Mum-of-three divides internet with letter from cranky neighbour, complaining about ‘screaming’ kids

A mother has divided opinion online after sharing a handwritten note from a neighbor complaining that her children were making noise while playing in her backyard.

The Melbourne mother of three took to Facebook to ask other parents for advice on how to handle the situation.

Attached to the post on the Mums Of Boys Australia group was an image of the letter, addressed to ‘Dear Neighbor’.

‘You may not know it, but your children are yelling, aggressively yelling, yelling and yelling, they can be heard all the time. Sometimes from 6:56 am to 10:30 pm Every day!’

“The bounce of the basketball, again from early morning to late afternoon, can also be heard loud and clear,” the letter read.

‘Everyone has the right to enjoy their home, patio and vacation in peace. The nightly squeals last night were too much. Please keep noise from your backyard and home to a respectful level.’

The Melbourne mother addressed the allegations in her post, writing: “(The children) wake up around 6:30am.” We leave for school and childcare around 7.30/7.45am as both my husband and I work all day.

“Usually we are trying to get them out of the house to load in the car or bikes to school at this time,” she wrote.

The mother told Yahoo News Australia that her children, aged three, five and seven, are not the ones making noise at 10:30 p.m.

Her three children are often in bed by 7:30 or 8:00 p.m., she said, but they’re out in the backyard by 7:00 a.m., just “not necessarily out loud.”

Social media users shared their views on the situation, with some offering support to the Melbourne mother.

One viewer acknowledged that the situation is “difficult to navigate,” and another assured the mother that she “doesn’t need to justify her children playing.”

‘Sometimes as early as 6:56 am! Hold your pearls tighter Karen, imagine 6:54 am! Another viewer cheekily commented.

The mother’s three children, ages 3, 5 and 7, are accused of ‘screaming’ and ‘screaming’ from 7am to 10:30pm (file image)

However, other parents shared the sentiment of the letter, writing that “no one should have to deal with your children more than you.”

“Just because you have kids doesn’t give you the right to let them bother others,” wrote one commenter.

Having children doesn’t make you “more entitled than anyone else,” agreed another.

Another mom shared her solution: Writing at 7 a.m. may be “too early” for kids to go outside and make noise.

“Imagine your neighbor’s dog barking so early every morning, it would aggravate each time and become really annoying,” he wrote.

“They sound like cranky old farts, but maybe just keep your kids in for an extra hour in the morning—an extra hour of sleep might be (what) they need to get over their stinky attitude toward kids.”

The Melbourne mum said she still thinks it’s “fair to have outdoor games at 7am”.

She’s going to try to find out which neighbor wrote the letter, she said, and talk to them without confrontation.

“If construction, heavy traffic, etc. is allowed, then I’d rather my kids be outdoors than on a tablet/TV,” she said.

He jokingly said that in the future he will start to be “aware of those extra four minutes.”