What would you do in this situation?

Aloha all,





My husband and I live in townhome-style military housing in which every unit has at least one wall adjoining another. We have new neighbors who have a little boy, and I'd put his age at 3 or 4. He seems very sweet and often enjoys peeking into our patio door to check out our two cats (our backyards are not fenced in, so he has access to our yard). He often plays in our backyard, and though I've stuck my head out a few times to say "hello", I've never seen nor met his parents. I am a little concerned that he is outside unsupervised in an unfenced backyard, especially since there are parking lots and streets within easy walking distance, and many of our neighbors have big dogs who may not take kindly to curious little fingers.





Another concern is that his nursery shares a wall with our bedroom. Since they moved in three weeks ago, it seems that he doesn't go to bed until 11 PM, and he is always sobbing and yelling when he's being put to bed. It also sounds as though he throws his toys out of his bed and into the wall. He typically cries for about an hour before falling asleep. My husband and I usually go to bed around 10PM, and my husband has to be up and out the door for work at 5AM. We both find it impossible to sleep while he cries, and although we have tried going to bed earlier, we both get woken up when he cries.





I don't have children myself, but I did spend a lot of time helping my mother with my infant twin brothers as a teenager and I understand that to some extent, you can't always control your child's reaction to bed time, and that there will just be bad nights, but it's been every night for three weeks, and my husband is starting to get intense headaches at work because he's been unable to get enough sleep.





I don't even know if this is something I should bring up with my neighbor. I know that no one likes to feel criticised about their child or their parenting, especially by someone with no children, but I'm worried about the little boy being outside alone and we're exhausted listening to him cry himself to sleep every night.





If you were in this situation, would you say something to Mom and Dad, or would you leave it alone? We could try earplugs or a nonprescription sleep aid to see if that makes a difference at night.|||As far as the sleep issue





I would ask yourself, what good is it going to do if I talk to her or what bad could it do... It's not like a stereo where you can ask to turn down the volume. Screaming children are no fun but when a kid is throwing a fit sometimes parents have to let them scream it out, it's all you can do. My son can be put down and asleep in five minutes. My daughter, not so much. Every night she cries for 30 minutes, I'm not going to get her out of bed because we would be enduring an extra 30 minutes of hell each time I get her up and put her down. By the way.. If the parents want to put their kids to bed at 11:00 that is their business. Yes, most kids are in bed by that time but maybe he takes late naps or maybe he gets up late because of his parents schedule. It sucks that you live on military base but that comes along with the job and I thank your husband for doing his courageous job!





Now as far as the safety issue...I would say something! What if something happened to the little guy around your area? Even though you wouldn't be at fault you may live with the idea that something happened and you didn't say anything. Do you know if his parents let him play alone or is a babysitter there during the day? The parents may not even know their kid is playing with no supervision, I would hope it's not the parents.





That's my opinion|||See a doctor|||you definitely need to firmly tell your neighbor once and for all that the crying should stop. i wouldnt mention the thing about the child being alone, because then it really will sound like you think theyre bad parents. just tell them about your husbands headaches and that it really has been affecting you. maybe they can move his nursery|||I'd really carefully talk to them about it. You know sensitive people can be about their kids and parenting.


Maybe they could move his bed to the other side of his room?





Get a couple of fans for white noise and ear plugs to help drown out the noise. You'll be surprised by how much they help.|||I would be really careful if you say something. Maybe being in a new place is bothering him. try ear plugs. I am sorry you don't have a fence. Because it been said good fences make better neighbors.