School children sitting on my front wall

I bet for them it is simply a convenient place to sit and talk endlessly as teenagers do - all about nothing. They won't think about whether it would annoy you or anyone really, that is how they are. I wouldn't worry if that is all they are doing, it won't last nothing does.

'A little disconcerted' is far more reasonable than 'seething' which sounds an overreaction.
OP basically no, most people probably wouldn't say anything to teenagers who weren't doing anything.
Coolgran. - You certainly have an accurate board name!

A friend of mine has just bought a 1950's house with a low front brick wall and when I visited I said, "Oh let's sit on the wall , it reminds me of being a kid." We use to sit on the front wall and chat for hours but it was usual one of our own walls. I think we use to sit on the wall by the bus stop. Sitting on walls was more the norm as people walked and used public transport and were out and about more.

One area I worked in they told me on a nice evening they would come out and sit on their walls and someone would make a tray of tea.

I would be a little disconcerted if someone sat on my wall, but not really sure why. If they were there for a while I might go out and ask them if they were OK. Don't even like people who are not visiting me, parking outside my house and that is totally unreasonable and I would never say anything. Must be territorial.

Are you frightened of them Blackcurrent or just feeling territorial?

Most youngsters are actually very nice people, just a few get the rest a bad press. Ignore them.

I was once on a train back from Scotland with two young children. It stopped for about an hour due to something or other on the line. or a signal failure.

There was a group of noisy Scottish lads a few seats back. One of them suddenly shouted 'Hey! Missus!' so ignored him. He shouted again 'Hey Missus!' and I pretended I was looking in my bag.
He then approached us and said 'Hey Missus, would the weans like a drink?' and held out a bottle of pop.

I was ashamed of myself. Luckily I had a bottle of squash in my bag so was able to hold it up and thank him for his kindness.

Taught me a valuable lesson.

Never alienate.

At one time I went out and started to brush up the drive.
Hi there, nice to be finished school on a sunny afternoon.......
Them..... Oh hello missus..... Yes it is.
Me....not so food if you have homework.
Them.....do it later missus.
Me...... Oh it's great to be young and strong.
Them....laugh
Me......I'm serious, it's hard work for me to do this brushing up. Any of you fancy giving a hand?
Them.......chorus of Naaaah.... but one came and took the brush. He called on another to take the dustpan.
I chatted with 2 others about what a lot of homework they got.
They did a crap job brushing the drive, but we parted with a wave.

There could be an advantage in being on friendly terms with the local teenagers. The people who get aggro are the ones who hassle them! I'd just go and have a chat with them which would probably put them right off.

Jalima a neighbour had your problem, one morning she simply went outside scooped up the little pile, walked down the street and deposited it on the owners step, dropping a note through the door-"I think your dog left something on my lawn". It never happened again.

Do we (mostly grandparents) actually like children? Or is it only our own that we like?

Sorry Blackcurrent but if (as you say) they weren't actually doing anything but it made you "seethe", then I think you perhaps might benefit from a bit of a rethink about what is actually worth getting cross about and how you deal with things.

A local small supermarket used to play classical music just outside the shop all night - there were no houses nearby - and it deterred youngsters from loitering around there, dropping rubbish and cigarette ends.

Yes, indeed, a bit of Beethoven could work wonders!

If they're not doing any harm, as others have said, just a bit of humour might work-if you try to engage them in conversation they'll soon move on! Lol

We have a low garden wall only about 2 ft from the front of house. We occasionally get schoolchildren sitting there chatting. It doesn't particularly bother me if they're not doing any harm. But if they start getting a bit noisy, particularly if I've got the windows open, I put on some classical music, with the volume turned up of course .

Having worked in a school office and been in receipt of numerous similar complaints I would say the more you challenge them the more hassle you will get. Try a bit of humour have a bit cheerful chatter with them as you go about things and hope they get tired of it and go away.

Shouting at them is the very last thing I would have done, I have to admit. Ignoring them or a bit of humour and banter- or rose spray- would have been more effective. let's hope they are not going to make a point of it now- knowing it will get a result. A pity.

rockgran
Well done

I used to have a few kids who sat on my wall and got a bit noisy [no real harm but annoying] so I went out and chatted to them whilst spraying the roses. Then I said they shouldn't breathe the stuff in or they might get ill. They soon moved off!

'Hi, kids, enjoying the ?' could be a start

"Key my car" means scratch the car with the car keys.

I've never forgotten the time my son - still in infant school - decided to play hide and seek with me on the way home from school and had the audacity (apparently) to hide behind someone's wheelie bin which was just inside their gate very close to the road. A very angry woman came storming out of her house and shouted at him to get off her driveway, then disappeared back inside before I could say anything. I remember my little boy's crestfallen face - he thought he had done something really bad - and I also remember thinking how sad that a grown woman could be so angry about a child doing something that was, well, just childlike.

Nothing more to add really.

I don't understand the problem? They are doing no more than sitting .annoying maybe , but seething?....

What does - key my car, mean?

Are they shouting, swearing, spitting, leaving litter, peeing in the corner?

Or just chatting? In which case, what's your problem, really?!?

He saw me staring out of the window so now he goes on a neighbour's lawn instead

No, I wouldn't alienate them!

I would have suggested a gentle and polite request to them to move as the wall is wobbling or such. They were probably just sitting chatting to each other without thinking about any thing else.
If they were not up to major mischief don't alienate them by coming down like a ton of bricks on them. Children and young people often don't think about potential damage.

One of them got up and started pacing my front garden, at which point I saw red and shouted at them to move on.

Oh dear. I do hope they don't key my car now...