Crazy Kids!

A few mornings ago I was sitting on the couch watching tv before I had to go to work.  Someone started ringing the doorbell like mad.  After about a few seconds they proceeded to bang on the door.  Then they rang the doorbell like crazy.  This was followed with a combination of doorbell ringing and continuous pounding on the door with hands and objects.  I could also hear someone trying to open the door but it was locked.  I looked out the window and there were no cars parked out front.  I could hear little kids talking and knew it was probably the neighbor kids.  I opened the door and they were sitting on the porch with their toy guns.  I told them "firmly" that they needed to stop banging on my door and they proceeded to tell me that one of them had thrown their hat over the fence.  I was pretty mad.  Looking back on it now, I could have been a little nicer about it but what set me off was how long they had been doing it and the fact that they were banging on the door so much with their guns and hands.  I usually don't answer the door when I'm home unless it's family.  I'm antisocial and don't want to talk to any strangers that come knocking.  So when I knew it was the neighbor kids, I figured they would go away.  I didn't realize, they would camp out on my porch and make such a ruckus for what seemed like 5 minutes.  I told Chris that it's a good thing that the front door was locked since they tried to get in and that I wasn't looking forward to having kids and their little friends coming and laying an endless barrage on our front door.  I've heard of people's kids just walking into houses and going through their cupboards and stuff.  Not looking forward to it!  Steffanie said Teo likes to doorbell ditch the neighbors all the time.  I guess it's a fact of raising kids.  I don't recall ever doing that as a kid.  I don't even remember ever going over to ask if any kids could play.  I guess that's the benefit of having siblings to play with.  We would go outside to play and there would be other kids outside and we would all just stay outside and play.  I don't remember ever going into any of the neighbors houses.  I think that's a good policy, stay outside so you don't trash the house.  It looks like I'm going to have to learn to be patient when I have kids and it's all easier said then done when it comes to raising them.  I'd like to think I'd rule them with an iron fist but I know it's hard when they're so darn cute!