Thanks so much for the reply! We’ve together for almost 10 years, married for eight and moved a handful of times so the military life isn’t new…always full of surprises! Lol We knew it would be different living on an installation but wanted to give it a whirl since we never have. I guess we figured it wouldn’t be like this since other duty stations we have been at were clean, more controlled, and didnt have feral children everywhere. We “survived” living three years in one of the Top 10 most dangerous neighborhoods in the country and never encountered these issues. Parents are NOWHERE to be found. Fingers crossed it gets better when COVID blows over and schools are back in regular session.

I hear ya, it is sometimes tough to know what to do. We have learned we can only control our own kids, so we are clear about the rules and expectations with them. Other parents I try to talk to if there is a recurring problem, or friend them on FB so I can send a quick message if their kid ends up at my house unattended. But that’s really all you can do short of calling base security for serious problems.

Hi!
We just moved onto a military installation for the first time. At other duty stations we always lived off base. We have a four year old and I am SHOCKED by the lack of supervision and discipline! During the quarantine, kids seemed to be allowed to wander around and do whatever they pleased. The day we moved in, a four year old boy just walked right in our front door and started walking around in our house! I asked him to take me to his parents and when I let them know their child just wandered into a stranger’s house they were completely unphased….playing on their phones. On multiple occasions, other kids have tried coming in our house or ring the doorbell six or eight times asking for a snack or to come in an play. The lack of discipline and manners is appalling….toddler age kids using profanity, running power wheels cars into parked vehicles, pooping and peeing in the grass just out in the open, (I seriously saw a kid pull his pants down, poop in the grass and then throw it over the privacy fence into our yard) leaving trash everywhere, leaving bikes/scooters toys in the middle of the streets. No parents in sight. We have been here three months and already have holes in our fence, a broken window, my daughter has been hit and kicked by kids 3x her age, garage door dented, things thrown at our cars and dog, our daughter’s swing broken twice and now we have to put it up and take it down when she wants to play. One parent saw me blowing up a kiddie pool and just assumed it was okay to send her four kids (all under the age of 7) over in bathing suits unattended! Families move extended family members along with their multiple kids into base housing and allow them to run wild. It’s madness. We have lived in some pretty rough off base neighborhoods stationed elsewhere and NEVER experienced anything like this.
We’re pretty laid back parents with reasonable rules for our daughter:
1. You dont go anywhere without asking.
2. You dont go in people’s houses, yards, or garages….unless we know the parents, have been on their house ourselves and have exchanged phone numbers.
3. You can ride bike/scooter anywhere up and down the street or around the block but watch for cars.
I don’t want to be “THAT” spouse calling security forces all the time or constantly correcting the bad behavior of other kids but seriously, what else can be done?

Hi Shantal, welcome to military life! Most bases are very safe, since everyone needs military ID to get through the gate. We lived in some places where people were very trusting and didn’t lock their doors.
Of course, there’s always the chance of a random crazy person, so lock your door and use the alarm system if you have one. For sliding glass doors or windows, you can lay a broomstick or piece of wood in the track so it can’t be pushed open. And of course, lots of people get a dog so they won’t be alone. Those things can give you peace of mind and help you sleep better!