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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Little kids chalking on pavement - is this vandalism?!

170 replies

Karlwho · 16/04/2019 17:24

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

OP posts:
BellaVita · 17/04/2019 12:30

I used of love chalking as a child (am 54 now) and playing hopscotch @UniversalAunt.

Children cannot seem to win in this day and age whatever they do.

Fresh air and a something to keep them occupied which doesn’t cost loads of money, it must be a winner in anyone’s eyes surely.

WoollyMummoth · 17/04/2019 12:31

Nothing wrong with some lovely chalk art😁I remember an old biddy 40 years ago who used to come out shrieking “get off my part” when we used to ride our bikes up and down the cul de sac my mum and dad lived on.She considered her part to be the road and path outside her house and she used to laugh if anyone came off their bike.She also used to come out with buckets of water to throw at us. Consequently, being kids, we used to make her life a misery. She deserves it the old cow.

Vulpine · 17/04/2019 12:31

They should be inside on their tablets reallyHmm

CherylCheshire · 17/04/2019 12:33

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EmeraldShamrock · 17/04/2019 12:41

Ignore her. I have one of those neighbours. My back yard looks like a rainbow at times, it washes away.

OffToBedhampton · 17/04/2019 12:48

Write DO NOT CHALK HERE in large letters across the pavement outside her house.
In chalk of course
😂😂😂

She's been a bit of a mini bully to the children, hasn't she? She doesn't own the pavement and they were mostly in your drive.
Maybe OP you could take your DD out and sit and chalk with her, to get her confidence up, other DCs will join you. Then ward off Most NDN and say, "You need to leave the children be, to have this lovely outdoor fun. They are playing perfectly nicely, look how pretty that is and it'll wash away in the rain"

I used to love chalking on pavement outside my house with the children in the street. One day an old lady started harrassing us for weeks, telling us we couldn't play outside (she was about 4 houses away opposite side) whether we were chalking, cycling or I was in my little tractor, or we were sat picking daisy chains on the green (not playing outside her house) .

Mum was really angry ins day when Mum caught us playing in middle of road near the junction away from the safe part by our houses. My sister told her it was because the Lady told us we weren't allowed to play by our house or on the green (we were, there were no restrictions).

My mum sent us out, watched us like a hawk and walked straight over the moment Lady came out to tell us off. Mum nicely told her off, that of course children were allowed to play out there and it wasn't ok for her to upset little children, we were hardly noisy (true) and how dangerous it was as she'd scared us so much we'd tried to move to playing in the busy junction.

But Mum made a friend of her too by saying how about we have a cup of tea. Mum told us from then on to say hello Mrs (eg Smith) with big smiles to lady and ask about her day first when she came out, before she had a chance to say anything else. I remember her giving me biscuits and playing her piano for me.

We went from an annoyance to her, to "little Sally, Mark, Andrew and Emma playing out". I remember her coming out to chat and smiling, asking us to show her what we'd done/made that day , putting daisy chains around her neck "that we'd made for her" and it became "how lovely dearies" rather than you can't play here. She held my hand a few times (she had such soft hands)

I remember the day of her funeral a few years later. We drew chalk bouquets along path outside our (own) houses and stood outside ours to wave to her procession as it went past.

Is forgotten all of that until I started typing about chalking outside growing up. It clearly still has such lovely strong childhood memories for me.

WaxOnFeckOff · 17/04/2019 12:49

It's OK to find it irritating, I'm sure I do stuff that irritates other people. It's not really OK to lose your shit over it though. Those saying it washes away straight away must have different chalk than they have round here as it can pee down for a couple of days and you can still see it. Usually needs a brush and a bucket of soapy water.

If you want to experience annoying behaviour then wait until they put a basketball net up and 6 kids are playing, each with their own ball. I've been grinding my teeth so much that I just have wee stumps left.

OffToBedhampton · 17/04/2019 12:54

I meant *Ward off Lady NDN (not Most NDN! )

User59720gpwn82210 · 17/04/2019 12:59

Using chalk to play hopscotch on the public footpath is okay. If they draw pictures on it, and it is able to be washed off, then I would get the children to clean it off at the end of each day rather than wait for it to rain.

One man's pictures are another's graffiti.

Karlwho · 17/04/2019 13:22

A couple of people have asked about what chalk it is - it's the poundshops' finest lol. Fiifteen pieces of chalk for a quid. Mixture of colours Smile

OP posts:
myrtleWilson · 17/04/2019 13:27

chalk bouquets has made me well up - lovely story bedhampton

InceyWinceyette · 17/04/2019 13:42

Kalipoli “Technically criminal damage”

What is the statute that defines this as criminal and / or ‘damage ‘?

StephenQueenBooks · 17/04/2019 13:47

Wouldn't bother me. If I had to pick one thing to irk me about chalk is it changing my dogs paws a different colour (they also like to roll in it if the kids draw in my garden, don't know what that's about).

But it's so cute to look at and I just make them walk through a puddle and couldn't get upset about it. She sounds like a right mard.

MenuPlant · 17/04/2019 13:51

Kids have been doing this forever

I expect some people have been miserable arseholes about it forever as well

Our country has got much worse for children hasn't it. Playing out rare cos traffic so heavy. Traditional games frowned on. You see old pics of kids out in groups playing with chalk, balls, all sorts, in the 1900s etc. These days kids should all be indoors out of sight even if their homes are small cramped, even if they are only child and there are loads of kids they could play with on their street. Give them a screen.

The same people who are disgusted at children doing something they have done for at least a century in this country are probably the same ones who slag off kids for staying in looking at screens etc

Some people just don't like children and would rather they not be visible in society apart from specified places eg the park. They get angry with them for all sorts of stuff.

Chalking the pavement is just about the most inoffensive, and also traditional, thing you can think of kids doing.

SilverySurfer · 17/04/2019 13:59

Assuming the chalk isn't indelible (doubt there is such a thing) your neighbour is being ridiculous.

vasillisa · 17/04/2019 15:35

Kids on our street do this and I think its great! They did a whole mother's day thing with hearts and I love you mum up the pavement 3 houses long. Fab. God there are worse things than a bit of chalk.

cwg1 · 17/04/2019 15:41

Bedhampton That's really lovely - your DM was so kind to the lady with such a lovely outcome for everyone. Here's a virtual bouquet for you all Flowers

vasillisa · 17/04/2019 15:45

chalk flowers for the old lady - that's the loveliest thing I have heard all week. What a tribute!

RomanyQueen1 · 17/04/2019 15:47

Just ignore the silly woman it will wash off in the rain.
Maybe give them a ball to continuously bounce Grin

Rumbletum2 · 17/04/2019 15:47

Show her this....

Little kids chalking on pavement - is this vandalism?!
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