Damage to property... taking things that aren't yours... where are the parents anyway??

In recent weeks, we have noted children from other families in our neighbor's yard playing while they aren't home. We don't hesitate to go out and confront them, because you just shouldn't be going into someone's yard unannounced.

Anyway... the problem just gets better.

Apparently, a few weeks back, a group of kids came into our yard through the yard behind us (both yards have fences) and proceeded to play on the pirate ship and trampoline. Our neighbor alerted his wife, who came in to see them destroying the nice anchor I had purchased as a decorative element for the pirate ship. So his wife shooed them off. The anchor was stashed in the pirate ship in hopes we wouldn't notice it missing. Our son came up to the house with it, crying as he told us his anchor was broken.

I replaced it, thinking maybe it was the weather or there was some other factor that broke it.

Here is my issue with this. I grew up in a time when we were taught to respect others and their property. This respect included not going into their yards or houses without first gaining permission. You definitely don't cause damage to someone else's property and not even come back to apologize and own it.

Then, we discover a little one trying to get into our front door. When confronted, she told my husband she needed to use the bathroom. He told her no, her house is close enough she can go home. (Because we don't know her... and who knows what people are using as tactics to view the insides of houses these days.)

Yet another time, the same little one was in our garage rummaging through our freezer. My husband asked how he could help her and she said "oh, I was just looking for ice cream". Well... what do I look like, the ice cream man? Seriously? It was later discovered that little footprints were on the inside of our freezer... and all of the ice cream sandwiches we purchased just a couple of weeks ago for our son (who only eats them occasionally, normally a box lasts us most of the summer), were gone.  I removed three empty boxes from my freezer. Only one could be blamed on our son who took his father some mint chocolate greek yogurt ice cream the other day in the back yard.

As far as just walking into people's houses - ABSOLUTELY NOT. You ALWAYS ask before you go in. No ifs, ands, or buts here. As for raiding someone's freezer and taking things, seriously? I do NOT run a grocery store OR an ice cream truck. That is just rude.

My kids go to their friends' houses and play. If they are offered food, they don't even like to go inside without first checking with us. Our older boy will bring food home from the neighbor's and ask if it's ok for him to have it. They NEVER go onto another's property without being invited or seeing the family home and making sure it's ok.

I don't get it. If you have kids, you should freaking raise them. Because we all know that the first time one of them gets hurt at my house, even though the fence is locked, when no one is home; you're going to be on my doorstep asking for retribution.

Reign them in, folks. Teach them manners. Teach them to function in society with dignity and respect. Would you want them going to stores, breaking things, and stealing food?