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I am so angry I could spit nails. I came home about 3:45 to find a blonde boy about 14 trying to get into my side gate to my backyard. When I said, "Excuse me! Just what do you think you're doing?" He replied, "I'm trying to get my ball." I pointed out he was trespassing, and he responded, "Well, I knocked on the door and no one answered." I then reminded him there was a dog in the yard and he might get bitten. He nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and said he'd been bitten before. I then told him to leave before I called the cops. I went inside and into the backyard to hear him and his friends laughing about it and then watched as one scaled my neighbor's fence several times to retrieve a baseball. I had thrown two over the fence last weekend.
I am aghast that he had no qualms (or his friends, either) about trespassing over someone's property. I have a lock on the inside of my gate for people like that, so he couldn't open the gate and walk in. If I had a gun, I'd have no qualms about shooting first and asking questions later. Your thoughts?
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Shoot a kid for retrieving his baseball! Isn't that a little harsh? Is this kid a neighbor or a friend of your neighbor? I could understand if they were stealing the copper from your air conditioner but seems like he wanted his ball back. Make him your friend and ask him to respect your property. Remember adolescent teens have not fully developed that part of the brain dealing with consequence. Appeal to him on a different level. If he doesn't respond then shoot him.
I'm mixed on this one...the kid should have waited...BUT...they did need the ball to continue playing...put yourself in his shoes...what would you have done?
Children these days seem to have lost a lot of respect for the "rules" of decorum...My kids are learning to say "ma'am" and "sir"...they are being taught not to walk across people's lawns when going to the door...hold the door for ladies or elders, etc...etc...etc...But these are hard to enforce when their friends are not being taught the same thing or being expected to live up to the same expectations.
This decline started LONG ago and it's quite possible that these children's parents were not taught how to be respectful. It only gets worse...
How to change? Start expecting better and letting the kids know what your expectations are. You missed a huge opportunity to teach this kid manners and seems that you taught him how to interact with strangers.
It was a baseball...right next to Apple Pie in the all American line up! Be thankful that the kids in your neighborhood are interested in it and not stealing the copper out of your a/c unit!
Had there been a dog and had the boy been bitten, rest assured his parents would be demanding the dog be put down and gwg would find herself in civil court. Sad but true. Rest assured, I would have written down his name and phone number. The parents need to be called.
You are 100% correct! Think about it: what is the difference between entering a locked 6 foot privacy fence and a house? Let's say it's nighttime. I live alone with my 14 year-old son and hear something in the backyard. If I have a gun, I'm using it. There's virtually no difference to a kid like this in breaking over a locked fence and seeing his two baseballs through my living room French doors and deciding he needs to "get" them. Today this; tomorrow the copper wire. Kids like this know no boundaries. If they want something, they want it AND believe they are entitled to it. Several years ago my son's soccer ball flew over the other fence into the yard of transplanted New Jerseyans who don't even answer the door when I take them their mail I've received. I told him it was gone until THEY threw it back over, which they did after a few days.
GWG Wrote "Several years ago my son's soccer ball flew over the other fence into the yard of transplanted New Jerseyans who don't even answer the door when I take them their mail I've received."
Wow, you crazy, cracker redneck, no wonder your yankee neighbors won't answer the door - they're probably afraid of facing down the barrel of a 22. Are you the Beaufort spokesperson for the NRA?
Get over yourself - its just a ball. Better these kids play ball than sit home playing violent video games. That's when the acting out in real time becomes problem. Watch out or you'll get a bad rep in the neighborhood and then you'll really be in for some trouble
GWG Wrote "Several years ago my son's soccer ball flew over the other fence into the yard of transplanted New Jerseyans who don't even answer the door when I take them their mail I've received."
Wow, you crazy, cracker redneck, no wonder your yankee neighbors won't answer the door - they're probably afraid of facing down the barrel of a 22. Are you the Beaufort spokesperson for the NRA?
Get over yourself - its just a ball. Better these kids play ball than sit home playing violent video games. That's when the acting out in real time becomes problem. Watch out or you'll get a bad rep in the neighborhood and then you'll really be in for some trouble
No self-respecting redneck would be caught dead with a measley little .22.....
Ya got me there - I have very little experience with crazy cracker rednecks and their guns of choice
I firmly believe that a choice of firearms should consider the ability to use IT as a club if you (impossible as it seems) run out of ammo. I would carry a bazooka if I could conceal it.....
in SC you do not have a "duty to retreat', you can shoot someone that is in your house or attacking you with intent to do harm BUT that is only in the case of your being threatened with deadly force - shooting a kid or anybody in your yard, when not threatening you - not a good idea...I agree that he should not be in your yard and "getting their ball' is not an acceptable reason to trespass without permission....they lose the ball over the fence TOO bad until you get home then they can knock on your door and politely ask to get it back...it happens once or twice - no big deal, more than that - they need to go someplace else to play. I'd report it to the police / sheriff let the officers handle giving them a warning.
Yes, a repeat performance will get a call to the BCSO.
Back in the day when Beaufort really was the charm that many falsely glamorize as today, hopping the fence to go in a friendly neighbor's backyard to retrieve baseballs and footballs was almost a daily chore. There were 5 adjacent yards in which we had to do this, the ones on the right and left of our home and the three yards on the back side where most of the balls often ended up. Fortunately, NOT ONCE did we ever face a whining hag that wanted to curtail our wish to be outside having fun while playing a physically-demanding sport near our home. If we broke a window we had to pay for it; on the other hand, if we knocked, kicked, or threw a ball over a fence it was either a homerun, field-goal, badly thrown ball, or foulball and certainly not a call for trespassing charges or pulling out guns like you threaten.
You and classidiot are exactly the types that have turned once friendly neighborhoods into often gated, almost self-exiled pockets of existence where next-door neighbors do nothing more than try to out-do one another. It is very clear that neither of you know much about the connection between friendly and neighborhood. Do you ever stop and think about your 14 year old son being outside socializing with his buddies? It honestly doesn't sound like it.
I was raised in a small town and much of what you just described happened there, BUT I was taught by my parents (as were my friends) to respect people and their property. I would have NEVER dared to jump someone's fence without their permission.
What has turned some parts of Beaufort into what you are describing is the lack of respect for personal property and privacy. There was a time when few people even locked their doors or windows...those days are gone, not because of what you describe, but because of lack of respect for people and property and because there's a pretty good chance some punk will walk into your house and at best, steal from you or worst murder you for a few bucks. I have a fenced backyard, I have a very unfriendly yard for kids, I don't want anyone hurt...I also have had several things go missing and be damaged even WITH the fence. I have watched a neighbor's kid walk brazenly into my yard and steal something.
My own son was taught to not "shortcut" through other people's yard, just as a matter of respect...something he practices today. It's all about being taught to respect people and property, something many parents fail to do today - THAT is why we have what we have.
Read my other post to see what I did with my own son.
Is being taught respect for other's properties...thank you...
and you work with children? Get some help. Your anger is not healthy.
After the kitten chasing the butterfly it is hard to believe you would post this. You need time out!
Get over your grudge; it's been many years.
Get over your grudge; it's been many years.
Would you really kill a child over a ball?
It's about trespassing in a LOCKED backyard. Your grudge remarks are insipid.
It's about trespassing in a LOCKED backyard. Your grudge remarks are insipid.
Kitten Killer
This is one incident where I'd seek retribution. It sounds like joy shooting. In fact, there might not have been much of him left once I was done.
Posted by gwg4544 - Sun, 2008-04-27 07:15
I hope your anger doesn't hurt a student. Get some help.
Are you really that old and angry? For goodness sake the kid was just trying to get his ball!
This is a BAD direction for you to go. Not what you want to be known for!
Get out now!
I won't so far as to say I agree w/ the shooting comment, but, this IS her yard. Her locked yard. The child should have waited until she was home. Ya'll can say it was as simple as getting a baseball.. what if something had happened to that child while in her yard? You can bet her homeowners insurance would have had to pony up. I'm sure him being smug didn't help the situation.
her new name is "kid killer"!
her new name is "kid killer"!
Working with our children?
This sounds like "Madea gets real with the Gifted and Talented"
She better hope True doesn't see this.
Like that isn't gonna happen! Ginny delete the blog! Sooner than later!
I have a hard time believing she'd actually shoot a kid for retrieving a baseball. Ever heard of sarcasm? However, if this boy makes it a habit of trespassing then he very well may get shot at some point in time. If I was home alone at night and saw a teenager walking thru my backyard, he'd be staring down the barrel of my shot gun! I suggest putting up No Trespassing signs and a Beware of Dog sign to legally protect yourself.
and will SHOOT them in her backyard over a ball!
What is your son's relationship with these kids? Are these kids his friends?
What is your son's relationship with these kids? Are these kids his friends?
Please tell me your zip ends in 7, ha ha.
your friend
enginuity
I think there is some good advice in these posts. For one, people put up fences for privacy and the law recognizes the property owner's right for the fence and the privacy. Anyone entering has no excuse for violating those rights. A fence is pretty obvious.
However, teenagers are inexperienced, but it is the parent's duty to educate their young. If they are aware of it, they should tell their children that a crossing a fence without permission is a no=no for any reason. They need to get permission for the owner as adults would.
In this case, I would call the parents and tell them. A fence is there for the dog and it might bite. Then it becomes the parent's responsibility.
A gun? I think not unless one is in danger and used for self protection. The furor over a pet, Mudpie, in Bluffton shows the sensitivity of the use of guns lately. Imagine the furor over a teenager. In fact, I know of one person who shot his dog because it was a menace to his neighbors. He was arrested and paid a fine. He should have taken it to a vet and had it put down.
Times are a-changing and we are not the rural take care of your self society anymore. Back before animal control, everyone had to protect their property from stray animals and usually shot them. Since there was no rabies vaccination laws, any stray could be rabid and I saw a lot of them, both cats and dogs as well as wild animals. It's easy to spot them, drooling, biting themselves, moving in erratic patterns. One poor cat was walking sideways and tripping up like it was drunk. And the wild dog packs would roam and was a danger to animals and humans. So shooting strays was a common practice.
But we have to live with today's laws and customs, not yesterday's.
I went inside and into the backyard to hear him and his friends laughing about it and then watched as one scaled my neighbor's fence several times to retrieve a baseball. I had thrown two over the fence last weekend.
I am aghast that he had no qualms (or his friends, either) about trespassing over someone's property. I have a lock on the inside of my gate for people like that, so he couldn't open the gate and walk in. If I had a gun, I'd have no qualms about shooting first and asking questions later. Your thoughts?
I'd say you were incorrect in "throwing two over the fence last weekend".
That is invading your neighbor's property.
The boy should not have been trying to get into your yard to retreive his ball, rather he should have waited until you were home to answer your doorbell.
You are getting around the bend to even think about shooting a child under these circumstances. Be careful about any medication you are taking for your illness, maybe there are some interactions.
I'm wondering if maybe everyone is overreacting a little to gwg4544's blog. Granted, a gun is a little extreme for the situation, but if you compare the time gwg arrived home to find someone attempting to trespass on his/her property and the time of the post, you can see that it is only about a half hour apart. The blog was probably a knee-jerk reaction to the feelings he/she was feeling at the time. Not to mention that the boy seemed to be somewhat disrespectful and uncaring about the whole thing, which only serves to increase the feeling of being violated. Our home and one of our cars was broken into a few years back, and it was the opinion of the officer who responded that it was "kids" that had done it. Then, a local neighborhood child (around 13-14) stole my son's bicycle, and was so brazen about it that he walked up to my son and practically admitted it. Things are getting worse and I completely understand gwg's frustration with the situation. I'm just wondering if maybe the post was only a way of letting off steam?
Is that extreme? Of course it is. I remember the days where people actually liked kids. Granted, some kids these days don't have much respect for adults or property or anything, but I'd like to believe the majority still do. Back when I lost a ball over my neighbor's yard, I didn't even think twice about jumping the fence and getting it back. That's what kids do. They don't think about that neighbor being a loon who might shoot you, expecially over a baseball.
If it happened now, I'd ask him what he was doing in my yard and then I'd ask him to knock next time. Maybe he could learn something from a decent civilized adult, and maybe he would think enough of me that when he saw somebody actually breaking into my yard to steal something he would call the police instead of turning a blind eye because I am that jerk who didn't let him get his ball, but that's just me.
Up on your soapbox again, eh, Stoney_pe?
Can you not fathom someone saying something they did not mean and would never do out of a heat-of-the-moment anger?
I did not say it wasn't extreme to actually shoot a kid over a baseball. I said that maybe gwg was speaking (writing) in the heat of the moment. I did not take her post literally.
And the days when people actually liked kids are quickly vanishing due to the large number of kids that will rob you blind when you're not looking. Somewhere along the way, young people today have gotten the idea that if you don't have the money for something, it's okay to just take it.
I would also LIKE to believe the majority of kids still have respect for adults and property, but find I it hard since so many of them obviously do not.
He explained that he knocked, but there was no answer. So, in his mind, that made it okay to just go right in. Not much respect there, huh?
You got me there, but I admitted as much before.
Why else would my address be #1 Ivory Boulevard?
I agree with you that gwg may have over reacted, and I may grant you that in the heat of the moment even the post might be have been over the top, although that might be a stretch.
I agree with some of the points you make. Today I am actually on your side, but all kids have jumped a fence to retrieve a ball. I did it, maybe even you or someone close to you, and I wouldn't beat my kids if they did it, but I would tell them that is not ok. Jumping a fence to get a ball does not make a kid a bad kid, and all kids are not bad kids. All I was saying is let's not put all kids into a category. Let's just see this for what it is, an isolated case of one kid not thinking and an adult over reacting.
I can live with that.
I'm gonna just start calling you Soapbox. As a joke, of course. No offense intended.
Otherwise what fun would this blog be?
I didn't take it as GWG saying she was going to shoot a kid for retrieving a ball. I saw her point in that she is a single woman with a child to protect who has to think about what she would do in the event someone suddenly appeared in her locked backyard.
How long can one contemplate whether the trespasser is there to retrieve a ball or to do the homeowner great physical harm before they are forced to react? I don't imagine it's a situation any of us want to find ourselves in. That thought was forced upon GWG when she came home to find that teenager trying to scale her fence and it angered and frightened her at the same time. She may not have phrased it in the best possible way but that's what I took from it.
We're having a similar problem in my neighborhood. I wish it were just boys who had lost their baseballs but ours leans more toward theft and vandalism. Times have changed and while it's a crying shame, we do have to think about what we would do if faced with an uninvited guest in our backyard.