A French Creek couple is shocked after reading letters that call their children obnoxiously loud.
Jaret and Sam Jones say they recently received two anonymous letters complaining about their two boys – Maddox and Gavin – and the amount of noise they make while playing outside.
“I was super shocked that someone was finding our kids obnoxious,” said the boys’ mother, Sam.
Both letters came in the same envelope and describe the noise from 10-year-old Maddox and seven-year-old Gavin as “unbearable” and obnoxiously loud.
“We all like to hear children at play but yours are obnoxiously loud,” the letters read. “All we hear is a constant screaming match.”
Another section of the letters informs the Jones’ that they live in a neighbourhood filled with retirees.
“No doubt you’ve realized that you moved into a neighbourhood of retired people. Do you hear any noise from anyone else? I didn’t think so.”
The Jones’ moved to the French Creek area about a year ago and say their children haven’t been any louder than other kids.
“I went and talked with my close neighbours right after I got the letters and everybody said, ‘No everything’s fine. I don’t know where that letter would’ve come from?'” said the boys’ father, Jaret.
On warm summer days both Maddox and Gavin, love playing outside. They’ve been spending a lot more time in their front yard in light of the pandemic.
“We are home way more than normal,” said Sam.
Tony Walker, a nearby neighbour, says four years ago he received an anonymous letter about his dog being loud. He says nothing ever happened afterwards and the noise from the Jones’ children doesn’t bother him.
“These kids are outside having a good time. They’re not there playing video games or going down that rabbit hole so it’s good to hear them outside for sure,” said Walker.
The Jones’ say they do tell their boys to keep the noise down at times but believe there needs to be some balance.
“We want to be respectful of everybody’s time and be quiet for everybody but it goes both ways,” said Jaret.
“They should also be understanding that this is different times. Kids aren’t at camp. Kids have been cooped up. They haven’t been able to go meet friends or [attend] playdates or any of that so they’re a little pent up and probably a little louder than normal too.”
The couple say they would like to speak with the complainants and wished the letter writers came to them in person so they could talk about solutions and better understand each other.
Kendall Hanson
