Little kids chalking on pavement - is this vandalism?!

[Karlwho]

Kids and their pals are out on the green in front of my house playing. Eldest kids in the group are eight, youngest is six. We live in a quiet little close, I'm hovering around front porch/livingroom window keeping an eye on them (but I'm not out every minute 'what you doing?!' If you get what I mean). Basically i can see them.
Anyway, my kids have got a big buc ket of pavement chalk, the gang aredoodl ing all over my path and house (looks fabulous, budding artists), and they then venture onto the PUBLIC path outside the garden.
Neighbour opposite comes to my door 'I don't know why your children are drawing over my path'. I went and checked that they weren't on HER path, and to make sure they werent drawing the poo emoji/getting creative with curse words etc. They were drawing flowers and boxes. Not in her property. On pathways.
Have I missed something?! Is this not allowed? she was at my door for a good ten minutes going on, and then went to the group of kids to tell them to stay over on 'my side' and not to go near her home.
dont really know if this is an aibu lol

Suggest you spray a spunking cock on her front door come nightfall, in neon paint....

Childen have always drawn in chalk on pavements

Bet she did when she was young

it washes off it's not vandalism

fuxake

Oh I think it's such a shame she had a moan as I think it's lovely seeing kids out doing this still in 2019. It makes such a change to being indoors on a gadget nowadays so it's a shame they were challenged about it. I think it's a generation thing tbh, maybe mention to her if you get chance again that you think it's lovely they've chosen to go outside and be creative but obviously have told them not to go near her property with the chalk, even joke that no doubt it will be raining again soon enough! She can't say or do anything about it.

I work in Early Years and this is something we encourage - lots of creative mark making ideas!

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe, I get your point, and I didn't thinj 'what a bitch' when I spoke to her. It was polite and not arsey or snotty and it was resolved with humour.
Dhh wou ldnt actually do that. He'd just suggest it. I w as being about as serious as the other poster's who suggested it.

Watching children from her house would make me uncomfortable too

Oh for the love of god 🙄

I get that Karlwho, but it's obvious that there are posters (neighbours) who would do just that, because they have no brakes. They would be rude and insulting and they'd feel free to deface somebody else's property.

I'm glad I don't live next to them. Hope your kids and their mates had a nice time chalking... imaginations are a wonderful thing.

At my daughters school the reception children sometimes go outside to chalk over the playground. You can tell what letters they have been learning that week! It helps eye hand coordination, and washed off later.

I 'm glad people have posted saying theyve had experience with people who don't like it. This is the first time I've ever really thought about some people NO T being ok with it. But yeah. I'll keep em over 'my side' of the grassy area in future.

I used to draw with chalk on the pavement outside my house when I was young, it started with flowers etc and then as I got older I started to write curse words, my Mother was very disappointed when she realised I had written "fock" on the pavement and immediately taught me the correct spelling

Kids on our road, including mine, would have drawn on paths and the actual road. Great fun. Just let the kids know not to draw outside her house/drive, even though the weren't.

Another one for cock n balls 🙋🏿‍♀️

Just tell them to stay away from her property and if she comes around about anywhere else tel her to do one.

When my DS was about two he drew all over my now eXH’s brand new flat screen tv in crayon. I didn’t even notice it, my mum did when she came round, and cleaned it off before h got home. He never found out. But OMG.

Meh

As many PPs have stated it will wash away as soon as it rains .

Neighbour is a misery and YANBU

You've worked out that she really just wanted a chat so love-bombing her would be a great way to go. You might end up with a new friend/surrogate Granny.

I had a friend who didn't like chalk on the pavement outside her house, despite being liberal in lots of other ways and not at all a misery guts. I was surprised but it was not difficult to explain to my children that they should keep chalking to our property.

Come to think of it, some very naughty big kids wrote the word 'cunt' across the pavement over the weekend.

My dc's and their friends (8-12) have turned the letters into a duck being fed some bread . Obviously the word was a huge source of amusement first.

I had this with a lady who lived close to me. We live in flats and there is communal areas for each Block of flats but all areas are under same factor. The 3 blocks at other side of the street have grass and drying greens, we have a wee patch of grass with a path that goes around it.
I had been walking home from work and could hear shouting. My 2 DD's were outside with 2 friend and were drawing with chalk. Usual drawings , flowers and hop
Scotch. She was screaming (very loudly) at them that this was illegal and that they must stop Straight away and she wasn't happy about it. Her flat is other side of the road and round a corner so it was at least 40 meters away from her.
I walked over and asked what was the problem, she said it was a
Disgrace that children were doing this. I told
Her To mind her own businesses, that we live in Scotland so rain won't be too far away and wash it away and to go away, the children were happy playing and that I better not hear her talking to my children like that again. I got a mouthful and she walked off. I called local police who went to her door and gave her a warning about verbally abusing children in the street
Funnily enough she's been a lot better since this 😂

For bit of context a lot of neighbours have issues with this woman and her thoughts on how we must all behave on our development. She has had trees cut down as she doesn't like them, we had a rope
Swing for the kids that she arranged to be cut down, she walks around looking for issues almost daily. She is a nightmare.

Funny we've just had a similar thing posted on our town Facebook page. Some grumpy old hit came and put the hose on the pathways on one particular road because of this exact thing. Seems the fun sponges are increasing in number. :(

Tell her to call the police if she thinks it's vandalism, I'm sure they'll be right on it.

We started organising playing Out sessions in our street inspired by the Playing Out movement which began in Bristol, has really helped to get even the grumpiest neighbours communicating and the kids out playing away from their screens!

Even before your first update I was thinking 'bet she's lonely'. I think she'll have forgotten the usual etiquette of conversation and launched with the first thing she thought of. Unfortunately a complaint.

miserable bitch

it will wash off

tho rem working as a nanny and i let kids chalk on their patio and mum came home and moaned about it

Fgs silly woman, isn’t she?