We have a whole host of new neighbors at once, all of whom have children

[conuly]

The next door neighbors and the ones next to them have kids around 4 - 7, and those kids keep climbing from one kid's deck into the other kid's backyard over the fence. Their parents are not watching when they do this, and... like, on the one hand I'm reasonably sure that the worst that'll happen is a skinned knee or, if they're very clumsy and unlucky, a twisted ankle. On the other hand, I'm also sure that most parents of small children have a much more intense view of risk assessment than I do. I'm trying to work out how to phrase "I don't think this is a big deal, but if you do then I think you ought to know what's going on, but if you don't care I sure don't".

(This is definitely one of those things you'd never dream your kids would think of doing until you see them doing it, lol!)

They're sweet kids, though, and told me that they like the flowers in the garden. They're not the only ones! We have so many bumblebees and lightning bugs this year! And also that invasive bug that's everywhere now, blech.

Comments

I do occasionally miss the sound of kids

[disgruntledgirl]

My old neighbors had so many we could not tell if someone was getting murdered next door - they were constantly playing in the yard If they screamed like that indoors, I could see why the mother kept kicking them out.
Oh, I've not seen a lightning bug in a decade. And before that chance encounter - 2 decades.

Re: I do occasionally miss the sound of kids

[conuly]

When I was very small we lived in a place with a lot of lightning bugs. Then we moved to a different apartment - no lightning bugs, lots of dragonflies. Then we moved again and there were no dragonflies and lots of lightning bugs, but it does seem to me we've had our lightning bug numbers on the decline the last few years.

[gingicat]

It's so hard to tell whether kids are safe or not.

[conuly]

To be clear, I definitely don't think the kids are unsafe either in the immediate sense (falling down won't give them a serious injury) or in a long-term sense (I don't think their parents are providing inadequate supervision when they're in their own backyard).

But I think that this is sorta the thing the parents probably want to know, but if they don't care I don't want to sound like I'm judging them because I legitimately do not care except that I think they probably do.

[gwydion]

This was very much the sort of thing we did at that age.

[movingfinger]

The children need perhaps a cool climbing rope or rope ladder, like pirates use...

[rebeccmeister]

Spotted lanternfly? What a pain.

I have a vivid memory of the point where my mother discovered that friends and I were climbing out our windows onto the roof. That was very quickly and emphatically banned. It seems to me your phrasing and approach are appropriate!