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?

It's no different. Someone might walk up your driveway and knock on your door to share Jesus's love with you. They are perfectly entitled to do it. You would be perfectly entitled to tell them to go away.

If it was a snowy day in January and they slipped on ice then that would be an accident. They wouldn't be able to claim off your insurance. If you had deliberately created a hidden skating rink and not told them, then it might be different.

In any case, they'd put in a claim, your insurers would look at it and they'd decide who was being reasonable. In some cases the police, local authority environmental health department or the Health and Safety Executive might get involved, but generally not.

These rules exist to protect ordinary people doing lawful, everyday things. Sometimes they also protect people doing unlawful things but you really have to go some to be prosecuted by the authorities on behalf of an intruder. If so, a jury of your peers will sit in judgement of you and they are likely to be sympathetic. Why wouldn't they be? They are ordinary people just like you and me.

Someone might walk up your driveway and knock on your door to share Jesus's love with you. They are perfectly entitled to do it

Yeah don't even get me started 😂 we are in a "no cold calling" area because it's an area with a very ageing population. Did you know if you're on god's work you can ignore it?

Ignorant fucks

The problem is that just normal respect for other peoples property seems to be a thing of the past. Our wall is the same age as our house - well over a hundred years and, no, I don't want it damaged by other people being thoughtless. It's part of my property and it will not withstand children walking on it. My neighbour was threatened with legal action when her wall collapsed injuring a child who was jumping up and down on it. No joke.

Wow! I am in the minority - it is a wall, I dont care if kids walk on our wall. Some peole are so precious. Seriously! No wonder UK kids are among the most depressed in the world and feel the need to grow up so fast!

And this is the most ridiculous MN post I've seen in a while. Well done!

I agree, they're very annoying JacquesHammer. That's why I used that example. A Hermes driver delivering a birthday present is welcome.

Would it be reasonable to let you off if the annoying God-botherers died as a result of your negligence but to pull you up over the death of the man from Hermes? Perhaps there would be special dispensation if he was asking you to take in a parcel for your neighbour who you didn't like.

It's a moral dilemma.

*I agree, they're very annoying JacquesHammer. That's why I used that example. A Hermes driver delivering a birthday present is welcome.

Would it be reasonable to let you off if the annoying God-botherers died as a result of your negligence but to pull you up over the death of the man from Hermes? Perhaps there would be special dispensation if he was asking you to take in a parcel for your neighbour who you didn't like.

It's a moral dilemma*

I guess with the Hermes driver if it was a parcel for me I would have invited them in? God-botherers not so much.

Back to the thread though if either came into the house via the wall though they'd be stupid

If a wall fell in someone while they were doing gods work couldn't you claim it was an act of God? A bit like instant dismissal from work for gross misconduct?

This case of a woman crushed by a wall is still unresolved despite her being killed in 2014.

The headline is a bit misleading. I agree the police were at fault for allowing people to walk along the pavement. However, her death was caused by masonry from a private wall falling on her because the wall couldn't withstand the weight of a huge tree in private gardens blown down in the storm.

A tree, privately owned on private residential property, about which was said:

Tree expert Kevin Moore said the tree was around 80 years old and had the consistency of "Weetabix" due to severe decay. "It wasn't a matter of if it was going to fall, but when it was going to fall," he told the inquest.

Now it might be that the owners of the residence did not know that and could not be expected to. Landowners have been exonerated for similar accidents - the most recent one I can find is the National Trust. But when accidents like this happen, they deserve investigation rather than: 'Oh well. It's my private property. Not my fault.'

We should respect other people's property. But property owners should also respect it and the right of others not to be injured by it. If you know your wall cannot withstand the weight of a 3st child, let alone a ton of tree, you should fix it or take the consequences. That's all that's asked.

Trees can be very heavy. No wall can withstand the weight of large trees falling on them.

Like most decent people, I only used to let my children walk on public walls, e.g outside the library or supermarket, when they were little.

My mum's house ( my childhood home) has a wall in front of it and it has always really pissed me off when people let their children walk along it. You wouldn't climb on somebody's shed or go and play in their garden, so why do some people think it's ok to climb up on the wall?

If you know your wall cannot withstand the weight of a 3st child, let alone a ton of tree, you should fix it or take the consequences. That's all that's asked.

Our wall probably could withstand a 3st child walking on it
But it is not withstanding several 3st children a day walking on it!
It has been repaired when lose, but then other parts have become lose due to the constant abuse

If your wall in in an area that children pass regularly, it's never going to be just one child, so it's an impossible constant task to up-keep it

People who do this are just so self obsessed that they can't imagine how their one little child could possibly damage it, and if it's damaged it must have been shoddy anyway, and don't see that they are compounding damage from regular abuse.

brasty perhaps you didn't read it. The wall wasn't insecure. The tree was - as testified by an expert in a court of law - and brought it down.

The tree was in a private garden enclosed by the wall adjoining a public pavement that the woman was passing by quite lawfully. Both tree and wall were privately owned by the same people.

The foreman of the jury said: “The tree was in a bad condition. There was wholly inadequate maintenance by the owners of Upper Rutland gardens where the tree trunk and roots were located.

I don't know what the outcome is going to be. It's taken three years and no end is in sight. But if I were the owners and their insurers, I'd be concerned about what the inquest jury composed of ordinary people who'd considered all the evidence said about my tree.

That's why you should be concerned about the state of your private property before accidents happen. Because when accidents happen, it doesn't just cost money.

But it is not withstanding several 3st children a day walking on it!

How many children walk on your wall every day? Ballpark?

Most people do not allow their children to walk on private garden walls because it is rude and may cause damage. Almost everyone on this thread has said that.

Most people do not allow their children to walk on private garden walls because it is rude and may cause damage. Almost everyone on this thread has said that.

Most don't, but it's a very busy road in terms of pedestrians, and I see it probably once or twice a day (vs the many many people I see go past who don't) but it happens mostly when I'm out during the day (neighbour sees it). So I'ld say at least 3/4 a day, which is a very small % of people who walk past, but quite a lot in terms of damage.

Okay

Our problem is that our wall runs into our neighbours wall so it's a sort of longish straight stretch as there's no break between ours and theirs just a straight wall, which I guess some find tempting.

However the reason it runs into our neighbours wall is because it matches our houses, i.e. it's a period feature, i.e. old and not for fucking walking on grrr

I wouldn't care if I seen small children walking along my wall. As long as they are being respectful and not thugs😂

Ridiculous!

All these posts saying they'd be annoyed if a small child walked on their wall

Seriously? What harm are they doing? Some people are just so pathetic. I'd have no problem with a little child walking along my wall! It's not like it's going to bloody well fall down under their weight is it!

I don't get why people think it is ok for a child to walk on someone else's property.Does this apply to their drive and their garden too.?

It is in most cases not harming anything, but it is just disrespectful to presume your snowflake can use somebody else's property as their own

I would not care if a small child ran across my drive or garden any more than if they walked on my wall.

Jfc people are weird about this.

Period property my arse - it's probably some poxy little Victorian box, not fucking Blenheim.

I have a wonderful wall for walking, low but some height variation and near a school. Never minded the children walking it, but now it's got two loose stones (doubt the kids fault, its old) and it stresses me a child will fall and a parent will think I'm liable, it's not the easier fix to do well.

I wouldn't let my child walk on someone's garden wall. But i wouldn't be bothered if I saw a child walking on my wall.