Brats

I've been accused, not entirely inaccurately, of being overly sensitive to noise - noise from neighbors, noise from outside. My apartment is close to a play area, so at times I have had to put up with the shouts and screams of children no matter how much it might get on my nerves - but this has only worsened as the weather has got nicer and the evenings have got later (shame on me for not realizing this when I took the apartment...).  So, I don't know whether to be amused or saddened by the following e-mail that I received today - this is genuine and unedited:

  Dear Valued Residents,

We are writing this email because we find ourselves in a position where we have to suspend Cookie Friday again. This last week’s Cookie Friday (April 22^nd) was another unfortunate and unpleasant event.  Many of the children were conducting themselves in the same way as they did the last time we suspended cookie Friday.  Their actions included pushing each other, yelling, cutting in line, being disrespectful to our staff and seemed to be uncordial in general with the lack of “thank you’s” and by their overall mannerisms towards our team when their desired cookie preference was no longer available.  We decided that it is necessary to suspend Cookie Friday for 2 weeks this time around.  We understand that everyone looks forward to Cookie Friday, but we ask you, the parents to remind our younger residents that this is a place of business.  They are expected to uphold the same manners and etiquette that we would expect from anyone while in the office and throughout the community. 

Secondly, we also need to mention that when the children are playing within the community they should be supervised by an adult.  This includes the older kids as well.  We have received many complaints of children climbing on top of the playground equipment and trees, pulling rocks from the retention walls, pulling out the pet waste bags from the receptacles and leaving them on the ground, throwing rocks around other residents patios/slider doors, screaming at intolerable volumes as well as disturbing other residents by knocking on doors and running away.  We understand that kids will be kids, but there comes a time when this behavior is unacceptable, unsafe and very disruptive to other residents.  If you experience or witness this behavior, please contact the office and provide us with as much information as possible including a description of the child(ren) so that we may be able to discuss the behavior with the parents directly. 

Please inform them that Cookie Friday is suspended for the next 2 Friday’s April 29^th and May 6^th due to this behavior in the office as well as around the community.  We will resume Cookie Friday on May 13, 2016.    We want our younger residents to understand that Cookie Friday is a privilege and a reward for good behavior.  If this continues to be an issue, Cookie Friday will be suspended indefinitely.  We thank you for taking the time to have this discussion with your children.  Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Respectfully,