A soup ladle on my patio what the heck? Is it raining soup ladles?
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
United States
June 23, 2008 1:18am CST
Around 9:30 PM I walked outside my back door and found a soup ladle on my stoop.Where the heck did that come from. I went inside and asked my hubby if he had seen it before. I looked to the sky is it raining soup ladles? Where the heck did it come from it was not mine. I looked and found fake flowers in my grass, I then turned on my pool light and my pool was littered with toys!
The people who live behind me have a pool also and they have some girls swimming the girls must have thrown the stuff over the fence.
Now I am mad, there is a doll floating in the pool, a mechanical frog, what I thought was leggos, and a square electronic toy in the bottom of my pool. If the electrical toy has batteries in it they can leak out and hurt my pool.
I was in my nightgown so I got dressed and walked over to the neighbors. I had not met them before. I took them the bunch of flowers, and the ladle. I told my neighbor that I think the girls have been throwing things in our yard and I was wondering if the girls could come and clean up [/b]their mess[b] I feel the best way to handle the problem is get the girls to dive down and get the leggos out of the bottom of the pool. The neighbor lady was mortified and apologized several times. She went and got the girls and told them they where grounded from the pool and had to come with me to clean up their mess. I told the lady I would walk them home.
The girls came over and cleaned up their mess. What I thought was leggos turned out to be rocks in the bottom of my pool. I asked the girls why they did it and they said they had a fight and was throwing things at each other. They did not even think about where the things where landing.
I hope by getting in trouble and having to clean up their mess they will think twice before throwing things at each other.
Do you guys think I handled the problem correctly? What would have you done? My husband did not want me to go over there he wanted to clean up the mess. I said no. He also told me not to make them mad because we need a new fence and was wondering if they would go half with us.
I was not mad, I told our neighbor that I think the best way to handle the problem is make the girls clean up their own mess.
1 person likes this
12 responses
@ElicBxn (63643)
• United States
23 Jun 08
I think you handled it very well. I think the mother probably needed to know that her girls were throwing things at each other and that nothing produces better results than to have to fix the results of you actions.
I do think that now that you have met her, the next thing to do is get to know them better. Maybe later in the summer invite them and the girls over for a cookout and swim party so that they know there is no hard feelings.
Maybe your husband will get that half the fence out that way.
2 people like this
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
6 Jul 08
You cannot leave a built in swimming pool empty for long because the plaster will chip off. When mine was low and the top step was out of water for a few hours the plaster coating is chipping off.
I think it would be a good idea if we go over there and keep chlorine in the pool to help keep the bugs down. I may do that if it stays empty for very long. I am sorry to see them go. They are good neighbors and I hate to see the house become empty.
1 person likes this
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
24 Jun 08
The sad part of the deal is the owners of the home, the girls grandparents are losing their home. They had to pay for their son's treatment for cancer and they could not make their house payments. They are getting their home foreclosed and have to move out soon. We will not be getting a new fence soon unless the new owners help pay for it. In CA I do not know how long the house will sit empty. I hope not for two long because they turn off the water, and let the pool go to waste. I hope the pool does not become a breeding ground for bugs.
1 person likes this
@irishmist (3814)
• United States
23 Jun 08
I think you handled the situation very well. I would have done the same thing. It was good that the mother handled the situation well also, because we all know how some parents can be when it comes to their kids. They can be very rude, and say things like it wasn't my kid, or my kid wouldn't do that.
2 people like this
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
24 Jun 08
I never gave it a thought if what I was going to do if the grandmother would not let the girls come over and clean up their mess. I guess I would have gone home with my tail between my legs and cleaned up the mess on my own and let it be that. I would not have done anything to them to fight back.
@metschica25 (5399)
• United States
24 Jun 08
That was what I was saying too .They would never and let the thought cross the mind that their child could of done something like that .
Good job with both people involved.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
23 Jun 08
I think you handled the problem very well teapot. It sounded like you were rather diplomatic about it,...LOL..I would have decked them all..hehe. But I'm glad you confronted the mother and the girls and made them clean up their own messes...maybe this will teach the girls to have more respect for other peoples property, and not to fight so much between each other.
Bravo for you!!!
2 people like this
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
24 Jun 08
Thanks. It was the grandmother and the girls come and stay for two weeks every summer. Now they are grounded from the pool and they cannot swim the rest of their stay here. I am sorry for that but they have to learn.
@sun2day (1062)
• Virgin Islands (U.S.)
23 Jun 08
I probably would have been more annoyed than you were. I am really proud of you for the way in which you handled that situation.
You neighbor seemed to be a good hearted person, to have allowed the girls to come over and clean up their mess. She did not seemed to have argued with you one bit.
I think it was fair to have them walk over and clean up the mess that they made.
About going half and half with the fencing, I would do the fencing on my own to avoid any future problems.
All in all I must say you have a neighbor who a very responsibe person and a good hearted human.
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
24 Jun 08
I do have a respectable neighbor and nice lady. I had met her briefly once and I know two of her neighbors. I had heard about her. I did not think she would be mad at me.
In CA we usually go half and half on a new fence when it is on the boarder of each person's property. They cannot pay us for the fence because they are getting foreclosed on their home. They do not have the money to spend on a fence. I understand when you do not have the money.
I hate to see them lose their home. I hate to see anyone lose their home.
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
24 Jun 08
That was the correct way to handle the situation. I would have done the same. And by the reaction of the mother you also know you did the right thing. You remained friendly and cordeal. The kids need to learn their boundaries. Personally, once I would have walked them back home after clean-up I would have told the mom what the girls said. They could have seriously hurt each other blindly throwing rocks. Sounds like your new neighbors are reasonable people.
Let us know what they say about the fence;P)
2 people like this
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
24 Jun 08
Actually they have been in there home longer then we have been in ours. They are losing their home because they had to pay for their grown son's medical expenses he has cancer. They still do not know if he will make it. No we will not be sharing the cost of a new fence. They do not have the money. I hope the house does not stay empty for long.
@metschica25 (5399)
• United States
24 Jun 08
I think you did a great job in taking care of things and went about it the right way . Many people would of lost their cool . The other parents was very good at working with you. Kids do things with out ever thinking and I am glad they cleaned up the mess . I dont know about if the reason is because they got in a fight, but you never know.
I am just saying that a few years back my parents had tools and all sorts of odd things in their yard . My dad caught the kids day later throwing forks and laughing .
I have no clue why that would be funny .
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
24 Jun 08
I do not know why throwing forks would be funny either. I am glad the grandmother was respectable also. Last week they had some young men over their jumping off the roof into the pool. My hubby and I where sitting out on our patio and had to go in side I could not sit out and watch that. I am an RN and I could not stand to see someone potentially hurt themselves. I would have flew over the fence if I had known if one of them where hurt. So I went into my home so I did not have to get involved. I also did not want them staring at us while I was sitting out on our patio in my swimming suit.
@JadeDrgne (14)
• United States
24 Jun 08
Kudo's to you for standing your ground. I think you handled the situation exceedingly well. Maybe this will teach the young ladies concerned some life responsibilities. I hope they take what happened to heart and carry it with them.
You are fortunate that your neighbor is an understanding and responsible parent (in that she enforced the children to clean up their mess). Where I live, knocking on a neighbor door to get their children to clean up their messes in my yard is not an option.
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
24 Jun 08
I feel I handled the problem well. I asked a girl at work what she would have done she said she would have thrown the stuff over the fence I think the girls would not have learned their lesson if I did that.
They are not out in the pool today they are grounded from the pool. I am sorry for that but they deserve to be in trouble.
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
31 Aug 09
I think you did the right thing. A lot of times kids aren't held responsible for their actions so they just keep doing it. On the other side of the coin though, you have to be careful doing something like that b/c in today's world you never know what kind of fruitcake you might run into going to a neighbor's house.
[b]~~AT PEACE WITHIN~~
**STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS**[/b]
@gmakesmoney (2923)
• United States
23 Jun 08
I think you handled the problem in a great manner. I never would have thought to make a lesson out of it for the girls, good job. That's crazy that they're throwing rocks at each other! And ladles too? What did the fight start in the kitchen and work it's way to the yard? Make sure you don't find noodles and pieces of chicken too! I hope the girls learn a lesson, this is one of those times where they so could have poked an eye out.
2 people like this
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
24 Jun 08
No chicken or noodles. The ladle is for scooping bird seed out to feed the wild birds.
The girls are grounded from the pool for the rest of the week. They are here until the weekend. Boy now they cannot have as much fun at Grandmas. I did not want them to be grounded I just wanted them to clean up their mess.
@twallace (2675)
• United States
24 Jun 08
I think that you handled it well and the neighbors didn't trip. That is a a good thing. Tell your husband that ye doesn't have to worry about the fence they just might go half on it with him. From what you have stated about the neighbors they don't seem to be to bad.
1 person likes this
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
24 Jun 08
I like the neighbor lady. She will not be around to much longer because they are losing their home. I will hate to see the house empty. I hope it does not remain empty for two long.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
24 Jun 08
I think you handled it just beautifullly and you did not
make your neighbor angry either. she understood where you
were coming from and lent her girls to clean up their
mess. that should teach them not to do things like that
again.Men tend to want to avoid a scene but you did avoid
a scene. no you did just right.
1 person likes this
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
24 Jun 08
My hubby does not want to cause a problem. I want to let people know when they have wronged me. I try to do it diplomatically. Sometimes it does not always come out that way. heehee
