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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Kids chalking on pavement

312 replies

Ritascornershop · 10/08/2021 02:04

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?

OP posts:
Buckleyourseatbelt · 10/08/2021 08:06

There’s something deeply depressing about some of these replies.

thanksforyourcommentrandomman · 10/08/2021 08:09

*PaulaTrilloe

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

This is illegal, unless they are licenced. I'd love to do it, but it really isn't allowed*

What?!

Toomuchtodoo · 10/08/2021 08:09

It's chalk.
It washes away as soon as it rains.
To the miserable gits who say it's graffiti and lowers the tone, get a life.
Anyway children only tend to do it on dry sunny fays in summer and we don't get many of those.
You will soon get your nice neat pavements back, along with our dark miserable grey weather.

Topseyt · 10/08/2021 08:10

This wouldn't bother me at all. I did it with friends occasionally.

Chalking and playing hopscotch on the footpath was one of the simplest of childhood pleasures.

The guy sounds like a complete arse and people who get furious and make the kids scrub it off as a punishment must be extremely uptight individuals.

It is chalk, not paint. The whole point of it being chalk is the it rubs off easily as people walk over it and it will dissolve quickly when rain comes.

SoupDragon · 10/08/2021 08:11

Chalking on pavements is against the law.

I can just imagine how that conversation with the police would go

godmum56 · 10/08/2021 08:14

I am one of the worlds grumpiest childless old women and even I would be quite happy to see kids chalk on pavements so long as its not rude

Beamur · 10/08/2021 08:18

I think people who moan about kids chalking on pavements are miserable joy sponges.
Get a grip, it's harmless and creative for children. Does you and the pavement zero harm.

WorriedWishingWell · 10/08/2021 08:21

This time it took a whole 3 pages before the "chalk drawings are illegal" claim came up. Hmm
"Section 1(1) Criminal Damage Act 1971 - A person who without lawful excuse destroys or damages any property belonging to another, intending to destroy or damage any such property, or being reckless as to whether any such property would be destroyed or damaged, shall be guilty of an offence."
I really can't see that a chalk drawing on a pavement meets the legal definition of criminal damage, although some officious police officers have tried to interpret it that way.
If the drawing incited racial hatred or was obscene, that would be an offence. But hopscotch grids, and children's drawings? No.

Brainwave89 · 10/08/2021 08:21

A hopscotch pitch would take me back years…would love to give it a go again. IMO it is a bit of a sourpuss who would hose off a child’s chalk drawings, but there were such people when I was a kid as well and that was 45 years ago…some people are just grumpy I guess.

WorriedWishingWell · 10/08/2021 08:22

@thanksforyourcommentrandomman

*PaulaTrilloe

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

This is illegal, unless they are licenced. I'd love to do it, but it really isn't allowed*

What?!

It's not illegal Hmm
daysofpearlyspencer · 10/08/2021 08:26

I grew up in the 1960s when things were much more strict for kids but we all did hopscotch on the pavements, i love the fact kids may be outside doing this now and not sitting in front of a screen it washes off in the dain FFS. We also tried to play tennis in the middle of the road whilst dodging the traffic!

Terhou · 10/08/2021 08:26

This is illegal, unless they are licenced.

Under what law?

MyOtherProfile · 10/08/2021 08:27

It would be illegal if it was permanent, if it cost the council to remove or if they were scrawling offensive slogans. I'm guessing none of those apply.

54321nought · 10/08/2021 08:28

@MyOtherProfile

It would be illegal if it was permanent, if it cost the council to remove or if they were scrawling offensive slogans. I'm guessing none of those apply.
no, it is illegal with chalk
lannistunut · 10/08/2021 08:28

There are many laws, and not all of them are written in such a way as to only capture the intended activity. Chalking on pavements may be technically against the law, but it was not a big issue that required its own piece of legislation, children's chalked drawaings were not the intended target of that law.

So, I personally would have no problem with it, but also would not perhaps pass comment on this man having a problem with it, because clearly this man has much bigger and more general problems.

This issue does make me think about how many things are criminalised and whether this is benefitting society.

Rowofducks · 10/08/2021 08:31

I wouldn’t have a problem with the pavement. What i did have a problem with was my neighbour allowing their children to colour every brick in on my wall. (They didn’t touch theirs). Our front doors gave each other and have a communal path out and my place looked like shit. It was a pain in the ass to get off too.

Rowofducks · 10/08/2021 08:31

Face not gave

Livinghereinallentown · 10/08/2021 08:31

@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.

Calm down, it’s just chalk. I can’t believe anyone would think this was a problem. Petty in the extreme.
careerchangeperhaps · 10/08/2021 08:32

Some people just don't like it. During the first lockdown, my kids chalked rainbows and 'thank you NHS' messages on the pavement and more than one neighbour knocked the door to say that they hoped we'd soon be out to wash it off as it looked awful (it didn't rain for days). Very mean-spirited - my kids were aged 6-10 at the time so although no masterpiece, they were nice child drawings, not some random scribbles. Luckily lots of others stopped to tell us that they thought it was lovely but we did go out and remove it to keep the peace.

WorriedWishingWell · 10/08/2021 08:32

@Terhou

This is illegal, unless they are licenced.

Under what law?

The Made Up Mumsnet Laws Act of 2012 it would seem. See also, many threads on employment rights, housing issues, copyright, and data protection.
MyOtherProfile · 10/08/2021 08:33

@54321nought perhaps you could provide some kind of link to back this up since I've not found anything to even remotely suggest you're right, other than some tabloid stories.

LST · 10/08/2021 08:33

My kids, next doors kids and next door but 1 were all out yesterday afternoon chalking the pavement outside all our houses and the walls. They were out there for hours. We have retirement bungalows over the road and the residents were enjoying watching them play.

I'd hate to live anywhere where someone was bothered by a bit of chalk on the floor!

WorriedWishingWell · 10/08/2021 08:35

@lannistunut

There are many laws, and not all of them are written in such a way as to only capture the intended activity. Chalking on pavements may be technically against the law, but it was not a big issue that required its own piece of legislation, children's chalked drawaings were not the intended target of that law.

So, I personally would have no problem with it, but also would not perhaps pass comment on this man having a problem with it, because clearly this man has much bigger and more general problems.

This issue does make me think about how many things are criminalised and whether this is benefitting society.

But it will only be against the law if it amounts to criminal damage or the message itself amounts to a crime. Other than that it is not illegal.
Aprilx · 10/08/2021 08:35

I can’t have an issue with this either way. I didn’t care about the chalk in street but I also don’t care about somebody washing it off.

Hopeisallineed · 10/08/2021 08:37

@MidnightMeltdown graffiti? Really? And no, not ‘maybe’, will definitely wash away in rain so no problem there. It’s chalk not spray paint!