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Friday, February 25, 2011

On Protesting

What would you do if you want to protest against children playing in the society complex after a given time say 7.30 pm?
1. Call up the president every day after 7.30 and chew his/her ears out
2. Take video recording of the children as proof (like the residents need proof like that)
3. Start polishing your driving skills and honk so much that the parents get scared and take teh children away
4. Park your car in the centre of the play area
5. Smoke near the playing children so that the moms take the kids far away
6. Scream at the children, confiscate their ball or other such playing stuff if it lands in your garden
7. Campaign for restricting play hours in the association meeting

Ok, seriously what is your view on kids playing after 7.30 pm? I ask because once you decide to live in a society, there should be a certain higher threshold of tolerence for everything including noise. I remember when my kids were born, my block had lots of kids who would play right outside my window and disturb the kids' sleep. The best I could do was either close the window which is unhealthy or shift them to the back room which is more private or just request the kids to play a little away from my window.
But I wouldn't do any of the above at all.

A certain new member in the building has been doing all of the above and it is really disturbing the peace of the building at the cost of her peaceful existence. She even asked some parents to change the tuition timings so that their kids could come home early and play instead of come back from tuition and play beyond 7.30 pm.
She even said that we parents send our headache to the playground as we cannot tolerate them making a ruckus inside the house -which I silently agree! But I am not agreeing when she accuses us!!! My kids and their freinds spend almost the entire weekend or holidays outside the house- in the staircase, or the garden, or the common area. This is something even I as a child used to do. I find it much better to let kids play outside than remain inside and watch TV or err mess the house!
I want my kids to do free play, mud play, look at butterflies, or plants or flowers rather than watch TV.
Some of the evenings my kids have music classes. It becomes very difficult to restrain them at home after that because in their opinion, they have not played enough. True, I like them to be home by 7.30 pm so that it gives them time with me. But there are days when I come back at 7.00 plus, do the cooking and then walk out for some gossip with the neighbours and by the time I get inside after shepherding the kids, it is 8.00 pm. I wouldn't want anyone to restrict my freedom.

So what say?

8 comments:

R's Mom said...

What nonsense..how can she complain like that..what can the kids do..turn into morons watching television?? yes 7 was our cutoff when we were kids...but then no one complained if we played till 9 during vacations! BTW does she have kids???

Sue said...

I would politely explain to the lady in question that the building compound is not meant for driving lessons but if she really feels the need to learn right there, her best bet is to start her own schedule earlier instead of expecting everybody else to do so. She could always practise at dawn!

7.30 is a perfectly reasonable hour for kids to play in a place like yours.

Phoenixritu said...

Why do people think its their moral duty to control the behavior of all the folk around them? Why cant people live and let live? Gosh these people ... :((((

How do we know said...

why shld kids NOT play after 7:30? or 8? or 9? really, why not ? i just dont understand it.

Itchingtowrite said...

R's mom- college going kid!
Sue- arre she has a valid licence. she is just trying to trouble us
how do we know- she thinks people are deliberately trying to disturb her
phoenix- exactly. the first time something like this happening in teh building

Anonymous said...

Looks we all bond and wallow in the same problem.

One of the resident, whose house is beside the children's play area wants the kid play area to be shifted..where??? her point is they have a premium on park facing apartment.

The residents near the amphitheatre complain if there are programs held at the amphitheatre..too much noise!!

Point is what use is of the amphitheatre if events cant be held?

we are screeing the world cup cricket matches at the amphitheatre and what a ruckus it has created..so much of politics!!

i think we need to look at the picture through a larger looking glass..thats what all community living is all about.

But, then when u look thru the lens that u have paid for a stuff that's where the prob starts..coz u become less tolerant ..

to cut short the long of it..why have a threshold limit of the park time..what if the kids say that when the next door uncle comes in the middle of the night and that disturbs his sleep..so what cld be the logic of this as well..so will there be a threshold limit as to what time u can enter ur apartment?

MiM said...

what nonsense. i hate it when a child's outdoor time is curbed.

How do we know said...

@ Anon: Your post was saddening.