Four Year Old Bully Neighbor - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Devils'Advocate · 07-23-2007, 06:23 AM

My brother has a sticky situation. He has a two year old and a newborn baby. Their backyard is fenced off so sometimes they leave the two year old in the sandbox to tend to the newborn. And the neighbor's 4 year old will take that opportunity to jump the short fence between the properties and push and punch the two year old. My brother put up additional fencing so sometimes the kid will walk around to the other side and jump the short fence OR he won't bother walking and just jumps on a picnic table and throws rocks at my nephew.

They have complained to the parents and they say "they are bringing up their kids differently - they want their kids to be strong and stand up for themselves" and that my 2 year old nephew "will have to toughen up if he doesn't want to grow up to be a nerd".

You can't really call the cops on a 4 year old. And you can't spank someone elses child. What exactly do you do? For the moment they are keeping the child indoors all the time.

ernie · 07-23-2007, 06:32 AM

A 2-year old shouldn't be out of the house unsupervised even if it is a fenced backyard.

Problem solved.

Rathji · 07-23-2007, 06:49 AM

Just go out there with a can of lighter fluid and a pack of wooden matches and explain to them you are going to toughen your kid up and show him how to defend himself.

They might get the hint, but this couple just seems a little dense.

Call child protective services and explain the situation, they most likely have a more suitable resolution.

Hack&Lube · 07-23-2007, 07:08 AM

Get a video of the incident. Take it to the police and explain that the neighboring family refuses to stop their child from harming yours and even thinks that that is a good thing. Or perhaps if you want to just send the message back and not ruin your neighbourly relations for years...get a loyal breed of dog who will love and protect your kid. It will give him a playmate and he might scare off the other boy.

Devils'Advocate · 07-23-2007, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ernie

A 2-year old shouldn't be out of the house unsupervised even if it is a fenced backyard. Problem solved.

Which, as I stated, what they are doing now. If they are indoors, so is the two year old. If he wants to play with his trucks in the sandbox, it has to wait until one of the parents can go out and supervise. But at what age DO you let your kid out in the backyard? When I was a kid, just three or four, my parents would let me wander and play in the backyard and we didn't even have a fence.

ernie · 07-23-2007, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

Which, as I stated, what they are doing now. If they are indoors, so is the two year old. If he wants to play with his trucks in the sandbox, it has to wait until one of the parents can go out and supervise. But at what age DO you let your kid out in the backyard? When I was a kid, just three or four, my parents would let me wander and play in the backyard and we didn't even have a fence.

Sadly the world is no longer like it was. You just can't let your children out of your sight when they are that young.

When is a kid old enough? hard to say really. Not sure the answer. In our neighbourhood it tends to be school age.

Flames89 · 07-23-2007, 08:07 AM

Take it to the kid's level and feed him chocolate exlax!

ken0042 · 07-23-2007, 08:19 AM

I agree with talking to the police. It's one thing if the two boys were playing and the one kid got rough; then you need take a little bit of the "boys will be boys" attitude. But from across a fence that isn't called for, and in the wake of school shootings in the past decade bullying isn't being taken as lightly as in the past.

That, or get another 8 year old to come over and beat up the kid, and mention that it's only fair that somebody twice his age picks on him.

Resolute 14 · 07-23-2007, 08:23 AM

Yup. Tell the parents of the idiot kid that the cops will be called every time the 4 year old enters their yard. Perhaps add a suggestion that if they won't properly raise their kid, child protective services might be able to do it.

CaptainCrunch · 07-23-2007, 09:12 AM

See how tough the father is. Kick the crap out of him in front of his kid.

LeftWing · 07-23-2007, 09:15 AM

Help the 2 year old pull the trigger on the hose.

habernac · 07-23-2007, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

See how tough the father is. Kick the crap out of him in front of his kid.

best suggestion yet. Wow, I'm glad I have decent neighbours.

soulchoice · 07-23-2007, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

My brother has a sticky situation. He has a two year old and a newborn baby. Their backyard is fenced off so sometimes they leave the two year old in the sandbox to tend to the newborn. And the neighbor's 4 year old will take that opportunity to jump the short fence between the properties and push and punch the two year old. My brother put up additional fencing so sometimes the kid will walk around to the other side and jump the short fence OR he won't bother walking and just jumps on a picnic table and throws rocks at my nephew.

They have complained to the parents and they say "they are bringing up their kids differently - they want their kids to be strong and stand up for themselves" and that my 2 year old nephew "will have to toughen up if he doesn't want to grow up to be a nerd".

You can't really call the cops on a 4 year old. And you can't spank someone elses child. What exactly do you do? For the moment they are keeping the child indoors all the time.

Wow, i applaud your brother for being so cordial after comments like that from his neighbor. If it was me, I would have told my neighbor, everytime I see him(the father), I am going to slap him around as well, or worse yet, asked him to step outside right there and then.

Hopefully you can keep us informed on the progress.

HOOT · 07-23-2007, 09:36 AM

1. Open window facing back yard
2. Put kids out in backyard
3. Go inside
4. Wait for kid to come over fence
5. Unload on him with paintball gun

Won't kill him or anything but will send a msg

I would just not leave the 2 yr old and new born outside by themselves. However think about viseo taping it and call social services, a father should not be okay with their 4 year old picking on a 2 year old.

Muta · 07-23-2007, 09:39 AM

I'd ask the other parents what's so tough about a 4 year old picking on a two year old?

Suggest to them that the next time it happens, since their kid wants to be tough / wants to fight, you'll take him and drop him off at the local junior high at the doors the bad kids hang around. You'll come back in an hour and then see what happens.

This is the only way to learn the 'tough love'. It'll be a lesson learned!

Well, that and the exlax idea. Gold.

07-23-2007, 09:40 AM

Call social services for some advise. I am not sure how much they would help but they might be able to direct you to the right agency.

Calling the police might help only in the sense that it might ring the other parents in a bit that this is serious issue. Also, the police might direct you to some city mediation for neighbors- ask them about it if they don't mention it.

Muta · 07-23-2007, 09:41 AM

In all seriousness though, why would you kick the crap out of your neighbour? Now you're just acting like the four year old. There's other ways to deal with it before hypocritically resorting to violence.

Muta · 07-23-2007, 09:46 AM

One could also throw some expired medication into the other kid's backyard. See what happens.

If the parents come to you, just say your kid grabbed them somehow from the garbage, threw it over the fence to defend himself from their kid, and well, 'boys will be boys'. Whether their kid now has extreme levels of estrogen really isn't your fault; kids have to toughen up, remember?

All's fair in love and war!

TheyCallMeBruce · 07-23-2007, 09:55 AM

Well, I'd wear scary zombie outfits and run toward the 4 year old every time he would come over and scare the crap out of him. Hopefully, that toughens him up for the apocalyptic zombie infested future.

zukes · 07-23-2007, 10:00 AM

I agree with the kick the crap outta the parents but you have to tell them that you are toughening them up.