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AIBU?

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Original poster

To find pavement chalking by neighbour unreasonable?

414 replies

Hanji83 · 19/08/2026 20:29

We are in a row of houses which have a footpath running in front of the road with a grassed area either side. One of the neighbours has two kids, who for the past week have been drawing on the pavement using chalk. It looks an utter mess. Would it be wrong of me to say something to the parents?

OP posts:
blueysmum88 · 20/08/2026 16:50

It’s raining, it’ll be gone soon. Lighten up.

NotSmallButFunSize · 20/08/2026 16:46

Honestly, if you turned up at my door and said that to me, I would tell you to bugger off!

Get a life ffs!

AgnesMcDoo · 20/08/2026 16:43

Find your perspective cause you’ve lost it

ShortRun · 20/08/2026 16:43

I found the link for this thread on FB, and as I was waiting for it to load I was hoping you had the sense to delete it as on e you'd had some time to think you'd realise ..... But alas....

GinaandGin · 20/08/2026 16:43

Get over yourself hyacinth and stop being such a busy body

Boomer55 · 20/08/2026 16:24

Hanji83 · 19/08/2026 20:29

We are in a row of houses which have a footpath running in front of the road with a grassed area either side. One of the neighbours has two kids, who for the past week have been drawing on the pavement using chalk. It looks an utter mess. Would it be wrong of me to say something to the parents?

It’ll go when it rains. 🤷‍♀️

Likeiloveyou · 20/08/2026 16:12

The absolute 💩 I read on here! 🤣

Ablushingcrow · 20/08/2026 16:08

I love chalky pavements, hopscotch, skipping ropes etc. It means kids are being kids, having fun, exercising and fresh air. It's how kids thrive.

ohtowinthelottery · 20/08/2026 16:04

Well it's raining here today OP so if it's the same where you are, I assume the chalk has now washed off!
Only 2 more weeks of the school holidays left - and breathe!

Kerri126 · 20/08/2026 16:01

This has to be a wind up? Just in case it’s not… these kids are doing exactly what kids should be doing during the summer holiday - outside playing, having fun, getting fresh air and a bit of exercise, using their imaginations and not using screens. Chalk easily washes away - please don’t be a killjoy.

gamerchick · 20/08/2026 15:47

Haha good one OP. Bravo Grin

I'm sure we get at least one of these threads every year. It's chalk, it washes away.

anewlifeinthesun · 20/08/2026 15:33

I walked through a fairly new housing development the other day and children had been chalking a “road” on the pavements complete with roundabouts and traffic lights and I thought how lovely it was to see this.

Children just having innocent harmless fun.

What a miserable old boot you sound

OnlyHasEyesForLoki · 20/08/2026 15:19

You know it’ll wash off in the rain?! Stop being such a misery!

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 20/08/2026 15:03

I found a pack of chalks in my garden shed when I moved into my house. In the summer I drew on my own garden path (I thought it was pretty artistic). My neighbour looked at my artwork and said 'oh, did you have your grandchildren round?'

Somewhat chastened I said yes. I did not, then, have any grandchildren. Lesson learned. Only draw in chalk if you are either under the age of twelve, or have the ability of Leonardo da Vinci.

Monty36 · 20/08/2026 14:59

Children in the UK have for many decades played and used chalk on pavements as part of that play.

Do not complain !

Imdunfer · 20/08/2026 14:56

Think yourself lucky. My brother went round drawing w-x-y everywhere on the pavements. Anyone who learned cursive script will know what that meant 🤣

Rondayvu · 20/08/2026 14:54

People give out so much about kids on screens and when they go out and do something like draw in chalk they scream blue murder ffs.

AlwaysExtraHot · 20/08/2026 14:44

Rondayvu · 20/08/2026 14:42

Unless they are drawing the outline of your body in chalk then leave them to it.

Grin I would totally volunteer to lie down and let my neighbours' kids do that to me, that's a brilliant idea.

My neighbours' kids draw hopscotch and then play it for hours. Tehy also draw and scribble all sorts of stuff (flowers, hearts...) in lovely colours. I love coming out/coming home to their latest efforts. What a misery you are, OP.

Rondayvu · 20/08/2026 14:42

Unless they are drawing the outline of your body in chalk then leave them to it.

AlwaysExtraHot · 20/08/2026 14:40

PhilosophicalCheeseSandwich · 19/08/2026 20:50

An old man on our street would give as many kids as appeared at his gate a pot of water and a paintbrush and set them off painting the whole street's front walls. Can you imagine the chaos, op? Wet walls everywhere 😱

That's hilarious Grin Bet they had fun.

GrinchPink · 20/08/2026 14:34

To say something? Like what, What are you going to say? 🤓

worldshottestmom · 20/08/2026 14:32

Nice to see everybody lapping up today's ragebait, myself included, it's a good one.

Would you bang on the parents door and tell them their kid's drawing on paper looks a mess and is shit? No. So don't do it about their artwork on the floor (that will wash away in 24h), either.

Perhaps she should just shove a tablet in their hands 24/7 to keep you happy?

Can't wait til I reach this age of pitifulness where I have no bigger problem than kids drawing with chalk down the street. Christ.

PurpleMonkeysDishwasher · 20/08/2026 14:31

I bet you’re super fun at parties 😅 YABU, this post has to be rage bait. Unless they’re doodling all over the road or walls with spray paint or permanent marker, leave them be. It’s only chalk FFS 🙈

Sartre · 20/08/2026 14:30

It washes away in the rain and I don’t know if this is universal but it’s been peeing it down in Yorkshire today. It won’t be there forever being my point.

newchaptermummy · 20/08/2026 14:28

If it was a private driveway I could understand saying something. We have recently had our front done and would be annoyed if other people’s children then chalked and played on it but a public footpath is no one’s business!

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