Kids chalking on pavement

[Ritascornershop]

My best friend lives in a little estate of row houses with a grassed area in the centre and pavement around the edge with paths off to each of their houses.

Her idiot ex-partner lives with her (for the most part never paying rent or contributing to food and bills). They are just past 50 and never had kids.

The neighbours’ kids are aged around 5-6 and have taken to drawing pictures in chalk on the pavement; animals, houses, and hopscotch squares. They do this in front of a number of houses. My friend’s idiot ex partner has been hosing it off and telling the kids not to do it (& given how often she tells me he shouts about other things I suspect he’s not telling them nicely).

I told her I thought he was mean to hose away their harmless drawings, that she used to chalk draw when she was little, that he fancies himself an artist, and that I think he’s being awful. AIBU?

It's chalk, it will disappear when it rains, he sounds like a low life with nothing better to do

Your friend has enough problems, don't you agree? I think you should keep your opinion about these chalk drawings to yourself.

I’ve supported her a lot through her decades long problems with him. Which is fine, it’s what friends do. But she asked me if I thought it was mean and I told her. Being mean to little kids is really crossing a line and I didn’t think sugar-coating it would help.

And yes, as you say jimmyjammy, it’s not exactly permanent, so he could have just let it be.

OH , I would love to go and chalk on the pavements again,, I am 79 ha ha,, We did it all the time as kids, in the olden days., Not just hopscotch, a couple of my friends then, managed to get chalks in all different colours, I only seemed to have white chalk.. Some of the kids were very artistic, and did great pictures on the pavement, as in flowers and trees, and animals. etc. No parents would have dreamed of washing all the chalk pictures away at all..

It wouldnt bother me, it washes off. My neighbour though..well it's a good job my dc are older so dont chalk or play, he is so precious about our shared path he had a go at me for washing my own front door, he doesn't like water on it, and also made this very clear by sweeping it away from the end of the path afterwards Best is, the way his garden is designed and being a one way street he doesn't use the bloody path anyway, to use it he'd have to get out of his car on his own drive, walk back into the street, walk up the path and around his porch!

Oh wow, I'm amazed that people think it's ok to allow kids to do this. In your own garden maybe, but not in the streets. I remember doing similar with my friends when I was around the age of 6 or 7. When our parents found out, they were all really angry. We were all sent out with scrubbing brushes and buckets and made to scrub it all off!

Maybe it will wash off in the rain, but that's not really the point. Kids should be taught that it's not ok to graffiti in the streets.

Oh - I think that’s really sad! It’s just chalk, not spray paint. I certainly chalked hopscotch on the pavement as a child, so that my friends and I could play together. No-one ever told us off. It’s such a simple pleasure.

Some kids in our neighbourhood often do elaborate hop skotches and obstacle courses in chalk. I'm pushing 40 but often give them a go Love to see it.

@MidnightMeltdown; calling it graffiti is a bit extreme, surely? It’s chalk, kids are out in the fresh air, having fun. What’s not to like?

We have lots of children on our street who play outside on a daily basis. From time to time they will get the pavement chalk out. They don’t do it on the pavements, only on the road (always an adult present to keep an eye on vehicles!) Their street art is cracking and everyone who walks by comments how lovely it is to see. Makes folk smile.

Around here we have people writing on the pavement in chalk pointing out the wild flowers names

@PaulaTrilloe; adorable

I honestly don't know. Nobody chalks on the pavement where I live, neither do children play at the front of their houses, only in the back gardens.

It may make the road look undesirable and put off potential buyers. The children's parents ought to bring them indoors frankly.

Whatever, he must have his reasons and you don't live there, so why worry? It isn't your problem.

He sounds like a miserable twat. Being nosy, if he’s her ex, why is she living with him? The days must be very long for her, he sounds like a dick.

I can't can't begin to imagine what it would be like to actually give a shit about the local kids drawing hopscotch on the pavement with chalk.

He sounds very an extremely unusual and sad man.

@Plumtree391 the children’s parents should bring them indoors? Like permanently? It’s chalk?? So confused why this would bother anyone.

the children’s parents should bring them indoors? Like permanently? It’s chalk?? So confused why this would bother anyone.

I’ve seen a thread on this topic before and I think it got quite heated. Some people have a real issue with it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’m with you, baffled why anyone would be bothered. In fact, when I’ve seen it, it always makes me smile seeing what the kids have drawn.

Children playing as children do is undesirable? Really? Personally it makes me smile to see them doing something so simple, not stuck in a dark house glued to an ipad. I'd happily buy a house in a street like that!

We used to do this . Nobody ever objected and our “art” disappeared as soon as it rained. I can’t believe someone could be so uptight about children having pretty harmless fun.

@Plumtree391

I honestly don't know. Nobody chalks on the pavement where I live, neither do children play at the front of their houses, only in the back gardens.

It may make the road look undesirable and put off potential buyers. The children's parents ought to bring them indoors frankly.

Whatever, he must have his reasons and you don't live there, so why worry? It isn't your problem.

This sounds like it's straight out of "Keeping up Appearances".

I genuinely can’t imagine having so little to occupy my mind that I would give a shit about this.

Mumsnet is another world sometimes. I'm shocked that anyone would have an issue with this, it washes off in the rain and lord knows it rains enough. As a pp said, kids outdoors in the fresh air having wholesome fun, what's not to like. I remember doing it as a child, and there has been a bit of a resurgence of it here recently, it's lovely.

Philcornwall1 (dont know how to quote)

I actually read it in Mrs Bucket's voice

My friend’s idiot ex partner has been hosing it off and telling the kids not to do it (& given how often she tells me he shouts about other things I suspect he’s not telling them nicely).

Idiot neighbour needs to be careful. Kids being kids, they'll probably write "a wanker lives here" outside his house.

They are kids, they are doing no damage, it's the summer holidays. Unless their chalkings are racist or pornographic, I can't see a problem.

Would he prefer they play football in the street or against his garage door? And anyway, it's rained so much this summer, I can't imagine the chalk lasts long.

He sounds like just another joyless, miserable up-tight arse.

Quite frankly, I think anyone who objects to children chalking on the pavement must either be completely deranged, or thoroughly unpleasant. Unless the kids are drawing massive penises, I cannot begin to imagine anyone actually objecting to it. And yet, here are people in this thread who think it shouldn’t be allowed. My eyes have been opened!