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SaturdayNightBimmer · Joined: 15 Feb 2004 Posts: 443

Wow, just what I want to do, make friends with all the teenagers in my neighborhood! "Let's all go and play ball and hang around that nice guy Tony's house!" NO THANKS! Makes me a prime suspect when little Susie tells mommy and daddy that the nice man down the street "looked at her funny" and "made her feel weird." No thanks, I don't want to be buddies with any young boys or girls in the neighborhood. That's asking for trouble. I have enough friends in my own age range.

I don't have time either, to teach someone else's kid anything. Why the hel.l would I want to do that? You F with my car on my property, I've got you on tape catching you red handed, then I'm calling the authorities. End of story. No second chances. Zero tolerance. Nip the behavior the first time around. Tough love.

I refuse to be anybody's vandalism victim, besides everyone in my neighborhood knows I'm not a friendly guy and are pretty much aware of what will happen if I'm messed with.

This just works for me. Never had any problems, but then again I'm in a guard gated community. Play it out however you want, but the previous alternatives sound strange to me.

panzerkeil302 · Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 2182

Satnight, why do I have the feeling our country would be a safer place if we let you loose in Iraq?

Heard an interesting story about city kids in Iraq vs our country boys...guess who lives longer and why?

patrick66 · Joined: 10 Dec 2002 Posts: 623 Location: Oklahoma

My old neighborhood in an OKC suburb was quickly transforming from owner-occupants to rentals. I grew up in a rural area and desired some property away from the city. One night cemented the idea of a move was the right choice...One of my neighbors was an active duty AF NCO who was TDY maybe eight of 12 months a year because of his job. He was a single dad with two high-school-aged heathen boys who, when Dad wasn't in town, tore through the neighborhood at 60 mph (20-zone!), played "music" loud until 2 am or later, and generally raised all kinds of hell. One night, the oldest kid and about six of his partners in crime were playing their tunes and revving up the engine on his POS "hotrod". I went over twice and asked nicely for them to tone things down. The kid was obnoxious, but his friends had a few brain cells between them and agreed to my request initially. Thirty minutes later, up goes the tunes again. By now, I and the rest of the neighbors had had enough. So, a couple of neighbors and myself go over and read the boy the riot act and "highly suggest" his buddies go home. They all left, except the obnoxious one. He gets mouthy with one of the neighbors, and I just walked up to him and told him I was going to reinstall his car stereo in his ass! The kid thought about how painful that process would likely be, and rethought his attitude quickly. A quiet night was the result afterwards...

A week later, same song, second verse. I knocked on the door and he answered. I reminded him of the painful operation he was volunteering for and that we weren't taking any of his crap, he was being watched, and if anything happened to anyone in the neighborhood of anyone's property, he would be charged. Period. His buddies left and took him with. A couple weeks later, his family moved away, fortunately.

Stay on top of the problem! Don't let things on their end get out of hand. It's YOUR property and YOUR responsibility to take care of things responsibly and, if necessary, legally. As Al Capone once said; "It's easier to get things done with a kind word and a gun than just a kind word!"

Disclaimer!: I am not promoting violence here!

ExemptX2000 · Joined: 22 Sep 2002 Posts: 458 Location: Alexandria, LA

What are u going to do when one of these kids do damage when your not looking? U cant be there all the time... Neither can your camera... If you have no proof the cops wont do a damn thing... Id rather just play nice, and be assured my stuff if safe while im not there... Im not saying be a parent to these kids, im simply saying say hello to them, respect them and they will probably respect you... If u ignore them they will walk all over you, if you yell at them they will get you back for embarrasing them infront of their friends...

Patrick I dont mean any harm in saying this, simply making a point, but had you have tried that when I was that age, with the ppl I hung around, you would have had to follow thru with your threats, teenagers think they are 10 feet tall and bulletproof, do u honestly think they're worried about a 30+ yr old man whos not their father? Not likely... In that situation I would have called the police, not threatened them with threats you probably werent willing to back up anyways... Cuz had u have tried who do u think would be sitting in jail over night?

I think the best thing in this situation, is just grin and bear it... Because it can, and will only get worse... "If you cant beat em join em"... Unless your wanting to worry every night about your stuff, and having 20 cameras around youre place 24/7, just say hello to these kids, and make small talk... Thats all it will take...

Think of it like a scale... All u have to do is become +1 on their scale of the rest of the neighbors and they will end up messing with the other guys yard... If you ignore them, you are equal to everyone else... If you say hello to them, and he an overall nice guy, you will get plus points on this scale... If you yell at them and cause a ruckus you will then become negative on the scale... And when that night comes when theyre bored, whos yard are they going to destroy? The guy whos a meany... Trust me, Ive been there...

We used to make a guy so damn mad, just because we knew we could push his buttons... The police? What are the police going to do? Come talk to us? Blah! Kids could careless... Most of them know the cops cant do anything without proof anyways... And with proof 9 times outta 10 if their that bad, there parents will just pay the fine or whatever damage they do do... So they wont learn from it anyways...

[ 05-21-2004: Message edited by: ExemptX2000 ]

bbbidit · Joined: 30 Dec 2003 Posts: 163 Location: TEXAS

JRS ...
99 cents for an 8pk of hotdogs and 1.49 for the buns??? Im sorry but once these kids realize you spend more on the bread than on the meat , your screwed my friend .. the ice cream is a nice touch though

I agree with MattB -- growing up in Florida we had a mean ol man next door that didnt like us getting in his yard.. sure we tested him a few times but in the end we left the mean beastard alone... because we were afraid of him..... the difference with todays kids is this.. if you approach them in an uncivil manner , 9yr old little Billy will cuss you in a way that would make a sailor blush AND threaten to kill you and tell you the ways he can do it that would make you suffer the most.....all this while eating a hotdog and drinking sprite in a big purple Barney cup....

panzerkeil302 · Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 2182

ExemptX2000

your cameras can be there 24/7, rain or shine, night or day, if you're on vacation, or not. Two camera's. One watching the front, one watching the back. You can record on tape, or on harddrive....you can make them montion activated.

And if a youngin' trys to take one out with a bb gun,....it'll be on tape, and the parent will pay. Depending on your state, I bet you get 3x's damages.

Police will laugh if you call them out to report those rascally kids. But if you show them a tape, you are going to recoup your damages, and teach kids that they need to be good angels, even when they think they can't been seen.

So we have 4 options.

1) Attempt to win them over
2) Tape them, and make the parents pay
3) Say nothing, and let people walk on you
4) Take the law into your own hands

Option 2 is my choice

JRS · Joined: 09 Jun 2002 Posts: 2386 Location: USA

There are various ways to deal with kids. Just keep in mind a few things:

1. If they are under 18, they will never serve serious-jail time. At best, a stint at "juvie" or community service. Once they are done/get-out, 9-out-10 will want some level of vendetta and they have friends who owe them 'favors'.

2. Parents may end up paying but you'll also be 'labeled' thereafter. Park near a firehydrant and somehow a policeofficer is called in on a citizen tip and you get a parking fine. Or you bring home a heavy item and need help - ten neighbors are simply watching you suffer with no rush to help you.

By reading the posts, I can clearly tell who is a parent and who is not.

All I can say is: "Wait. Just wait." Parenthood will come and you will be on the other side of the fence.

No offense intended to anyone on this forum. I, for one, do not mind spending money on kids that eventually grow up with respect and responsibility as their main characteristics.

One day they too will pass on the kindness.

JRS

JRS · Joined: 09 Jun 2002 Posts: 2386 Location: USA

quote:
Originally posted by Brians 88325e:
JRS ...
99 cents for an 8pk of hotdogs and 1.49 for the buns??? Im sorry but once these kids realize you spend more on the bread than on the meat , your screwed my friend .. the ice cream is a nice touch though
....

Once they grow up and realize the 'contents' of a hot dog, they'll be happy I at least paid more for the bread.

Oh, and when I see parents working on their lawns or washing their cars, I break out the hamburgers and offer them some. The first time I did this, people 'freaked' and can't believe I was offering a hearty-hamburger.

JRS
JRS

JRS · Joined: 09 Jun 2002 Posts: 2386 Location: USA

Manero,

Like I said: Don't be a "Michael Jackson".

JRS

jamminjames · Joined: 18 Jul 2003 Posts: 860 Location: Wilson, NC

WOW! Did this get a response!

I read everyone's advise and knowing a bit about the neighborhood I'm at... I congomerated most of it together:

I had and officer come by. He patrols this neighborhood in the afternoons/evenings and he knows some of the kids I'm talking about. He also understood that I was mainly making a 'small' statement that I knew something happened to our car and wasn't gong to play around...

I'm also going to balance that with: The next time I'm outside and one of the little brats walks through the yard, I'll ask him not to. I'll even throw in some cool conversation. I might even add that if he or his friends sees me outside working on the car, etc, and they need a hand with something on their bike... But that last part will depend on the kid's demeanor and level of respect.

Again, I have to say that the Cop was cool. He knew the reality of the situation and gave a few good suggestions. He agreed that a video camera placed discreetly in the window would give them hard evidence if something major happened.

Thanx to all that responded!

We'll see what happens next...

James

ExemptX2000 · Joined: 22 Sep 2002 Posts: 458 Location: Alexandria, LA

quote:
Originally posted by panzerkeil302:
ExemptX2000

your cameras can be there 24/7, rain or shine, night or day, if you're on vacation, or not. Two camera's. One watching the front, one watching the back. You can record on tape, or on harddrive....you can make them montion activated.

And if a youngin' trys to take one out with a bb gun,....it'll be on tape, and the parent will pay. Depending on your state, I bet you get 3x's damages.

Police will laugh if you call them out to report those rascally kids. But if you show them a tape, you are going to recoup your damages, and teach kids that they need to be good angels, even when they think they can't been seen.

So we have 4 options.

1) Attempt to win them over
2) Tape them, and make the parents pay
3) Say nothing, and let people walk on you
4) Take the law into your own hands

Option 2 is my choice

Like someone else said, then they will just wear masks... Sure u know which one it is, but can you prove it? Too me its not worth it... Id rather just be the nice guy... And should something happen, then its hell to pay... Theres a time and a place... And one mans moter vehicles not it! I would call the police in on this one incident he had, and then from now on just be a lil bit nice... Like I said, its better to be nice and hope nothing happens, cuz then u can always turn mean or choose another method, but u cant go from mean and then when that dosnt work try the nice guy route... Maybe even a combo... Leave the cameras running, and try to be nice... I honestly think the nice guy route will work best... Cops dont use the good guy/bad guy routine for nothing...

donaldan · Joined: 01 Jul 2001 Posts: 1881 Location: Ft. Myers, FL

This must be one of the most educational discussions in a long time. I surely learned a few lessons in human relationship. Never know what interesting subject can pop up on this forum. I definitely lean towards the positive approach, winning them over instead of alienating your neighbors. May be that is because my childhood neighborhood is a tight knit group of families. We cared about each other. We were not perfect but it was the prevailing culture.

kyshadetreebmw · Joined: 16 Apr 2003 Posts: 849 Location: Berea, Kentucky

The kids may be coming close in by your cars
and such because they find them and you interesting! I think a combination of all these suggestions is the way to go, like you said. If you can be friendly and engaging, it is better for the world I think. We need to increase the numbers of positive interactions that occur. But the kids also need to see that you will not take any crap, that there are standards for personal behavior that must be maintained to be a part of a positive community.

panzerkeil302 · Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 2182

exempt2000 wrote

"Like someone else said, then they will just wear masks..."

that someone was me.

ExemptX2000 · Joined: 22 Sep 2002 Posts: 458 Location: Alexandria, LA

Ah... Well you were right...