Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

in letting my children draw with chalk on the pavement outside our house?

111 replies

elegangle · 02/09/2011 17:09

I've just had a mouthful of abuse form a couple of neighbours regarding our 2 children (7 & 5) drawing pictures with lumps of chalk found in the garden. We've let them draw on the driveway which leads up to the house but is not technically part of our property and a lady accross the road has asked them to come over and draw on the pavement that runs alongside her fence. Personally I don't understand the 'upset' that this is causing, they are pictures of animals, cars, planes etc. They have not written FUCK OFF or anything offensive but seemingly we are causing offense by allowing this. We live in a cul-de-sac of mixed council and ex-council houses.
So, AIBU in letting our kids have a bit of fun drawing pictures that'll be washed away in the next rainfall or should I stop them?

OP posts:
eaglewings · 02/09/2011 17:20

Camping on a disused airfield this summer and my dd and her friend, both 9, were told to stop using colourful chalks on the tarmac next to our outfit. It was near the loos and I thought made it look better! Again no rude words etc.

They ended up going the other side of the run way and no one said anything after that.

If we keep telling our children to get off X Box band other screens, what better than to get outside and play

Original poster
elegangle · 02/09/2011 17:20

Technically they are drawing on the public right of way but only on the parts that are either directly outside our property or outside the nice lady opposite (who has been helping them!!). One of the neighbours who has taken issue lets her own children do it so I'm a bit Confused by that. The chalk they are using is whatever they pick up from the front garden.

Anyone for hopscotch?!

OP posts:
Againagainagain · 02/09/2011 17:21

Yanbu it well wash away but some people can be very petty, sure we used to play hopscotch by chalking on the pavement when I was younger

ViviPru · 02/09/2011 17:21

"They have not written FUCK OFF or anything offensive"
OP you should go and do just that.

ViviPru · 02/09/2011 17:21

chalk 'fuck off" I mean, not go forth & multiply yourself Blush

Original poster
elegangle · 02/09/2011 17:24

Vivi, if I did go forth and multiply myself that really would be cause for complaint! Scary stuff

OP posts:
MrsDBouquetVAMOSRAFA · 02/09/2011 17:25

If people are that stuffy about chalking, do what my M does with my DSis DCs.

Bucket of water and a small brush. By the time they have drawn 2 pics, the first has disappeared, so they can start again !

MY DCs had multi-coloured chalk. We don't see parents for other reasons as well as not letting the DCs chalk, so mine had a wild ol' time !

MrsDBouquetVAMOSRAFA · 02/09/2011 17:26

Vivi

Didn't you mean

FUCK OFF YOU MISERABLE OLD FUCKERS

Grin
MrsDBouquetVAMOSRAFA · 02/09/2011 17:27

Oh, and if the neighbours aren't old, just leave that out.

Carrotsandcelery · 02/09/2011 17:27

Mine have a big tub of multicoloured outdoor chalk for this very purpose. They leave notes for us on the front path. Dh will often park and not come in for another 5 mins because he is deciphering reading the note and answering it.

You are definitely Not Being Unreasonable.

KatieScarlett2833 · 02/09/2011 17:28

ahh hopscotch, my folks used to wonder what happened to all their tins of shoe polish....

knittedbreast · 02/09/2011 17:29

yanbu-ignore them

ThePopsicleKat · 02/09/2011 17:30

YANBU! For goodness' sake, what miserable bastards. We used to do this all the time as kids, it will wash off soon enough in the rain anyway.

SouthernFriedTofu · 02/09/2011 17:30

I'd be tempted to just chalk a massive cock outside their house.

Feminine · 02/09/2011 17:32

YANBU ...at all :)

GwendolineMaryLacey · 02/09/2011 17:32

YANBU. But this came up on here a year or two back and I was surprised how many miseries posters thought it was vandalism and lax parenting.

BeaWheesht · 02/09/2011 17:33

As a young child dh was sent to his room for and ENTIRE day for chalking on the path. I delight in giving ds chalks outside whenever the inlaws are here.

Yanbu.

ChickensHaveNoEyebrows · 02/09/2011 17:36

YANBU. I don't get chalk controversy. DH is not keen on the DC's chalking on the patio, but he can't explain why.

Fimbo · 02/09/2011 17:39

My dh is the same Chickens, no logical reason for it. My kids and the neighbours chalked on our driveway and I could see his was antsy about it, but never said anything. Tbh I think he is a probably a bit of a snob and thinks it makes the place look a bit tatty. My neighbour though had kids chalk outside her house, it's a game they place at school called "four square" which is exactly as it sounds played with a ball. Then when the rain came she realised it wasn't actually chalk but they had drawn the grid out with a stone. It's still there....

TheMagnificentBathykolpian · 02/09/2011 17:42

They are being mean. Chalking on pavements is one of the innocent delights of childhood Grin

However. It is simply not worth falling out with your neighbours and having bad feeling over something like chalking! So get them to chalk on your property. It's just as much fun.

Do you have a garden wall they could chalk rude messages to the neighbours on? Wink

ragged · 02/09/2011 17:42

I have read some pretty strong arguments against it, S-Astra, on MN, maybe I will dig around & find an old thread.

reelingintheyears · 02/09/2011 17:43

MrsDBouquetVAMOSRAFA Fri 02-Sep-11 17:26:23

Vivi

Didn't you mean

FUCK OFF YOU MISERABLE OLD FUCKERS

Yep...it'll wash away tomorrow when it rains.

And it will rain again tomorrow.Grin

Riveninabingle · 02/09/2011 17:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Neena28 · 02/09/2011 17:45

My two got so cross with people not clering up theirs pets mess that ds wrote 'please don't let your dog poo on the path' in chalk and replaced it every time it rained. It stopped the problem totally!

So I think people complaining about little ones drawing are mad!

Neena28 · 02/09/2011 17:45

My two got so cross with people not clering up theirs pets mess that ds wrote 'please don't let your dog poo on the path' in chalk and replaced it every time it rained. It stopped the problem totally!

So I think people complaining about little ones drawing are mad!