday party for one of the children. The homeowner looked outside and saw several little girls racing up and down the hill in her yard, hiding behind her garage, and playing on her property — again, without anyone asking for permission.

She said she was furious, not only because her boundaries were being ignored, but also because she worried about the girls’ safety and the possibility of being held legally responsible if someone got injured on her land. Unsure how to handle it, she asked the subreddit whether she’d be in the wrong if she approached Art’s wife and told her plainly that the kids are no longer allowed in her yard.

Commenters largely agreed that she wasn’t wrong to feel upset but suggested a different approach.

Many advised her to bypass Art’s wife entirely and instead speak directly to Jack, ideally with her husband present. One commenter argued that going as a couple would show they’re united and make it harder for the daughter-in-law to paint her as the villain. They also pointed out that since Jack owns the house and will still be the neighbor long after his son’s family moves out, he’s more likely to take the complaint seriously.

Another commenter focused on the legal angle, noting that, unless there is some formal right of way, the children have no legal right to be on her property at all. They suggested that she and her husband clearly lay out the rules to Art and his wife: none of the children are allowed on their property under any circumstances unless they’ve specifically agreed in advance.

Others recommended putting up a literal barrier if the conversation doesn’t work. A fence or, at minimum, no-trespassing signs could serve as a physical reminder of the boundary and reinforce that the yard is off-limits to the kids.