‘My neighbour left me a threatening note telling me to keep my toddler quiet’

“They’re literally going to be wasting police resources on a mum with a 3yo … Our police department is already severely understaffed,” the frustrated mum says. 

A mum living in an apartment was given a rude shock when she was handed a letter from a neighbour asking her to keep the noise down. 

Living with her three-year-old son, she had done everything in her power to make sure he wasn’t too loud. 

It seems the neighbour wasn’t impressed, leading them to call authorities on the mother for her excessively noisy toddler. 

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The American woman received an angry letter from a neighbour. Source: Reddit

“What do you want them to do? Arrest a toddler?”

“Hello,” the letter began, per Reddit. “We have communicated before about the running multiple times before, unfortunately, this will be the last attempt.

“If you don’t get it under control, you will have an officer at your door each night for a noise complaint. You have the opportunity to change this outcome, as to if you do or not, is entirely up to you.” 

It’s safe to say the woman was confused and irritated, as this wasn’t the first time she had been confronted by authorities over her toddler.

“The thing is, they called the police once before and all the officer said was ‘Oh, I have twin girls! Have a good night,’” she said. 

“Like, what do they want them to do? Arrest a toddler?” 

“They’re literally going to be wasting police resources on a mum with a 3yo … Our police department is already severely understaffed.”

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What’s more, she has already tried “everything to combat the noise.” 

“He doesn’t even make noise past 9pm because that’s his new bedtime, and he’s in his room,” she added. “Originally, he was going to bed at 9:30, but we started putting him in there an hour earlier so he’d be settled in sooner because we felt bad.”

She also suspects her son has autism, so when he is told to keep quiet, he “genuinely doesn’t understand commands.” 

While she is “frustrated” by the letter, she is doing all she can to keep the noise down. “But at this point, they seem to want me to strap my three-year-old down or carry him while we do his bedtime routine,” she said. 

She has already spoken to the office and confirmed noise ordinance doesn’t begin until 10pm, long after the toddler has gone to sleep. “At this point, we just have to let them call,” she closed out. 

Later she explained the neighbours had been “fined” and “scolded” by police since sharing the letter, and she hasn’t “heard from them since.” 

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The mum said she has done everything she can to keep her toddler quiet. Source: iStock

“Your neighbours are idiots”

The complaints were met with a wave of support, sharing advice for making the neighbour’s life a little less noisy without compromising on the toddler’s fun and games, 

“Maybe a rug would help?” someone wondered. “If it’s a hard surfaced floor, it will dampen the sound immensely,” responded another.

“They make those fun foam mats for kid’s rooms,” one person wrote. “Pretty sure they're also to dampen noise.”

“Show the office the note and let them know that the neighbours have been threatening and harassing you outside of that as well,” another recommended. “Let the office know you will be pursuing a restraining order against the neighbours unless something is done. See if that lights a fire under their a**.” 

“If the rule is 10 pm, perhaps get a printout of that and put it on their door,” another suggestion read. “That way, they also know the rules.”

Some suggested just leaving it alone. 

“I’m more of the opinion of let them keep calling. They’ll eventually be charged with wasting the cop’s time,” read a suggestion. “Make friends with the cops and have tea, or propel, or something quick ready to be friendly.” 

“They clearly have never dealt with the police. Otherwise, they’d know that cops are very unlikely to come out for such trivial nonsense,” one agreed. “Especially at that hour just for a noise complaint.”

Others were curt with their thoughts. “Your neighbours are idiots,” read a comment.

Originally published as ‘My neighbour left me a threatening note telling me to keep my toddler quiet’