Read in Independent.ie
It makes sense to speak with your neighbours about the screaming
Q Our neighbours’ two-year-old child wakes up screaming at least four times a night. Proper screaming that comes straight through the wall to us. We feel sorry for the parents but they are so slow getting up to deal with this in the middle of the night and it disturbs us dreadfully. We don’t want to confront the neighbours but we are all at our wits end and very drained from it. Any advice would be very appreciated.
A Under the circumstances I think it makes good sense to speak with your neighbours. They will, of course be aware of their child’s screaming, but they may not be aware just how disruptive it is for you. They may assume that the partition wall is thick enough to deaden the sound.
In discussing it with them, you are not going to be confrontational, or critical of their parenting. Instead, you could couch your conversation in the context of checking in with them about how they are coping, explaining that you can hear the screaming, and that you guess it must be disturbing/exhausting for them too. You can then ask if they need anything by way of support.
While they may or may not avail of any advice, your conversation with them will at least put them on notice that their child can be heard through the wall, and that you are being regularly disturbed.
You can only hope then, that they feel a responsibility to do things differently to try to help their child to sleep more soundly.
