Morgan DeCairos DeBoer thinks children playing is one of the happiest sounds in the world.Unfortunately for her, at least one of her neighbours doesn’t agree.The Newmarket mother of four boys under the age of six, who lives in the Woodland Hills area, was speechless when she received a letter in the mail sent via Canada Post indicating her children were too loud when they were playing in their backyard. The letter, with no return address and signed “your neighbours,” state several neighbours are frustrated with the noise that is interrupting TV viewing, reading and napping.“We encourage you to correct your child when he screams by saying, ‘Please stop that yelling’ or something like that,” the letter said. “Perhaps if you supervised them while they were in the backyard it would help.”It wasn’t long before DeCairos DeBoer took to social media to express her frustration and distaste for the anonymous letter. In a matter of minutes, her followers took her side, commenting on how important it is for children to play outside in a generation growing up in front of screens and, instead, allow them just to be kids.“To have a neighbour comment, and cowardly hide, on my choice to allow my kids to play in a safe contained area, which is part of the space we pay for, and play how they want and independent from me confuses me,” she said. “Excuse me for allowing my children time to use their imaginations and problem solving skills and get some needed vitamin D.”If given the chance, she would have pointed out to her neighbour that her children are only outside if the weather is nice and for an hour or two, after school and before dinner. As far as she is concerned, the neighbourhood dogs are more disruptive.The suburban neighbourhood is surrounded by schools and appears to be mostly family homes. Despite a blustery Tuesday night, two children on the street were kicking around a soccer ball.The ...
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