To not let people bring pebbles into the house?

[CruCru]

I have a house near a beach. Visiting children usually want to bring pebbles back from the beach, which I'm not terribly keen on. Technically it's illegal to take things from the beach but, more practically, I often end up with buckets of pebbles at the end of the summer as the children lose interest once they've bought the pebbles back.

WIBU to say that any pebbles have to go right in the parents' car once we get back and are not to come into my house? I find that the parents are a bit keener to enforce the whole "leaving everything at the beach for others to enjoy" when I say this but all the same perhaps it isn't very welcoming.

What a grinch!!!

I like catz suggestion. Except I don't want shells. I already have enough of that sort of thing left in the flowerbeds.

Well I was considering bringing a plastic carrier bag so that I can decant them into that and make the parents shove the bag in their car. Perhaps I won't.

It's true that you're not supposed to remove stones from the beach.
I'd explain this to them and make them leave everything at the beach.

I think perhaps part of what I find irritating is the idea that pebbles are "special" and therefore a bit exempt. I can't imagine people being thrilled whenever kids bring back bits of gravel / sticks / leaves from the local park - pebbles aren't any different for me.

We don't live by the sea and when we go I usually let them pick a few nice ones for me to put on my many planters in the garden. I have a very nice selection of ones with stripes and ones with holes.
I think the parents should put them in the car if they want them or take them back to the beach on the last day.

Also don't forget that many artists use found stuff as inspiration- not least Henry Moore - who always picked up stones when he went to the beach
www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/henry-moores-sculpture/ideas-inspiration/rocks-stones-wood