To let my DD walk on the wall?

[PrincessWatermelon]

Like any other children, my 2 DDs (2 and 4) love walking on garden walls. There are some especially good ones near the school. No one has told us off, but I do wonder what the 'done thing' is. Obviously I'm careful they only walk on a sturdy wall and don't touch/harm any plants/fences, etc. Do you think this is ok or AIBU?

You are welcome to walk on my wall, turn on my drive, pick up my fallen apples, and even park on my grass verge. These things don't bother or hurt me in any way (my house is set back from the road). If doing any of this will make your life easier or more fun, then I will get a little bit of vicarious satisfaction out of seeing you.

Isn't walking on walls one of the joys about being a small child?

No I have never walked on a garden wall. Of course they should not collapse. But many garden walls have ornamental features that are easily damaged.
And if I see anyone attempting this on my garden wall, I am going to plant prickly bushes overhanging it.

yes they do fail but not overwhelmingly only about 60-70% fail and out of that less then 10% of my cleints got their money back from friviolous claims.

So even if they do fail you could still have quite a legal bill as its not common place for a judge to order a costs order unless its proven beyond any doubt the cliamet was just taking the piss, atleast in my experence.

That is why I always tick that I want legal cover as part of my house insurance.

*MrsKoala But i can't see why anyone would feel negative about it.... As long as it isn't damaged of course - just like turning in a drive

At what point does that happen though? The first time? Hundredth? Thousandth? When are the owners of the thing in question meant to say enough is enough?

Isn't it more sensible to stop the potential of any wear and tear/damage in the first place?

But many garden walls have ornamental features that are easily damaged.

brasty that's why I'd not let a child walk on a garden wall. Plus, it kind of annoys people whether it causes damage or not. So for the sake of good neighbourly relations, you shouldn't do it. I've said that.

I used to get annoyed by people chaining bikes to my railings but it was the odd one, not like it was a bike drop in the triathlon, so I decided I was being irrational. My prerogative. Someone else is entitled to take a different view.

I put a stop to it when a thief sawed through the railing to steal a bike and I had to pay to repair it because it was was ugly and presented a potential danger to people on the pavement. That is the reality of property ownership.

I wasn't prepared to pay if that happened again, so I put up a sign. The council have since put in sturdier metal bike stations so I've taken the sign down. I'm glad because it made me look like the sort of person who territorially labels my yogurt in the office fridge and tells people to leave the loos as they would wish to be found.

Don't get the logic??? Why is it ok to walk on public walls and not private walls. I can't see it's a problem with walking on either and wouldn't have an issue with a toddler walking in my garden wall. If people are saying the walls will get damaged then why is it ok for public walls to get damaged. Sorry just don't get it....

If its a public wall its a public wall. People are not likely to be living a few yards from it having their mornings and afternoons disturbed by lots of smalls children walking along it.
They are not likely to have spent their money planting around it or have personal garden ornaments near it.

Would you ask 'what is the difference between walking over someone's lawn and a public space?', 'What is the difference between swinging on a park gate and a garden gate?'

Its not that hard to work out surely?

Agree with Mrs DV. You can use the swings in a public park but you wouldn't just go ahead and use swings in a stranger's garden. Though by the attitude of some on here I wouldn't be surprised if some posters would.

It's not that difficult surely to work out the difference between public & private

We not talking about dry stone walls or ancient monuments or ledges 100ft up on the outside of buildings. We are talking in the main about garden walls in suburbia

My garden wall is a dry stone wall. It is perfectly safe for purpose. It's purpose doesn't include some idiot parent allowing their offspring to walk on it

*We not talking about dry stone walls or ancient monuments or ledges 100ft up on the outside of buildings. We are talking in the main about garden walls in suburbia^

It doesn't really matter what my wall is made of. It's my wall, my property, and I don't want a stranger's kid walking on it. Just like I don't want a stranger's kid playing in my front garden or climbing my trees.

The self-entitlement of some people is astounding.

It's not logical but it's not hard to get. Most people don't see public property in the same way as they see private property.

I understand that many people would not like my child walking on their garden wall, so I wouldn't allow it. You wouldn't mind but I'm not to know that. Perhaps you could put up a sign to that effect and then everyone whose toddler wants to walk on garden walls can come round to yours. That would be helpful. Have you thought of that?

I think local authority walls or ones at Tesco car parks are fair game. Not logical, undoubtedly wrong, but hardly anyone is likely to challenge me. If they did I would apologise, remove my child and mutter under my breath.

I draw the line at people swinging on the Cenotaph or having sex on gravestones. That's my personal line in the sand and think most people would concur.

Public walls are OK because they are public and we are the public so they're our walls really.

It doesn't really matter what my wall is made of. It's my wall, my property, and I don't want a stranger's kid walking on it. Just like I don't want a stranger's kid playing in my front garden or climbing my trees.

I agree with you Fluffy. You are perfectly entitled to object. I would too and I would not allow a child to do that.

I really wouldn''t mind a child walking on my wall.
I really, really like children.
The trouble is that if you have a 'walkable' wall it is not usually one kid that is going to do it.
So I don't let my kids do it because I know they won't be the only one that day and I don't want to upset anyone.

My DC5 got onto a low wall today and I told him to get off. The wall wasn't in any danger but the owner had planted tulips all along the side. How long are those tulips going to last if kids walk along the wall?

Public walls are OK because they are public and we are the public so they're our walls really.

Not really. The Cenotaph is ours, but when David Gilmour's twattish stepson swung on it, he offended far more than a hypothetical person letting a toddler walk on a wall at a municipal library a mile away on the same day.

It's what these things mean.

My garden wall is a dry stone wall. It is perfectly safe for purpose. It's purpose doesn't include some idiot parent allowing their offspring to walk on it

We agree then JacquesHammer because I don't think people should allow their children to walk on garden walls either.

However, if your wall fronts a thoroughfare and is liable to collapse, however it is constructed, then maybe you might think about replacing it. It's not compulsory and mortar is no more reliable than skilled dry stone construction. It's what you think the risk is likely to be.

We also pay for public walls to be repaired with Taxes that's what I'm trying to say. Comparing a public park and a private swing isn't really the same thing is it?

Swinging on the Cenotaph is rather different from walking on a wall.

It's not okay to damage property whether private or public. There might be occasions where most people would think it was worse to damage public property, such as the Cenotaph, because of what it means to us.

If you smashed up the swings in a public park then that would affect more people than if you broke a swing in someone's garden. But then the collective 'we' wouldn't notice the cost of repair, whereas you would if it was your garden.

Anyway, it's not okay to walk on garden walls unless people like you Whoopwhoopwooo expressly invite it. When can I come round?

I agree Natsku but I still don't agree it's okay to walk on garden walls. Do you? If so why?

I don't think its OK either though I did it when I was little. I only let DD walk on public walls.

When ever you want to limitedperiodonly 😜

I remember walking on walls when I was little, and loving it.

However, we have a (120yo) garden wall that isn't safe. We've had an estimate for rebuilding and are waiting for the work to start so we are doing something about it. Meanwhile, if a child walked on it, they could get hurt.

I think the trouble is, as many have said, that garden walls are built to mark boundaries rather than to be sturdy enough to walk on. So while a couple of toddlers may not do any damage, lots of children over a period of time may.