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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To not like children waling on my wall.

45 replies

MarioandLuigi · 09/06/2011 09:56

Maybe I am being a bit grumpy but it irritates me.

I have a small wall around my front garden, about a metre high. Parents let thier children walk on it and it drives me crackers.

Dont get me started on the people that sit on it (we live at the end of the road so people waiting to be picked up see it as some kind of bench)

OP posts:

buxomwenchonapony · 09/06/2011 09:59

Whaling? With harpoons? No, I wouldn't like it either - barbarians.

Groovee · 09/06/2011 10:00

Remove it and put up a fence

potoftea · 09/06/2011 10:00

Why don't you like them walking on the wall? Or sitting waiting for someone?

If a gang of teenagers were hanging out there I could understand but not someone quiet.

But while I think you are a big grump I do know that people can buy a special paint/tar like thing to put on the top of the wall. It just stays sticky and horrible, but keeps people off. A wall near us has it and I always think it is so anti-social as it is on the way to the post office where old people collect their pension and often lean against the wall along the way if they are a bit frail.

GypsyMoth · 09/06/2011 10:00

It's a wall.

GwendolineMaryLacey · 09/06/2011 10:02

I think you're a big grump tbh. One of the little pleasures of childhood was walking along little walls. As long as the 'children' aren't 17 then I can't see that they're doing any harm. We have a wall outside and occasionally people sit on it. Doesn't bother me. I sit on it sometimes.

DrNortherner · 09/06/2011 10:03

Walls are made for wlaking on imo.

GwendolineMaryLacey · 09/06/2011 10:04

Damn, forgot to ask if you were in Jerusalem...

snailoon · 09/06/2011 10:08

They aren't doing any harm. Why do people hate to see other people having a good time?

yoshiLunk · 09/06/2011 10:09

It would annoy me too, I also get annoyed that our postie takes a short-cut across our front lawn instead of cycling about 5 feet further to get on the drive.

Maybe I'm grumpy too.

You could get a row of spikes installed

redwineformethanks · 09/06/2011 10:10

I'm with you OP. The wall is your property and people shouldn't walk on it. My aunt and uncle's neighbour used to let his children walk along and they asked him to stop because they said they thought the wall might be a bit unstable and the children might fall. The wall was of course absolutely fine but he took the hint and didn't do it again. It's harder if it's a whole lot of different people rather than one person regularly

Punkatheart · 09/06/2011 10:11

Also if you do not have liability insurance - if they fall, you may possibly be liable. Perhaps there is someone here with legal knowledge?

Icelollycraving · 09/06/2011 10:19

Oh my! I could understand if it was gangs of teenagers sat around for hours,but a toddler can't resist a wall. How often in a day is this happening to annoy you?
Plant some kind of bush to defend your bricks!

sims2fan · 09/06/2011 10:31

I think you're right OP. When I was little I was allowed to walk on public walls, such as at parks, but was taught that you never, ever walked on the wall in front of someone's house. I think it's quite rude and indulgent when people let their kids do that actually - it's not hard to say no and explain that the wall belongs to someone and nobody is allowed on it. And it is very rude to sit on someone's wall, no matter where in the street the house is positioned. When I was 17ish I used to wait with my first boyfriend and his friend at a bus stop near his house. They had been sitting on the nearest house's front wall while waiting all their lives, but learned not to when I was there or I would keep going on about it!

JjandtheBeanlovesUnicorns · 09/06/2011 10:35

yanbu, we had a wall down each side of our drive and everyday at school run times most children would run and jump it, usually skirting around the car on the drive, stupid neighbours had put up there own wall, badly, just a few inches lower than ours one day one jumped over, foot stuck, broken ankle, cue snotty mother at my door...

JarethTheGoblinKing · 09/06/2011 10:37

YANBU (and I can't believe the people that think it's OK)

DS isn't allowed to walk on front steps, and gets told off when accidentally venturing onto someone's drive/lawn as we're walking past (lots of houses lie this near us).

I wouldn't want someone walking on my wall! Could actually damage it in the long term as well, depending on how it's built. Get some shrubs or something :)

BornThisWayBaby · 09/06/2011 10:41

YABU I have a wall outside my house and really couldn't give a fuck who sits / walks / plays on it. If I go out and theres a group of teenagers I tell them to do one, but thats only because I don't like them

threadsoffeeling · 09/06/2011 10:44

I think you are being very very unreasonable. One of the pleasures of going for a walk with young children is watching them walk on walls. they love it. its good for them, and it creates a community atmosphere when you end up chatting to neighbours, random people.

If you dont want that, then put up iron bars on it. no kids will be able to walk, andy ou will be happy in your fortress

JanMorrow · 09/06/2011 10:47

I sat on a wall once when I was about 5 and we were picking up my brother from school. My Mum was busy putting my little sister in her car seat so I sat on the wall next to the car. The lady who's house it was came RUSHING out as I was getting into the car and started shouting at me for putting a dirty mark (via my shoe) on her white wall.. I burst into tears and my Mum just said, "that'll come off with a cloth.. and I'd thank you not to shout at a 5 year old about a wall.. get a grip" and we drove off.

It's stayed with me since!!

But that's entirely different and actually irrelevant to your story.. ehem.

Maybe put some trellis up or something so they can't walk/sit on it?

OTheHugeManatee · 09/06/2011 10:47

If it really bothers you, glue broken glass on top of the wall or replace it with a spiky wrought-iron fence.

OTOH, if you don't want to to do that in case people think you're a big old meanypants, then stop being a big old meanypants.

LadyThumb · 09/06/2011 11:21

Paint it with anti-vandal paint, or put some spikes on it!

Isthreetoomany · 09/06/2011 11:32

I think you are being a little bit unreasonable, but I do understand where you are coming from. My parents used to live opposite a primary school, and I know they used to feel annoyed by the sheer numbers of kids that used to walk/sit on it. Other neighbours had little walls too, and some of them were a crumbly, possibly due to the kids walking on them.
Knowing how my parents felt, I do try to stop my DD walking on other people's walls. If I hadn't had parents with a wall living opposite a primary school, then I would think YABU.

violaswamp · 09/06/2011 11:34

There are walls to be walked on which are not around someone's garden. I wouldn't let my kids walk on your wall OP.

thingsabeachanging · 09/06/2011 11:41

Oh my Dad lets DD do this. It makes me a little uncomfortable. Personally the walkinking on the wall thing would not bother me too much if it were my wall.

Adults sitting on it is a problem though. This happened to my parents front wall and it became destabalised. These walls arent built with sufficient foundations to continually support adults plonking themselves on it.

AlmightyCitrus · 09/06/2011 11:48

I can see your point. IF your wall was damaged and someone was walking on it, and it collapsed then that someone would probably end up trying to sue you or something.

If you're that bothered, then either get a little bit of wooden or iron fencing on it, or get a builder to put a layer of bricks in a ^^ pattern along the top. That should be enough to stop people perching on it.

I'm pretty sure there are regulations about anti-vandal paint or spiky things on walls that are less than a certain height.

fedupofnamechanging · 09/06/2011 11:56

I let my 3 year old walk on people's walls. I can see why you wouldn't want big kids doing it, or adults sitting on it. Walls are very interesting to small children and I do think it is a bit miserable to object to a toddler enjoying their surroundings. If it really bothers you, then the only solution is to make the top of the wall impossible to walk/sit on or put up a fence/bushes instead.

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