Neighbor vs. Child noise: Why I let my children play loudly!

If children play deeply and intensely, it can get louder. They are so busy with themselves and their game that they do not perceive what happens around it. While we parents enjoy it despite the greater volume that the little ones are so wonderfully busy, neighbors at the noise level sometimes interfere.

Just like with us. It was apparently so loud that our row house neighbor was forced to act. What I can keep to the neighbor is that at least he came to our door himself and did not leave a passive-aggressive note in the mailbox. On the other hand, such a note is an advantage, because then you are not embarrassed in the door and do not know what to say.

Do I have to apologize for the noise of my playing children?

Thank God it is not me, but my husband opened the door. And he mastered the situation very confidently. He accepted the complaint and just replied that we have a visit and play the children. Point, from. No excuse, no excuses, just just out how it is.

I was a bit embarrassed, because my first instinct would have been to apologize for the noise and to praise. Afterwards I would probably have quoted the children and asked them to be a little quieter, because the neighbor would have complained about the volume. But honestly, do I have to apologize to my (loud) children in the afternoon?

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I decided for myself: No, I don't have to and I don't have to confront my children with the sensitivity of my neighbors. Because let's be honest: if I had asked my children and the visit to more calm, I would have destroyed their game. They would have lost the desire to continue to pursue what they had done peacefully with each other for the last 60 minutes (loud but). I would have spoiled the desire for it.

My children still won't be selfish

This does not mean that I will educate my children into ruthless selfish. But I want you to be entirely with yourself. I want you to know what you want before you pay attention to what all the other people want in your life (from you). And it is also part of yourself to simply switch off your head and pursue what makes you happy. At some point we adults have trained this in order not to attract attention or to notify. Children, on the other hand, can still do this because they don't worry about what the other could think.

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And that's why I want you that you can play as long as possible and as freely as possible, sometimes a little louder and without parental surveillance. Finally they deserve a break after a hard day. They had to stick to rules for many hours at school and subsequent afternoon care.

So if the neighbor complains about the loud children - mind you at a time in which there is no rest period - then you can say that the children just play and get louder. And you don't have to say more.

Legislative situation on child noise

By the way: In the Federal Immission Control Act, it has also been stipulated since 2011 that child noise is not a noise from a legal point of view and is therefore not subject to any fixed limit values. Means: Children can play, romp and be a child without sticking to fixed volume controls.

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Especially for young children, parents are usually powerless anyway, because children simply don't understand what is "too loud" and also have no feeling for rest periods. Of course, parents should still try to do their best, especially during the rest periods, not to unnecessarily disturb their neighbors.

For young people aged 14 and over, things are different: Here you assume that they definitely bring the necessary understanding. Therefore, your noise (e.g. too loud music, ball game in the apartment, etc.) does not have to be accepted by neighbors.

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