It is a tale as old as time: Teenagers are disrespectful. This is a harmless stereotype and a natural state of being for teens and pre-teens. As they push for independence while their brains are still developing, teenagers will make poor decisions; it's the way of the world. 

One Reddit user and their husband have faced the brunt of one pre-teen's disrespect. Their young neighbor is destroying their lawn. 

The poster has a sloped side yard by the road that leads to the neighborhood playground, and their young neighbor has used it as a shortcut.

"This kid rides his bike/scooter all day long and whenever he passes our property, [he] ... rolls up and down the side yard slope," the poster explained. 

The poster's husband asked the kid to stop, but the boy only doubled down. Now, the poster was seeking prevention and redirection over communication.

"Any suggestions outside [of] spending a [ton] of money on a retaining wall/fence that will prevent him from rolling on it altogether?" they asked. "We are really getting frustrated with it."

Commenters suggested planting flora with thorns — not to hurt the child but to deter him.

"Cactus," one said. 

"Rose bushes," another suggested. 

"Prickly pear?" 

What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard? Mowing the lawn 🏡 Controlling weeds 🌿 Keeping pests at bay 🐿️ I don't have a yard 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"Barberry bushes."

There exists a large variety of pollinator-friendly, native thorny plants. The options are virtually endless. 

Rose bushes, for example, hold native status in multiple places in the northern hemisphere. There are around 35 species of wild roses native to North America, according to The Plant Native. 

Not all rose bushes have thorns, but those that do could be planted in the original poster's yard to protect the lawn from bike tire tracks while also attracting pollinators. 

Prickly pear is also native to certain parts of North America. According to the University of Illinois Extension page, prickly pears bloom bright yellow flowers.

Pollinators flock to them, some moth caterpillars and fly larvae call them home, and their thorns could keep unwanted visitors, such as a pre-teen on a bike, out of the lawn.

One commenter shared an anecdote: "I still remember my grandmother telling me repeatedly not to walk on the edge of her retaining wall but I did it any chance I got. One day I fell off and landed in her prickly pears. ... I did learn my lesson. Never walked on that wall again."

"Hostile landscaping that discourages entry and rolling along with a scooter quietly installed," someone else suggested.

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