I have been struggling for
weeks now with how to handle my next-door neighbor. He is a single father who has shared custody
of his children ages 3 and 5.
Most of the time when they
visit I can hear through the thin walls their crying and his screaming and his
threatening them with spankings. To say
this is unsettling is an understatement.
I talked with a couple of
people that I am close with. I asked
them what they would do if they were in my position. A few said they would talk with the
father. One said it was none of my
business. Another one said they would
leave a note of concern.
Tonight I walked over to his
condo and knocked on the door. My
intention was to remind him that the walls were thin. I thought perhaps he would take the hint and
cool his jets.
Instead he turned off the
patio and downstairs lights and ignored my knocking. After a couple of minutes I came back home.
I am concerned for his
children. The constant yelling and
threatening has to be horrible for all concerned.
I really don’t know what is
the right thing. I don’t want to make
the situation worse. I do know however
that doing nothing is not an option.
It is always hard to do the right thing. You tried to talk to him face to face, I would think the next step would be a note ( in an envelope ) on his door. I would explain your concern with the noise and the kind of noise it is and your concern for the well being of his children . I would let him know that if the verbal abuse ( I would record some of it if you can) didn't stop you will report him to Children's Proticive Services. Verbal abuse is just as bad as physical abuse. This is just how I would handle the situation . I hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteI agree on everything you said. In fact, I did leave a note of concern on his front door just this morning. No question being a single parent of two small children is a real challenge. However, if yelling and bullying is the only parenting tool he has, he needs help and some parenting advice.
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