Neighbours not watching their kids

[CrazyEight]

Anyone else have the problem of neighbours casually disappearing into their houses the moment they see "the daycare lady" outside supervising her own group?

We live at the end of a row of townhouses with individual front yards and open communal space. My husband and I are currently cleaning up our backyard, ripping out the garden, etc, so that the kids can play back there instead, but I took them out today, and as usual, within minutes, all the other parents simply disappeared. I don't mind if some of the neighbourhood kids want to come and play tag with my kids or something, but it is not my job to suddenly end up supervising 10 or 12 kids. Having their parents decide they don't need to watch their kids anymore is not ok with me. Not to mention the fact that if someone saw me, I could end up being reported. I'm the only adult in sight and there's almost a dozen children outside!

I hate to drag my group inside or restrict them to just our tiny front yard, but last summer this was a huge problem, and it's already starting to become one again. Last summer I wasn't full and my youngest 2 (one my own, 1 dck) weren't mobile, so were restricted to a blanket on the grass, so it was easier, now the little ones are all running in different directions, the older ones want to run and play tag and ride cars, and I can't keep an eye on extra kids. Today a neighbour girl fell off her bike (without a helmet), scrapped up both knees, and cut her hands, and her mother was "cleaning the house." The minute she saw me come out to my own yard with my kids, she announced very loudly that she was going in to clean and her kids (ages 4 and 6) were to stay within specific boundaries of the common space, and in she went.

I ended up packing up my kids early and saying very loudly that "we have to go in because I can't be responsible for the whole neighbourhood again," and I hope the 3 other sets of parents in their houses heard me. It's not safe and it's not fair.

Just another reason to get our backyard into shape so we can play back there exclusively. I'm pissed, and really want to write up some sort of quick note to put in everyone's mailboxes, but my husband's going to tell me that's crazy...lol