The upstairs kids are making noise; smart parents teach their children this way.

The year my son was born, there was a little boy upstairs who would start playing around every night after 7 p.m., playing ball, rollerblading, and jumping around.

My son went to bed very early when he was little, and he happens to be a light sleeper; he would wake up and cry at the slightest sound.

After a few weeks, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I went up to negotiate.

They very politely explained that their newborn child was being woken up by noise and was very noisy, so they hoped the neighbors upstairs could be a little quieter.

The male homeowner opened the door and asked me what time I heard the sound.

Then I saw his son, who looked about 8 or 9 years old, playing with a basketball in the living room.

I told them I came up as soon as I heard the sound, and I hoped they could understand.

Then he asked me whether I heard the sound in the living room or in my room.

At this point, I found his thought process to be quite novel.

Does this sound travel vertically downwards? Did I waste my time learning high school physics?

I didn't continue the discussion about this physics issue with him.

I suggested that you let your son continue playing, and then come down to my house for 30 minutes to have some tea, chat, and experience the atmosphere.

He certainly didn't come down to my house. He said he would tell his son to behave himself.

Then a few weeks later, one night around 11 p.m., there was a sound of someone banging on a stool upstairs, like they were doing something with a hammer.

Actually, I have a pretty good temper, and at the time I thought they might just do a little bit.

After knocking for about 30 minutes, my son was already awake. During that time, I recorded several audio clips, and I could clearly hear the "thump thump thump" sound.

This time I didn't go upstairs. Instead, I tagged the male homeowner upstairs in the residents' group chat, expressing my hope that they would be quieter, since it was quite late.

This time he asked me again, "Which room did you hear the noise from?"

Okay, sound might indeed travel vertically downwards, and you can't hear it through walls.

I still didn't discuss physics with him.

I said I had just recorded an audio message and we could call the property management to discuss it together.

Then they fell silent.

And then it was quiet.

Why am I so sure the sounds coming from upstairs are from their apartment?

Because the occupancy rate of our community was relatively low a few years ago, they were the only household upstairs.

My son is now over four years old. I've always taught him that when he plays at home, he shouldn't make any loud noises on the floor. He should always lift a chair when he moves it, not drag it.

Then last year during the pandemic, I heard the sound of jump rope coming from upstairs. My son was a little scared and asked me what the sound was. I said it was probably the kids upstairs having class, and then I told him: "So when you play at home, if you make a lot of noise, the little ones downstairs will find it noisy and might get scared." Just then, the lady upstairs added me on WeChat. After I accepted, she very politely said that because of the pandemic, she was doing jump rope during her PE class at home and hoped I could understand. I replied that my son was grown up and no longer afraid of being woken up by noise, and thanked them for their understanding in the past few years.

Indeed, my son is all grown up now, and the noise from upstairs doesn't bother me anymore.

Last month, my son's kindergarten teacher praised him, saying that during nap time, he always goes to the toilet quietly, turns the tap on to wash his hands only slightly, and speaks softly when he needs to talk to the teacher. If the teacher spoke loudly, he criticized her, saying that her loud voice would wake the other children from their sleep.

Article source: Zhihu

Wise parents influence their children's education at every moment. These influences directly determine a child's interpersonal style in the outside world. In this article, both the upstairs and downstairs neighbors are parents, but their methods of dealing with noise present a stark contrast. The upstairs parents didn't stop their child from bouncing a ball and playing around at home, while the downstairs parents told their child to always be considerate of others and not disturb them. Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them.

As parents, many people are conflicted about how to balance their children's natural instincts with public order and good morals.

Can't the kids upstairs express themselves freely at home?

Can

Should the downstairs neighbors just put up with the noise from the upstairs kids?

Should not

So how exactly should we solve this?

Given that the thickness of the foundation slab itself is insufficient, since the upstairs neighbor has not taken any sound insulation and vibration reduction measures for the floor, they have no right to demand that the downstairs neighbor do sound insulation or move to a villa.

Therefore, you must first examine what you have done and whether it is sufficient before you have the right to demand anything from others.

Method 1: Raise and thicken the floor during renovation. The process involves: base floor + dry sand/cotton + sound insulation board + vibration damping pad + concrete + floor covering (wood flooring/carpet/tile). This method not only provides sound insulation but, more importantly, prevents vibration noise from your home from affecting your downstairs neighbors.

Method 2: If the renovation is already complete, then lay down several layers of soft mats, 20cm is not excessive. You don't need to cover the entire house; just designate one area and lay it down there so the child can run and play in that designated area.

Method Three: Constantly instill in children the concept that they cannot act recklessly. Living in the human jungle means learning the jungle rules from a young age. As parents, we should tell our children that while enjoying their freedom, they must also abide by the rules of the human world. For example, setting rules about when they cannot run and jump around, and which areas should be kept quiet. This doesn't completely stifle a child's nature, but rather helps them develop survival skills in this society from a young age.