Corpus . . . we have a problem!

I need some serious advice. What should I do about the neighborhood girl who knocks on our door . . . at least five times a day . . . Camee can't even make it to her friend's house before the neighborhood girl is by her side . . . this girl has not had the best life, her early childhood was not a good one, so I don't want to be mean to her . . . but when she is waiting at the end of the road for you to return home . . . I feel like a prisoner in my own house! The kids cannot go in the front yard without her showing up . . . they can't even go in the backyard, because she will hear them & let herself in. She has anger issues & has 'pushed' our kids down, etc., so I don't feel comfortable having them go to her house or even having her play with my kids, unless I'm outside with them. And, if another kid comes out to play, she will intentionally take them to her house . . . just so they will play with her & not with the other kids in the neighborhood. AGGHHHHHHHH!! & to top it off, she is 16 years old. What is the nicest way to say . . . WE DON'T WANT TO PLAY!!!!

Comments

hoLLy said…
i think you might just have to be straight up with her. shes old enough to handle it ok, i think. if it was an 8 year old it might be different, but this is a teen that really has no business acting this way especially with little kids. a good excuse could be that she isn't your kids age and you'd prefer them not to play with someone twice their age. just tell her in your sweetest voice:) that you aren't comfortable with that(even if this isn't the reason you don't like her around) also, maybe have your kids play in the backyard with their friends more often. after awhile, she might get a hint?

either that or just smack her real hard. lol :) kidding of course.
July 23, 2010 at 1:14 PM
Stacey said…
Amber, I am so sorry. I think you're going to have to be firm with her and tell her to leave your family alone. She is too old to be playing with kids the ages of yours. Be prepared though, she might try to retaliate. :(
July 23, 2010 at 1:45 PM
Emma said…
That's a tough situation. But I agree that she is really too old to play your kids. I don't have any good advice right now, but I like what the others have said. Best of luck to you.
July 23, 2010 at 2:08 PM
Alyssa said…
Go with your instinct--there's a reason for it. Especially with the age involved at 16 she doesn't need to be entering circles of play with your children. I think you could use phrases like we having family playtime right now. I agree that there could be more going on and you need to protect your children. Of course it would all be done in kindness, because allowing her to dominate the young children in the neighborhood especially at her age, wouldn't really be kind would it?
July 23, 2010 at 3:00 PM
Josh said…
Have you talked to her parents?

You could also get a restraining order . . . some jail time might teach her to stay away.

You might want to put a sign on your front door, yes you can play, or no you can't.

You could send Emma out to play next time she knocks.

Also, it might be a good idea to teach your kids how to protect themselves. Kung Fu or Karate, maybe?
July 23, 2010 at 3:52 PM
Stacy said…
16 years old? That's a little too old to be hanging out with your young kids.
July 23, 2010 at 5:15 PM
SWS said…
How about putting a locking device on the gates into your back yard so she can't let herself in. That would go with the family time suggestion above. You would probably have to explain to her that it's not acceptable for her to let herself into your backyard without an invitation (not that we don't do that all the time by looking over the fence :-)).

Finally, I haven't communicated with her parents lately so I don't know how receptive they would be but another alternative would be to talk to them about it.

If there's anything we can do to help DO NOT hesitate to let us know!

-Sarah & Tommy
July 23, 2010 at 7:22 PM
The Bright Family said…
thanks for all your help!
July 26, 2010 at 5:16 PM
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