Re-post

Jan 28, 2009
Perfect Neighbors


Apartment dwelling is not the most glamorous living situation, especially when it comes to your neighbors. We have several neighbors (obviously) and we know a few of them. They all know that we have a 23 months old, who loves to run and jump (and sometimes falls hard in the process). We have a third story apartment, which means there will be occasional noise from us to our second story dwellers whom we don't know. We used to live on the first floor and we know that you can hear anything from people upstairs like chairs being moved across the kitchen, to the dishwasher running, parties, to click-clacking of shoes going up and down the stairs at all hours of the day/night. We even had drunk co-eds puke in our bushes by our first story balcony. Yes, not the most glamorous. However, we lived below and next door to lots of people, and noise was completely expected! When living in an apartment noise is pretty much written into the contract. It's like you sign a dotted line agreeing that you know there will be shenanigans that occasionaly make noise. There are rules about time limits and noise control on certain things, but other than that, you just deal with it. Our second story renters are the most annoying! They aren't noisy (unless it's 2 in the afternoon and it sounds like a rave is going on), but for the most part they keep to themselves. For the most part. If our son throws his apple on the floor, which we've tried to teach him not to, and then stomps off because he's mad, we hear pounding on the floor/ceiling from below. You know the sound...that broom stick hitting the ceiling to tell your neighbors to shut up! Yeah, that sound. We walk carefully knowing that we annoy them. For instance, our son has learned only to jump from the coffee table to the couch in a noiseless fashion, and has learned how to slide gently off the bar stools and chairs without a sound. When we remind him to "Walk slow buddy" he quietly slows down and creeps the rest of the way to his destination. It's humorous actually! But, I decide to chop some veggies for dinner or the buddy decides to run one evening and I can't be right on top of him, and bang!bang!bang! from below. It's REALLY starting to annoy me! You deal with noise when you live smooshed between two floors of co-ed, college apartments! I would love to show up on their doorstep at 2 in the afternoon and tell them that the rave party is annoying, and if they want to continue then I'm not going to bridle my son from running and playing! I've never stomped on the floor or banged on a ceiling to tell these teeny-bopper drunks to shut up. I deal with it. I can't wait until they have children (heaven help us) and they get dirty looks or banging reminders from neighbors!