WWYD: neighbor kids playing in my yard

[mmsmom]

Ouch! That sounds awful. The funny thing is that when DS got bit by the neighbor's dog at their house a few years ago nobody at urgent care or from our insurance seemed to care. Someone from insurance called us to ask how it happened but then they just covered it like any other injury. I thought for sure they would want our neighbors insurance info. I was surprised by that one.

Your insurance most likely did get your neighbor’s insurance to pay. It usually goes on behind the scenes and you would never know. As long as they had the address or name of where it occurred that’s all they would need. Insurance never pays if they can get someone else to! DD once hurt her arm falling at a movie theater and insurance asked where it occurred and I told them the name of the theater. I’m sure they filed with their insurance. I was injured at a sports stadium and same thing. I did get a follow up call from insurance asking for more details and I’m sure it was for information to file with their insurance. On my end my health insurance paid for everything but there is ultimately no way to know if they actually paid or if the property owners insurance paid.

[mmsmom]

I agree that the best thing to do would be to close the opening. For now I would put a sign on the fence by the opening that says no trespassing and a note on the trampoline that says no jumping without permission. Then if they knock and ask I would just say no unless your DS is home and wants to play with them.

[truly scrumptious]

Last summer DS had one friend who would come to our house and do things his parents didn't allow him to do! I caught him one day on our nest camera digging a hole in my front flower bed to bury a treasure box. When I told him to stop he got upset and said that his parents wouldn't let him dig holes in their yard so he had to do it here. WTF?!?

"I'm not allowed to destroy my property, so I need to destroy yours instead!"

I love how neighborhoody our area feels, and that it's safe for the kids to wander around, especially with the walking paths. But it does mean that you sometimes end up "parenting" other people's kids! I think DS's friends have decided I'm a cranky mom. But the sweet respectful kids get repeat invitations (and snacks!)

[petesgirl]

Your insurance most likely did get your neighbor’s insurance to pay. It usually goes on behind the scenes and you would never know. As long as they had the address or name of where it occurred that’s all they would need. Insurance never pays if they can get someone else to! DD once hurt her arm falling at a movie theater and insurance asked where it occurred and I told them the name of the theater. I’m sure they filed with their insurance. I was injured at a sports stadium and same thing. I did get a follow up call from insurance asking for more details and I’m sure it was for information to file with their insurance. On my end my health insurance paid for everything but there is ultimately no way to know if they actually paid or if the property owners insurance paid.

That's the thing though-- they didn't have that info. They didn't ask for a name or an address or anything. Literally all we told them was that it happened at the neighbor's house. They didn't ask anymore questions. Maybe that's just how our policy works. I thought it was strange.

[hillview]

get rid of the trampoline. huge liability. doubt your insurance would support this.

[Kestrel]

You have to draw a line someplace. What would happen if someone was hurt and you didn't happen to be home? Would the boys, at least, decide it was easier to pee in your yard than stop playing and go home to pee? Would they decide to get a drink from your garden hose and leave it running for hours? Break plants playing tag or hide and seek? You just don't know.
Nip it in the bud now, before it gets more popular and escalates to big numbers of kids out of control.