I wouldn’t tell anyone anything. If the parents don’t like it, they can keep their kids at home.
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My yard was also the play spot gathering, and I had the same problem for years. I finally got fed up with it, and told all the kids that played in my yard if they didn’t clean up after themselves they would be banned from playing in my yard, it was just a matter of respect. Also, I started putting a Rubbermaid bin beside the fence and throwing all the random neighbor kid toys that I found in my yard in there, kind of like a lost and found for the kids.
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Get a tote and place all of it in there and place it at the end of ur yard maybe?
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Make a lost & found box… Someone sounds like a miserable old hag.
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i had that problem with 1 neighbour…i talked to the mother and it was like talking to a wall…so i threw out whatever they left in my yard…if it was trash like wrappers and bags i threw it back over her fence including all their cigarette butts that the wind brought over my side…they got the point after awhile.
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Nope! I would post a sign… lol 
if it’s yours take it with you, if you leave it, Oscar gets a treat!! Oscar the grouch loves trash!!
Side note, I dealt with it too. I got a ring, now I just hollar through the ring, pick that up lol it freaks them out!!
Yes you are in the wrong. Always contact parents. Because if they’d thrown away something you spent money on, I’m sure you’d be on here asking advice about the Karen down the street throwing away your kids things
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No kids allowed to come play at my place… I have a low tolerance lol
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Just start with gathering the belongings leave them on a table outside. If they are not being picked up, put these items on the table for a week, if not claimed, keep in a box, in house for another week, if those items still are not claimed then you should be able to do what you want with those items.
I mean you could have made a pile and let the parents know before you trashed it
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Get a lost and found bin. If after a period of time things are still there go out and redistribute it to the owner. You are going to end up running your kids friends off. I would rather have them playing and forgetting things in my yard than God knows where else.
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Hate to say this but the way it is now you should probably put up a fence. One kid gets hurt at your place and someone will try to sue. It’s a sad world we living in, for sure.
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I agree I would have a lost and found bin, but no I wouldn’t throw things out. You can remind them, or ask if .anyone has missing items. You should be happy that your kids have friends that want to play at your house. Our house was like that when my boys were young, and it made for lasting friendships and good memories.
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Maybe have a conversation with the kids parents? Kids are kids. They forget things in the moment. Especially if they are having fun playing etc. Maybe let the parents know “Hey Ms/Mr. SuchAndSuch kids left toys etc. in my yard can you please either gather up your kids things or have kids pick up their things.” Not hard. I mean if you go those avenues and it’s still happening then maybe toss it or like others have suggested put it in a bin. Kinda like “lost and found.”
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I don’t think its mean if you gave them several opportunities to pick their stuff up. If it ment that much to the kids parents they would have noticed before it was a week. Any time my kids play at a neighbors i do a check when they get home that they got any trash and whatever they took with them. As a parent its my responsibility to teach my kids to leave where they play cleaner then how they left it. I get kids will be kids but making excuses as to why they can leave their stuff all over is really old.
When I was living closer to our school, my house was the same way, I loved having all the kids at my place. I also let all kids, that walk in my house, know exactly what I expect from them. Clean up after yourself, is my main rule. If they go home starving, that’s on them cuz there is food in all cupboards and the fridge haha. They all know the consequences for not following rules. I’ve had kids cleaning my walls lol.
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Leave a bin outside and label it Lost and Found.
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Get a big container and dump it in there. I wouldn’t trash it.
Especially right now. Many parents are having a hard time money wise.
Sounds like your the play yard…that’s an honor. I get your frustrated/ angry but please don’t throw the things away, that’s kind of harsh. I agree with the idea of a lost and found box and speaking with the other parents with your concerns. Happy playing 
I think that’s fair as long as they were told that’s what would happen before anything goes in the trash and it’s probably best to tell the parents and the kids. If it’s an expensive toy though, might try to get it back to the parents and tell them that, next time it’s left, it’ll go in the trash. Maybe they’ll have them keep it at home next time.
I might recommend a ‘lost and found’ box.
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As much as it’s nice of you to have them all over, if things build up to this point…. Stop allowing them over because the bitterness isn’t fair.
If you’re going to continue, get a bin. Put all their belongings in the bin at the end of the day, trash in the trash. Involve your kids to do it or help & if possible shout out to them begs they leave in the afternoon to get things cleaned up
So what you could do is get a plastic tote and set it outside in driveway or porch whatever. Have your kids gather everything left behind and put it there. Seemsnlike a logical solution without your yard being trashed and without throwing away things that aren’t yours
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Yes. You’re a jerk. What if those parents can’t afford to replace the shoes their child left in your yard? Kids are going to be kids. Kids aren’t really the most responsible lol. Get a tote and put things there.
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Lol of all things you could complain about u pick something that takes 10 mins tops to fix 
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Should have talked to their parents beforehand
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They had a week to come and get their stuff and take it home. Your yard is not the community dumping ground. I don’t feel like you’re in the wrong. If they really missed their stuffed animal that much they would’ve brought it home the same day or the day after not a whole week. Maybe they’ll get the hint from now on.
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In my opinion if you’re the house the kids play at then it will happen. They are kids… I agree with everyone saying do a lost and found bin. Personally I think throwing their stuff in the trash is a dick move. Maybe they feel like your yard is the safe place for their things since they play there everyday? Kids aren’t going to remember or care about socks but the parents will. If they know you have a lost and found bin they can come get what their kid is missing. I also understand the frustration but there are better ways to handle the situation than just trashing stuff and turning yourself into the mean mom and no one wanting to play at your house or with your kids anymore. Give the kids a little grace…
I understand your frustration and as a person who herself is learning to let some things go, you need to let this one go and be just grateful for the good part. your kids have all these friends to play with, they’re outside and not hooked to a screen. I’d leave a bin outside and if it gets lost from there it’s not on you. I cannot stand stuff laying around my yard so I totally get your feelings, but holding on so tight to the frustrations just make us miserable. let it go and be happy for your babies having fun in their yard every day
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Make lost and found bin for them so that wen they come the following day they will take them out from that bin kids are kids they will.always leave their things behind
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Start putting all the stuff left in your yard in the other moms yard who got mad over the stuff toy and socks. She can sort it out😆
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Nope. I throw my own family’s shit away if they don’t put it up lol I’m not keeping up with someone else’s kid’s junk. If it mattered to you you would have put it where it goes 
I send my son to grands, my sisters in law, school, & I know what he left in/with, & I notice if it doesn’t come home. Their parents should, too.
Send alllllll the kids to my house!! I’ll send them home with full bellies & all their stuff home with them - but it’s not your job to teach someone else’s kids to keep up with their stuff.
So you told the kids to take their stuff?? Lol sorry but you are in the wrong… you should’ve talked to the parents since the beginning … you talked to the kids but remember THEY ARE KIDS!!
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You’re not wrong at all. Personally, I’d step outside at some point and make the announcement to grab your shit before you go or it’s getting trashed 
if they’re old enuf for their parents to trust going somewhere without being with them, they’re old enuf to take their shit with them.
Amazes me that ppl feel having kids over is related to and makes you responsible for their forgotten items. It most certainly doesn’t.
Told my neighbor and her son that from now on whatever he leaves at my house is mine I got tired of telling him to take his stuff with him
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You told them to take their stuff home
I have a big storage Tupperware with a lid that I put all ‘left behind stuff’ in. Works pretty well lol
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Well that’s mean but a lesson learned. Get a lost and found box and make your kids clean up the yard daily. Then they will make sure their friends help.
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If its out there when I mow, its toast. Honesty didn’t seem appreciated so I throw it away. Sounds like you have the same problem. Hit it with the mower, throw it away, deny seeing anything…its better that way.
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Everyone suggesting a lost and found box? She’s not the city park! Maybe parents should pay attention if your kids come home without shoes or their items. Maybe instead of blaming someone else make the kids accountable for their own items. If they are playing down the street in someone else’s yard then they should be old enough to know to bring their crap home.
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No you’re not wrong. You owe the parents nothing. You feed their children for free. The least they should do is pick up after themselves. They’ve been told. Clearly multiple times. Bins cost money. Why on earth should you have to buy a bin for lost and found items? You shouldn’t. It was a week. Clearly the kid wasn’t missing their stuff animal. Parents are being ridiculous at this point. You made rules. They can’t follow them then throw them out. You shouldn’t have to have a mess of a yard because parents can’t teach their children to listen when told to do things
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A lost and found bin seems like it would be your best solution, just do what the schools do put a sign on it that says lost and found. Personally I would also place another sign that says what day each month unclaimed items will be donated to the thrift store and let them know to check the lost and found before donation day
Have the children take the time to pick up at the end of day. If they refuse, they can no longer come over to play.
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You are not wrong and you are teaching the children a valuable lesson that will help them in life. A shame they don’t already know this.
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Definitely leave a bin outside and label it lost and found. And have a conversation with the parents about the issues because in reality it isn’t your responsibility it’s there kids responsibility
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Throw it in a lost an found
This sounds like my place lol, I am the neighborhood hangout spot. I personally love it, even though I’m constantly cleaning. Stuff gets left here every day, I either ask my kids to bring it to the home of whoever left it or it gets put in a pile next to our outside table until they come to get it. I couldn’t throw a child’s belongings away, you don’t know if that’s something the kid really wanted and a parent struggled to get it for them or not. Idk, that’s just me.
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I don’t blame you, I would get a tote place it in one designated place, let the kids know it is there and then pick a specific day each week and then anything not claimed throw in the trash. No, you are not a “hag”, it’s not your job to pick up after everyone.
Jerk? This lady provides meals and a safe place to play!!! Where are the parents all this time?!?! Provide a list/ found box, but if it’s not claimed, pitch it!!! Looks to me like you’re providing a service you get no compensation for!! The parents should be thanking you!!!
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So my yard is like this. I went and bought 2 laundry baskets one for clothes one for toys. I pick up all the clothes, wash them, fold them and put them in the basket I then ask the kids what’s theirs or i go to the parents. The toys go in the other basket and I do the same. Kids are forgetful and easily distracted. I would like to think that if my kid forgets something somewhere else it wouldn’t just be thrown out
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I get paid over $ 130 per hour w0rking from home. I never thought l’d be able to do it but my colleague makes over $ 21230 a month doing this and she convinced me to try. The possibility with this is limitless.
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Yes wtf is wrong with u I would have contacted parents first
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I wonder if things would have had a better outcome if you had talked to the kids yourself rather than have your children talk to their friends… Reach out to the parents and let them know that their kid/kids may be leaving things in your yard and if they want them they could pick them up. Or like others have said, put the stiff in a lost and found box and let the kid and the parents know that it will remain in the box for one(1) week and if it is not picked up , then toss it. It sure seems a shame that this is going on since the kids seem to enjoy your yard and you have an eye on your kids too. I hope that you can resolve this so it does not become a feud. Good luck
I would make u replace my kids shit
I had a similar problem. I never threw things away and the stuff left behind didn’t bother me as much as them trashing everything. They leave their shoes and stuff by accident, they throw their trash on the ground on purpose. I finally got fed up of everything getting broken and trashed and parents not caring. I agree with what everyone else is saying, what about a cute bin that says lost and found?
Honestly I would just put it all in a tote. I get where it’s aggravating, but they are kids. Personally I wouldn’t want to deal with upset parents. That’s unnecessary drama to me and I’m too busy for that. To me it’s a small price to pay, because my kids are at home safe all day and still playing with their friends.
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Get a lost and found bin and put it in the angry parents yard so he or she can let other kids items sit around a stink up their yard 
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I would talk to the parents of the children instead of the children. It is always good to have a relationship with your children’s friends parents.
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Nope not wrong at all. They need to learn to pick their items up.
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Kids forget things all the time… Towels at the pool… Hoodies at school… Things at there friends house… Its part of being a kid… Get a old laundry basket or something like that and have your kids gather the stuff up… They will eventually start reminding their friends to grab stuff…Call it the left behind box… I had one… Dont toss there belongings there kids the don’t have much… It could of been the last toy the Grandma got the kid before she died you never know what something means to somebody…Dont be heartless
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Parents should be making sure their kids are responsible for their belongings or not allow them to take them. Id tell them once to get it or toss it as well. Its not your repsonsibility.
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Maybe YOUR kids didn’t remind them why not YOU be the BETTER person and call their parents first
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Well my neighbors threw out my sons ball when they could have easily tossed it over the fence and my immediate conclusion is that they are heartless a**holes - but he’s only 4. I would start a lost and found bin.
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Get a container and put the stuff in
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Couldn’t have just put it in a bin and left it out somewhere huh
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You could always make a fb group and the parents know what is left or get a basket for the stuff that the kids leave behind
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Get a large tote or basket to keep somewhere outside and if not picked up have your kids put their friends things in it to retrieve when they come back… that’s what I had to do with our neighborhood kids things they kept leaving on our trampoline
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Yes ans no ur wrong. 1st wrong if u toss shoes. That may be the only pair that kid has .maybe the parent cannot afford to buy another pair . Put urself in those other parents shoes. Right now irs harder then ever to afford things. And no cuz they left it . Personally I’d keep the shoes for a bit but try to find the person who owns it . But socks and toys those would be trash .
I’ll be pissed if you threw my kids shit out. But then again my kids wouldn’t be in your yard anyway. 
You sound horrible.
Good for you. My house is the house everyone comes to as well. Like you, I don’t mind, but there has to be boundaries and limits. Its exhausting as it is!!!
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Be thankful that your house is that house. You know where your kids are and who they are with! Why not just pile the stuff up in a corner?
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Get a basket for them to put stuff in ! Let the parents know you enjoy them but need to pick up their stuff
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I agree with Heather Lloyd , they will see it and curiosity they will go they it.
I always just throw it back in their yard.
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One day you will miss the mess… I loved all the kids at my house
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I don’t think you’re wrong for this. Teaches the kids a good lesson
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I get paid over $ 125 per hour w0rking from home. I never thought l’d be able to do it but my colleague makes over $ 19143 a month doing this and she convinced me to try. The possibility with this is limitless.
M0re Info. https://aesthetic-jalebi-46210.netlify.app/
You probably should have told them if they didn’t pick their stuff up you were throwing it away and gave the chance for them to learn a lesson… let them see you taking it to the trash, they will pick it up if they want it. As for the trash they are leaving you gotta tell them if they don’t pick it up they won’t be allowed in your yard. If they choose to not clean it up kick them out of your yard. Ask me how I know this works… I have a beautiful yard and car. These kids know I don’t play
That would be frustrating! The bin idea is good… but… kids have to be wrangled to follow through. Getting them to do it on their own? Most kids, yeah right?! You are essentially running a playcare. Unless you’re out there supervising, anything can and will be left ‘wherever’. On the other hand, throwing stuff away seems harsh to me. If you’re picking things up anyway… I think the bin or box idea is probably the best solution. You know where your kids are and what’s going on. That’s paramount to the things left behind.
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I dont think you are wrong as Ibwould have likely done the same. I can also understand how a parent would be upset over the stuffed animal… F the socks, though. 
I agree with the container idea but maybe put a 72 hour limit amd a note. Nothing claimed within three days goes to the dump.
Good luck, momma!
I wouldn’t throw it away. Kids are forgetful. They are kids. I would be upset.
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Not at all! If they were that desperate for socks then they should have kept them on or put them in their pockets. My neighborhood kids do the same thing after I told them to stay out of my yard completely because all they do it litter and leave stuff behind. If it’s in my yard, it’s trash. Plain and simple.
Nope you’re not wrong. You’ve given ample warnings. I’d explain this to the upset parent and let them know that if they have a problem with your rule then keep their kid from coming over. I don’t think you should have to repeatedly ask your guests to take what is theirs and should not have to do anything extra to make sure they leave with what they came with. That’s not your responsibility. Sounds like the mad parent maybe needs to teach their child responsibility/accountability.
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I would be so pi$$ed if I found out my kid’s stuff was thrown away and even more so when I found out the adult told their kid to tell my kid instead of the adult coming to me. Kids forget. Talk to their parents. Yeah, you’re wrong.
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Definitely wrong! Why not just grab the things and have your kids go run it to their friends house? 
That’s what we do and things therefore are not at my house even if they accidentally leave it. They are kids they aren’t always responsible and other parents spent money on things you’re throwing into the trash.
Yes you’re very wrong!!
If you’re brave enough to throw your neighbor‘s kid stuff and talk the talk, why not post publicly so will know who you are!
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Yep…you are definatly wrong!
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Well if they were told and it still sat there it’s on them 
if our kids are told and they still leave it out there, if it comes to one of us getting it 9/10 it’s trashed. If they’re not responsible enough to pick it up they obviously don’t need it.
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You are in the right, tell that angry parent, if they wanted the socks, she should of came and claimed them a week ago when her kid came home without them…tell her to keep her kid at home.
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Get a bin. Give it a week then toss
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The next day? Like people, especially kids dont always remember. There’s a good chance they rushed home and forgot, and will come back the next day. I’d give them a little longer than 1 day. And like many have said before, it’s nice they choose your space, but perhaps a small basket or bin. And maybe you tell the kids, not have your kids tell them. They are far more likely to listen to an adult than a peer
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Well it sounds like you are just to lazy to parent.Why not when they all get together in your yard go out there with them and remind them to pick up their belongings together. You need to appreciate the fact that they are outside, instead inside on the game trashing the house. Be productive. Teach them how to appreciate the things they have!
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Absolutely!!! If the kids are old enough to come play without a parent they are old enough to grab their things on the way out and you left it for a week!!! So I think you are just fine maybe just tell the mad parents to explain to their kids when they leave stuff behind it’s gone maybe that will teach them to grab everything!!
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I’d get a nice little basket or even a planter to match your decor and anything left gets put in that. After a few weeks empty it maybe, but not the next day.
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Yes you are wrong. Literally drop the crap off with their parents. You, as an adult shouldn’t rely on a child to speak to their friends who come over. YOU speak to the parents and just ask that they remind their kids to bring their crap home…. It’s not the point of it being a sock or stuffed animal or even skates, these are KIDS and if you have them at YOUR home then before they leave, which you should be informed of since them being at your home makes you responsible, then ask if they have all of their stuff before they leave. Seems simple to me 
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Have a tote for toys that get left and when kids come back have them check the “lost and found,” box. And yes you will probably be doing that frequently with the reminders and so what?? After a busy day playing with a nice reminder of “check the box before you leave!” Works.
If you’re not in contact with parents the advice I gave works too.
Because when you have a big group of kids playing they get distracted and forget what they came with.
Would you as a parent be happy to learn your kid’s stuff was thrown out because they forgot to grab it?
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If you threw my child’s stuff away I would be pissed. That said, my child would also know better to KEEP leaving stuff at other peoples house. That doesn’t mean they won’t forget now and then because they are kids. I would have a lost and found bucket that I’d make my kids throw everything into at the end of every day. If they want their friends playing at my house, they need to clean up after their friends. No added work for you and no upset neighbors.
Come on now it was socks and a stuffed animal that got left out for a week. Clearly she didn’t miss them that much and tbh if these parents want their children’s things why aren’t they making sure they are coming home with said things to make sure they are responsible. Making a lost and found bin would create more of a mess if they constantly leave things behind. If it was something worth keeping like an expensive toy or something along those lines I cld see hanging on to it and returning it to it’s owner but you aren’t the neighborhoods daycare and already do enough don’t worry bout any pissy parents shit they can come sit with their kids and clean up after them. Your house isn’t the community park 
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Wow. Thats so messed up. They are kids.
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good on you, I’d do exactly the same thing!!!