For context, I live with my Dad in a terrace house. My neighbours are a small family – a husband and wife and their thirty-four year old son. Sometimes I hear the men having physical altercations or screaming matches through the walls. It’s clear they are quite an angry father/son duo. It’s important to note, my bedroom overlooks their back garden, so they know which room in the house I reside in. I am a singer, and it’s a passion I’ve had since I was a child that I won’t give up on. Unfortunately, it is a relatively loud passion. So, I choose to practice it in the bathroom which is not connected to any shared walls. My Dad is also a musician, who plays creates music in his bedroom which is connected to next door. Whenever he is playing music, there is never any complaints from next door. However, recently, I have been recieving angry knocks on my bedroom wall from my neighbors side. First time, my brother was visiting me and we were chatting at 10pm. We didn’t think we were being loud at all, but the knocks came, so we both went to bed. My Dad stays at his partner’s a lot, so I am often home alone, which I hate. It gets scary. The other night, I was in the shower, and I was singing. I heard loud bangs at the front door, so I froze. Then the knocking sounded again, so I quickly left the shower and hid in my room. The neighbors could see my Dad’s car was gone, and I know that was them knocking. Personally I think it’s bad form to startle a young woman who is home alone in the shower like that, but i’ll see what reddit has to say. Tonight, I was doing a little cleaning of my room. Putting away odd things, stuff like that. And I hear the knocks, again. This time at my bedroom wall. I could not have been that loud, because my Dad in the room beside mine didn’t hear me. I stopped what I was doing and froze again, but then I heard what can only be described as an absolute rager from next door. Loud banging, knocking, angry muffled yelling. At that point my Dad shouted, "What are you doing?" to which I responded "that’s not me!" Am I the asshole? Because whole-heartedly, I do what I can to minimise my noise output, though unfortunately I am most productive at around 11pm. (*This is not when I sing though, I only sing around once a week and stop before 8pm.*) I take issue with the fact my Dad can play his music and not recieve any knocks, yet when I move my desk chair slightly they respond with an angry earthquake. Furthermore, when they have their physical fights and wall slamming and screaming matches, I refrain from any sort of noise-shaming. The way I see it, I am a young woman who is whimsical and listening to my body clock. I think they are quite miserable people in general, and it feels a little targeted at me, because again – they know which one is my bedroom, and they don’t take issue with my Dad’s noise. I don’t know though. Maybe I’m not as self-aware or respectful as I think. Perhaps I am deaf to just how noisy I can be. Let me know.
[deleted]