I don’t remember if my mother had any “rules” about how early I could go outside when I was a child. Because as far as I know, that’s where we were. We played basketball in the driveway, rode our bikes up and down the street, and knocked on neighbors’ doors to see if anyone was available to play. And I don’t remember anyone complaining about it at all.
I’m sure there were some mornings when there was barely any light outside, but we were already playing archaeologists in the backyard and squealing with joy when we found a “dinosaur bone.” Most people thought we were happy being outdoors, having a childhood, and not watching Nickelodeon for hours on end (although we certainly did that too).
But apparently not everyone is happy about their kids playing outside “too early.” “Too early” means before 10 a.m.
In a subreddit/parenting Reddit post (which has since been edited), one parent asked, “What time in the morning is it okay to play outside?” The original poster (OP) shared that his two sons were playing basketball outside around 9 a.m. when a neighbor asked them to “wait until 10 a.m.” because of the loud noise outside.
One.
Every day brings a new debate about children’s “place”, with some arguing that children shouldn’t be allowed in breweries and others arguing that there should be “adult time” at the local grocery store or the zoo. Now, I would like to monitor what time they go out to play.
And you know someone is going to blame the parents who are raising “iPad kids” if they don’t play outside.
OP said she totally understands why kids don’t need to be screaming and squealing so early in the morning, but she found it a little hard not to play basketball until 10am. Many people on Reddit agreed, but some actually sided with their neighbors.
To be honest, I think it’s silly to complain about kids playing outside.
Of course, this doesn’t mean kids should be allowed to break things or play pranks at 7am. But if you complain that the kids are “too loud” outside, or that the basketball bouncing on the sidewalk is too annoying, or that the sound of kids laughing on the swings is annoying, then go ahead and take a few seats.
One commenter wrote, “I think 9 o’clock (also known as business hours) is, in a sense, a universal ‘everyone is awake’ time.” “It used to be that you could call someone’s house at that time. Before that, it was rude because you didn’t want to wake anyone up on the weekend.”
“I think 8 is good, but I think 9 is probably a little more comfortable. In the summer, people mow their lawns and use leaf blowers to beat the heat. 10 is completely unreasonable,” another person shared.
However, many people argued that basketball was enough of an outdoor activity and needed to be put on the back burner. Some said that even if there were sound equipment or other noises in the house, they would be woken up by their children playing outside, whether it was basketball or just loud noises.
One commenter wrote: “People who work all week should be able to sleep on Saturday without hearing the sound of balls bouncing. They should do lots of outdoor activities without making too much noise.”
of course. yes. Tell large trucks that they can’t pass at 8 a.m. and check outside for birds chirping.
Common courtesy is important, but of course. Just as you would think that most of us keep our kids out of the backyard at 6 a.m. so we can practice our new metal song on the drums for the whole neighborhood to hear, I think it’s fair to assume that by 8 a.m. we know we’re not going to have a completely quiet world for sleep anymore. It is not your neighbor’s responsibility to ensure that you are never disturbed in your home. At some point, you have to be proactive.
(I think it’s texting your neighbors and telling them to stop doing that to their kids.)
We all say we want our kids to spend less time with screens and more time outside, and dribbling a basketball down someone’s driveway at 9 a.m. feels OK in exchange. Perhaps we are a little too comfortable treating the normal noises of childhood like nuisances?
One commenter wrote, “The sun’s got guns out, dude. People who tell their kids not to play outside should check into the facility.” And it gets a co-sign from me.
