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?

My house is next to a field. Just been out and some dirty sod, and it’ll be an adult, has let their dog mess all up the path and just left it. I’d far rather have a few chalk pictures than this. Let kids play for goodness sake, it’s just chalk.

I let my kids do this. It's chalk ffs not spray paint. One decent downpour and it's gone. Miserable git.

Someone chalked an obstacle course on the path in our park during the first lockdown. It was brilliant and a good way for the kids to get their 30 min activity in the fresh air.
After all we have been through this past 18 months, kids needs to be free to play and be creative. Chalk is not graffiti andost kids understand the difference.
Perhaps the children could be encouraged to wash away their creations if the whole street is bothered. If it is just one grumpy old man, he will end up trying to fight a losing battle....which could be entertaining to watch

Where I lived (US) 'the unspoken rule' was that children should only chalk on the 'sidewalks' in front of their own houses. But the front yards (gardens) were pretty wide so they had plenty of room. In reality I can't think of a single neighbour who gave a rat's patoot if children chalked in front of a house other than their own.

A town near where we lived has a Sidewalk Chalk Festival every year where people were given large squares of pavement to draw on. Some of the drawings were amazing!!

@sweetpea1532 I saw this thread a few days ago and then lost it .

I haven't read the rest of the thread yet so I will catch up on it soon and if I can I will post a link to 'our' thread on it

I saw a few obstacle courses chalked on the pavement during the lockdowns to make the daily walk more interesting for everyone. I find chalk drawings lovely to see

They sound like lovely normal happy kids - what on earth is his problem - he sounds like a misogynist child hating b"+*stard

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEDdinvHYWr/?utmmedium=copyy_link

This is last year but such a good idea

I've just been on Amazon and bought some jumbo chalks for my daughter!

YANBU
It's harmless. I do not think it makes a street look undesirable or lowers the tone 😂😂

I don t think there is anything wrong with it and for the poster who thinks that kids shouldn't play out, well I am hoping that one day soon my DD will be able to do it just as I did as a kid.

Honestly I'm not sure what sone people want from children

Children on ipad, too much screen time

Children playing on trampoline, too noisy

Children playing on scooters, bikes, on the pavement and dangerous

Children playing in a garden too loud

Children chalking, puts off potential buyers.

What would people like children to do?

@Ilovegardens

I've just been on Amazon and bought some jumbo chalks for my daughter!

Brilliant! Could she do me a hopscotch please?

One with the old fashioned three single squares at the start?

@KurtWilde

I let my kids do this. It's chalk ffs not spray paint. One decent downpour and it's gone. Miserable git.

Exactly and in current weather that's about every 12 hours.

But it gets the children back out again to do more.

@Lostonthefell

Harmless fun. Albeit my son recently partook this very activity whilst visiting family on a HM forces officers housing estate. Unfortunately his depictions of animals looked like a couple of giant penises 😆

@Sadiecow

Honestly I'm not sure what sone people want from children

Children on ipad, too much screen time

Children playing on trampoline, too noisy

Children playing on scooters, bikes, on the pavement and dangerous

Children playing in a garden too loud

Children chalking, puts off potential buyers.

What would people like children to do?

This!

@Sadiecow

Honestly I'm not sure what sone people want from children

Children on ipad, too much screen time

Children playing on trampoline, too noisy

Children playing on scooters, bikes, on the pavement and dangerous

Children playing in a garden too loud

Children chalking, puts off potential buyers.

What would people like children to do?

Exactly this.

@MidnightMeltdown

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.

Well guess it's better than doing drugs or swiggning vodka eh love?

Chalki on pavements go for it kids!

I can't spell, gosh , must be a dysfunctional parent eh.

@MakemeaCake

This came up time after time at the start of lockdown.

I think that parents ought to be mindful of the fact that not all neighbours like their pavements in front of their homes 'defaced' with chalk.

It can lower the tone and not everyone likes looking at it.

If kids want to chalk, they ought to do it only in front of their own house or in their garden.

Where I've lived for 30 years, no child had ever chalked on the pavements. Then one house came on the market and was bought by a young couple with 2 kids. Within weeks there tiny front garden was full of kids toys and the kids were chalking on the pavement. They seemed to lack sensitivity to what other residents did or might like.

Get over yourself. Honestly, have a read of your post. You sound like an absolutely awful neighbour.

What an utter joyless cock

Well, as the joy is undoubtedly in the creation, he is helpfully providing them with a blank canvas every day.

He's miserable
Our neighbour does this- he canvassed other neighbours and he is genuinely the ONLY ONE who doesn't like it. He's horrific!!!

It brings the kids together in the fresh air- it's not graffitti and it DOES wash off in the rain.

FTLOG let children play.

Love to see kids chalk drawings on pavements. How miserable to hose them off.

Many years ago in working class communities it was the custom to wash your front step and the pavement in front of your house.

One day my friends and I chalked on the flags in front of NDNs house (early 1950s) and the NDN complained to my mother that she has washed her step and pavement only that morning. My mother asked me which drawings I had done and I admitted that the ones in pink chalk were mine. She made me get a bucket of water and a scrubbing brush and scrub them all away. I also had to tell the NDN I was sorry and promise not to do it again.

Later NDN again knockd at our door and complained that there were still chalk drawings in front of her house. My mother told her "My daughter used pink chalk so she has washed that away. I punished her for what she did and she promised never to do it again. Im not going to punish her from what her friends did . You will have to see their parents and work that out with them."

"But I dont know who the other children were. I need to ask her"

"My daughter is not a snitch!" And my mother slammed the door.