The kids of today ...

[essayel]

I don't know about you, but I find it quite unpleasant to be told to 'fuck off and die' by an eleven year old in school uniform. 'Bitch' is a favourite thing for them to shout. 'Ugly' and 'old', yep, can check those off the list, which is quite short. The modern variety of Puer Feralis has a very limited vocabulary.

Most people wouldn't assume that the career of 'museum custodian' would have much stress attached to it. "ZOMG there's woodworm in the chesterfield" or "Eeek the ground floor loo in blocked and the humidity level is up to sixty" are the sort of problems associated with that sort of work. But what we have at Abergavenny now doesn't just involve the museum but the castle and grounds as well.

Since our local authority hit a cash crisis they have decided to save money by cutting staff, including our two groundsmen and stone masons. Word has gone ut about this and the local kids are staking their claim to the castle, knowing that from mid-May onwards they'll only have women to deal with, most of whom are in their fifties. They are already running riot getting plenty of healthy exercise and finding their own amusements.

Last weekend their amusements included trying to get into the museum [we have a no unaccompanied kids policy due to a previous incident where a custodian was injured] then throwing a bottle at the custodian who ejected them and damaging her car rather badly.

Some time on Sudnay they graffittied the castle walls and all the benches. Mmm, anatomical drawings - lovely! They also smashed green bottles on the grass but then they do that almost every day. If you come to the castle don't take your shoes off - we do our best to pick the bits up but ...

Last night we got screamed at by little kiddies who were unravelling toilet paper in festoons and setting fire to it. We asked them to leave, the boss told me to go home and as she was locking the gates the kids were climbing back in a few feet away giggling as though it was a great joke and spouting abuse and derision like a fountain.

The police were too busy to attend.

Anyhow - I think I'd like armour, ear plugs or an UZI, not necessarily in order of preference.

Comments

Re: o.0

[irishkate.livejournal.com]

in the US a seven eleven used classical music over the outside speakers. That worked pretty well. It annoyed the teens who wouldn't hang around to listen cause it wasn't cool but no one else was offended by the sound and it wasn't so bad the teens couldn't (if they did want to visit the shop, or in this case museum) go in.

There is also always the mosquito sound but that will affect all kids, perhaps only at night after closing?

Re: o.0

[essayel.livejournal.com]

I really like the music idea. Another one is to use pink lights at night that really make their acne show up. That's supposed to be effective.

[irishkate.livejournal.com]

wow.

that's pretty nasty

::hugs::

hands you virtual armour earplugs and uzi as requested.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

I wish there was a natural 'kid deterrent' like, if you want to get rid of pigeons you can fly a sparrowhawk or peregrine.

Sadly they don't seem to have any natural predators.

Other than me and my uzi.

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

I'm with the "call the press" situation. Also, if you can manage it, documenting the harassment and vandalism might also be useful.

Good luck, it sounds like a horrible situation to be in.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

We have a day book full of incidents with times and dates and records of the police attending and saying "Just call and we'll be right over."

They did turn up last night, about half an hour later, but the little ratbags were gone by then.

[charss.livejournal.com]

Yuk, horrible little brats. We get kids like that hanging around the Guide hall sometimes. And occasionally in Guides themselves, but they tend to be rare because it doesn't fit in with the street cred thing.

It always stuns me that their parents let them run wild like that. I wasn't even allowed out on my own after dinner until I was about sixteen, unless I was going to Guides or something myself. I know that's a little more strict than some, but really, what kind of parents let their little darlings behave like hooligans?

Do you have CCTV or anything? When we had problems with people hanging around the Guides, we got the local community wardens to come in and the problem stopped, but that might not work outside of a village setting.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

We have CCTV in the museum but not in the grounds. Villages are a bit different. I was brought up in one and if I did something wrong i knew my parents would have been told about it before I got home. The population here, though, is big enough that the kids are vaguely familiar but I know hardly any of them by name. Knowing their name really gives you power - muahahaha - it's like magic.

[darthrami.livejournal.com]

Ugh, that's HORRID.


I'm with the people who say contact the press.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately my employers would be dead against that. They'd be anti anything that might put people off coming to visit - happy that, as at the weekend, visitors come into the museum to complain about the aggressively foul mouthed children rampaging around the place.

[innerslytherin]

Wretched things. It's incredible to think they yell such things at you because you're trying to make them stop acting like little beasts. I agree with the others who suggest calling the press. That might also get the police to stop by the castle on a regular patrol?

Don't you have lances and bows and things in the castle? *grin* An alternative would be to treat the children like invading English. ^_~

[essayel.livejournal.com]

There was one running along the top of the curtain wall and I'd dearly have loved to take a shot at him - the whistle of an arrow might curb his enthusiasm a bit.

[mzlizzy.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry you're having to deal with nasty brats who think the world is there playground to ruin.

Call the press. And whenever you can, take pictures of them, and post them inside with some caption stating that they are damaging the museum and causing you to spend money on clean up when you'd rather spend them on preservation.

Too bad you can't take the broken glass they've left and add it to the top of the wall they climb over!

(As you can tell I'm feeling vicious this morning.)

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Broken glass or barbed wire embedded in the tops of walls used to be a really common sight when I was a kid. But if you do it now and someone gets hurt as they try to break in you can be prosecuted. *shrugs* Got to take care of the little miscreants other wise they'll never be rehabilitated.

[gonzothegreat.livejournal.com]

Want me to stop by for a lesson in the (im)propper use of a baseball bat?

[essayel.livejournal.com]

I'll pitch and you can bat hand grenades at the little dears!

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

yeah, hwo to discplinea lot liek that?

eeks. makesme wonder whatthe hack happend to make this go downhill compared to ten years ago.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

They've always been there, but used to catch it from their parents and the police. Now they can do pretty much what they like and know that the worst that will happen is that someone will talk to them sympathetically about how hard their lives are.

There was toilet paper festooned all around the town this morning so they must have had fun.

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

that's hwo it works here too. our whoe societ yhas turne dfrom 'do somethign about it' to 'we have to fidn away to make them tlalk and starta real dialogue to exchange thoughts and ideas and' unbelievable.

[casfic.livejournal.com]

I bet the council change their minds about groundsmen if one of the little bastards falls and breaks a leg (or hopefully worse) while clambering around on the ruins. Especially if there is talk of litigation. Parsimony always costs more in the long term.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

They appear to be incredibly surefooted, more's the pity. I'll be the litigious one if one of the 'evil wee bastards' keys my car.

Not that the council would credit it - my own fault for not walking to work, you see.