Neighbor Kid and Parental Emulation
I have neighbors. Yes, yes, I understand most of us have neighbors in one form or another, but I have neighbors. Let me explain,
About 18 months ago two women moved into the condo complex I live in. They are renters and are renting out a two bed, two bath condo catty-corner from where I live, their front door not 30 feet from my own. Not that it matters, but I will tell you anyway, they are a lesbian couple. They have a child, a two to three year old boy who smiles and laughs as he rides his bike around the sidewalks.
Since they moved in my roommate and I have been prisoners in our own home. Not because they stalk or attack us, but because they're always outside (smoking) and they're always loud. Very loud. They don't appear to have any consideration for their nearby neighbors, common decency or any desire to adhere to basic community rules against noise violations. This becomes especially burdensome when one or both of them have been drinking or are partaking in Colorado's marijuana laws. I haven't complained to the community's management but I know other neighbors who have -- I have, however, called the police on them when they were screaming at 2AM so loud as to wake me up through closed doors and windows from more than 30 feet away. At one point, when a friend of theirs tried to quiet one down, she screamed, "I don't care! No one's complained before!"
Over the past year I've change a tire for them, helped them carry furniture, kept their house from flooding during Colorado's 1000 year storm; given them an old tablet, television and lamp. Up until recently they've been fairly nice to me when I'm outside, but I haven't been outside as much due to wanting to avoid them. I used to sit in the shade of a tree and read or work on the laptop, or sometimes just to lay in the grass with my dog, Rufus.
Unfortunately, over the past year and numerous complaints, they haven't learned to speak in normal conversational tones. Due to this, I know way more about their lives than I'd like to, including which friends they hate, which one doesn't do dishes and which one has (very) disgusting gynecological problems. Not only do they spend most of their time gossiping and calling each other names at the top of their lungs, but they also yell at their child all the time.
When a neighbor complained about them being loud into the night their defense was they have a child and therefore are quiet all the time.
Not true.
When someone else complained about their noise level one of them tried to claim she didn't have a boyfriend and therefore didn't have anyone to argue with.
One doesn't need a boyfriend to argue.
They've tried to play the lesbian harassment card, the "I work at night" excuse and various other excuses with the condo community's management.
The biological mother of the child has come up to a couple of us neighbors at 11 o'clock at night, or later, knocking on doors and asking for a ride to the local gas station so she can buy cigarettes. She even grabbed my crotch one time claiming she could make it worth my while.
::shudder::
Their kid is an older two or just past the cusp of three, usually smiling and happy to be out and about when I see him riding his bicycle up and down the sidewalk. Another neighbor who shares a wall with the couple, says the kid can scream and yell with the best of them, screaming at his mothers to 'shut the fuck up' and 'no, you bitch!'
You know, emulating what he sees on a daily basis.
My roommate and I had talked a lot over the past year about the poor kid and what example is being set over in their household. Is he every going to understand a normal relationship or how to talk to someone without screaming as he gets older?
Recently we've been hearing a number of conversations where the neighbors are complaining about their son's preschool. Per the school, the kid is out of control, argumentative, combative and screams at the teachers to 'shut the fuck up' and going so far as to call them all 'bitches.'
Both parents deny it, citing they didn't know where their son would have learned such language or that type of behavior.
Yesterday was another such conversation, but after listening my roommate and I came to realize they were actually talking to the school administration, not each other. Per the side of the conversation we heard, the (biological) mother claimed she thought the school was persecuting her for being gay by lying about her son's behavior. He doesn't, "argue," "swear," "talk back" or anything else and she doesn't know where he would have learned to do so, they are a nice quiet family, in bed by 9 every night and full of love. Obviously, his problems come from the school and not from his home life, she tried explaining.
A couple of days ago I let the (biological) mother use my cell phone (I dialed and held it out for her to speak through the speakerphone) to call the preschool and learn if the kid was ready to come home or not. Due to that, I had a record and was able to Google the facility which wasn't too far away.
Today I drove over to the preschool and spoke with the administrator. She couldn't admit to anything, but when I started talking she just nodded her head indicating to me she knew exactly who I was talking about. I related what I heard of the conversation and then refuted just about every claim the parent made: they scream and swear all the time, they don't talk, they yell; they fling swear words at each other, words of hatred and more on nearly a daily basis.
"Supposedly, the kid's behavior is very similar," I said, reinforcing the half of the conversation I heard last night. The administrator just nodded and smiled, again, not able to confirm or deny, which I completely understood.
My conversation wasn't long, but I tried to impress it wasn't the kid's fault the example they were setting and I hoped, by knowing the kid's true home life, they could better understand how to work with him and his behavior. Both the administrator and her assistant administrator commended me for taking action and letting them know the parents were lying to them. They also thanked me for letting them know the child was just emulating what he sees at home. They tried to impress upon me the need to call social services if I witnessed anything untoward happening to the child, but I had to tell them, I only see it from the outside when the kid is all smiles and laughter. What happens indoors is beyond my purview.
About 18 months ago two women moved into the condo complex I live in. They are renters and are renting out a two bed, two bath condo catty-corner from where I live, their front door not 30 feet from my own. Not that it matters, but I will tell you anyway, they are a lesbian couple. They have a child, a two to three year old boy who smiles and laughs as he rides his bike around the sidewalks.
Since they moved in my roommate and I have been prisoners in our own home. Not because they stalk or attack us, but because they're always outside (smoking) and they're always loud. Very loud. They don't appear to have any consideration for their nearby neighbors, common decency or any desire to adhere to basic community rules against noise violations. This becomes especially burdensome when one or both of them have been drinking or are partaking in Colorado's marijuana laws. I haven't complained to the community's management but I know other neighbors who have -- I have, however, called the police on them when they were screaming at 2AM so loud as to wake me up through closed doors and windows from more than 30 feet away. At one point, when a friend of theirs tried to quiet one down, she screamed, "I don't care! No one's complained before!"
Over the past year I've change a tire for them, helped them carry furniture, kept their house from flooding during Colorado's 1000 year storm; given them an old tablet, television and lamp. Up until recently they've been fairly nice to me when I'm outside, but I haven't been outside as much due to wanting to avoid them. I used to sit in the shade of a tree and read or work on the laptop, or sometimes just to lay in the grass with my dog, Rufus.
Unfortunately, over the past year and numerous complaints, they haven't learned to speak in normal conversational tones. Due to this, I know way more about their lives than I'd like to, including which friends they hate, which one doesn't do dishes and which one has (very) disgusting gynecological problems. Not only do they spend most of their time gossiping and calling each other names at the top of their lungs, but they also yell at their child all the time.
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| A Picture For No Reason |
When a neighbor complained about them being loud into the night their defense was they have a child and therefore are quiet all the time.
Not true.
When someone else complained about their noise level one of them tried to claim she didn't have a boyfriend and therefore didn't have anyone to argue with.
One doesn't need a boyfriend to argue.
They've tried to play the lesbian harassment card, the "I work at night" excuse and various other excuses with the condo community's management.
The biological mother of the child has come up to a couple of us neighbors at 11 o'clock at night, or later, knocking on doors and asking for a ride to the local gas station so she can buy cigarettes. She even grabbed my crotch one time claiming she could make it worth my while.
::shudder::
Their kid is an older two or just past the cusp of three, usually smiling and happy to be out and about when I see him riding his bicycle up and down the sidewalk. Another neighbor who shares a wall with the couple, says the kid can scream and yell with the best of them, screaming at his mothers to 'shut the fuck up' and 'no, you bitch!'
You know, emulating what he sees on a daily basis.
My roommate and I had talked a lot over the past year about the poor kid and what example is being set over in their household. Is he every going to understand a normal relationship or how to talk to someone without screaming as he gets older?
Recently we've been hearing a number of conversations where the neighbors are complaining about their son's preschool. Per the school, the kid is out of control, argumentative, combative and screams at the teachers to 'shut the fuck up' and going so far as to call them all 'bitches.'
Both parents deny it, citing they didn't know where their son would have learned such language or that type of behavior.
Yesterday was another such conversation, but after listening my roommate and I came to realize they were actually talking to the school administration, not each other. Per the side of the conversation we heard, the (biological) mother claimed she thought the school was persecuting her for being gay by lying about her son's behavior. He doesn't, "argue," "swear," "talk back" or anything else and she doesn't know where he would have learned to do so, they are a nice quiet family, in bed by 9 every night and full of love. Obviously, his problems come from the school and not from his home life, she tried explaining.
A couple of days ago I let the (biological) mother use my cell phone (I dialed and held it out for her to speak through the speakerphone) to call the preschool and learn if the kid was ready to come home or not. Due to that, I had a record and was able to Google the facility which wasn't too far away.
Today I drove over to the preschool and spoke with the administrator. She couldn't admit to anything, but when I started talking she just nodded her head indicating to me she knew exactly who I was talking about. I related what I heard of the conversation and then refuted just about every claim the parent made: they scream and swear all the time, they don't talk, they yell; they fling swear words at each other, words of hatred and more on nearly a daily basis.
"Supposedly, the kid's behavior is very similar," I said, reinforcing the half of the conversation I heard last night. The administrator just nodded and smiled, again, not able to confirm or deny, which I completely understood.
My conversation wasn't long, but I tried to impress it wasn't the kid's fault the example they were setting and I hoped, by knowing the kid's true home life, they could better understand how to work with him and his behavior. Both the administrator and her assistant administrator commended me for taking action and letting them know the parents were lying to them. They also thanked me for letting them know the child was just emulating what he sees at home. They tried to impress upon me the need to call social services if I witnessed anything untoward happening to the child, but I had to tell them, I only see it from the outside when the kid is all smiles and laughter. What happens indoors is beyond my purview.
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