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?

I’m going outside right now to chalk a big rainbow outside my house. Take that you chalking gringes!

Wow, some utterly bonkers replies here, it's hilarious how much some people get worked up by chalk on pavement. Perhaps worry redirecting this energy in a meaningful way?

I see no harm in children chalking, and mine have done on the pavement outside, and I see the neighbours kids doing artwork occasionally. It was particularly lovely in lockdown, when there was so little else for kids.

This is illegal, unless they are licenced. I'd love to do it, but it really isn't allowed
seriously miserable bastards on this thread.
Licence to draw a hopscotch 🙄
Now I know the mindset of the arseholes who complained about our community garden project.

The newest James Bond villain is going to be a kid called Chalkfinger

I remember chalking out in the back alley of my grandparents. My nana hit the roof when she caught me and made me clean it off with hot soapy water and a hand held bristle brush.

I am late 20's now with two young children. I have bought them chalk. We play together, they make hopscotch, obstacles and drawings. I've never understood it, it's harmless drawings that wash away.

@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.

Ridiculous comment. It's not graffiti and wanted destruction of property. It's children being creative and having fun! In a non destructive way. Your friend is completely out of order and clearly doesn't have children if his own x

So kids are criticised if they don't play outside and when they play outside they are criticised.

Very sad for those whose parents made them wash it off

OP YANBU, I wouldn't care if kids did it in my street - I think it's great they are out in the fresh air

It may make the road look undesirable and put off potential buyers.
Good, I don’t want joyless cunts buying houses near me. Anyway, the poshest road in my neighbourhood – as leafy, naice, conservation area fancy as you can get – was almost permanently rainbowed from March 2020. At one point both pavements on the crescent had an entire pavement board game for children, with hopscotch, a quiz, 100s of clever activities to play your way along the pavement.

Sadly thanks to all that chalk it’s just fires in trashcans and gang shootouts now.

I think chalking on the pavement is a nice activity for the children. During lockdown our neighbours chalked a treasure hunt trail around the local area which was a hit.

And i still think that it isn't unreasonable for it to not to be on other private property.

I agree with that as kids shouldn’t be going into other people’s gardens and driveways...but I don’t think OP meant that did she? I took it to be on the public pavement.

@burritofan

to the PP who said you need a licence - did you mean in ref. to the wildflowers? I don't think the chalked names of wildflowers was an invitation to pick the flowers (which is illegal but only for some, eg I doubt dandelions and daisies would be illegal to pick).

But as for chalk - my OH hated it but I told him to stop being so petty

I used to love following the little instructions the kids round here made - 'jump' 'clap' 'crouch down' etc

Sadly thanks to all that chalk it’s just fires in trashcans and gang shootouts now.

🤣

I think classism and snobbery is at the heart of a lot of the attitudes to this. Chalking on the pavement is what 'poor children' in terrace houses and tenements, with no drives or gardens, do and always have done. (We wouldn't want people to think we're poor, in our nice suburban semi, would we darling?).

this is what I came to say it's snobbery and keeping up appearances. Frankly.if I have kids I'm happy to put off potential buyers who don't like kids because my kids live here and won't be treated like they don't have the right to be out in public.

Hmmm, I'm also a little torn. I actually quite like seeing it when I go out for a walk, but I also think you should only really do it in front of your own home not other people's.

I know the house doesn't own the pavement but I couldn't be too bothered if someone washes it away if the kids don't even live in the house it's in front of.

I really think that what the kids are doing is fine and this man is a joyless bastard. He sounds horrible anyway.

Ugh, I remember in a flat we used to live in, shared garden and pathway with the flat downstairs.
She used to give my children such dodgy looks when they were chalking outside. She actually complained to our landlord about it!! Our landlord told us he told her there is nothing he could or would want to do about it.
Some people just don't like seeing children have fun. I really cannot understand the mentality.

Gosh! Some people can’t find enough to moan about. Let kids be kids. I’d rather see them out having fun with their friends than stuck in with their games consoles.

It’s chalk. It will wash away within a few days. It’s not as if their drawings are a permanent feature.

It may make the road look undesirable and put off potential buyers.

Fair play. I once didn't buy the perfect house because a pigeon had landed on the roof. Pigeons are really common birds and I couldn't rely on the buyer's assurances that it would fly off again in a few moments.

A friend of mine once cancelled a sale because when she drove past the house she was buying, the driveway was wet. Aparently the current owners had just washed their car but never given any thought to how the water would make the driveway look untidy for 30 mins.

In a housing boom where people are so keen to buy that estate agents are now talking about taking money from buyers to 'guarantee' a viewing of a house they are interested in, it's really important that children's play is curtailed to support an already highly active industry.

@burritofan

It may make the road look undesirable and put off potential buyers. Good, I don’t want joyless cunts buying houses near me. Anyway, the poshest road in my neighbourhood – as leafy, naice, conservation area fancy as you can get – was almost permanently rainbowed from March 2020. At one point both pavements on the crescent had an entire pavement board game for children, with hopscotch, a quiz, 100s of clever activities to play your way along the pavement.

Sadly thanks to all that chalk it’s just fires in trashcans and gang shootouts now.

So people who don't like chalking on pavements are 'joyless cunts'.

You sound charming.

If that's your approach to life and neighbours who just happen to have difference preferences to you.

I don't find swearing common.

Letting your kids scrawl all over everything (or setting up a pool on your driveway so it's abutting and spilling over onto the pavement, causing a general nuisance) is however. And on the basis of comments I've heard from others locally, most seem to agree - and are glad they don't have to live next door to it.

I tell you what I think is a lot more antisocial than chalk drawing: cars. They fill up half of every street, kill kids through accidents, asthma, cancer etc. Stop them from playing outside where they have every right to be. Slowly pollute the planet and turn it into an uninhabitable boilerhouse.
But yeah, some people get worked up about kids sketching rainbows on tarmac. FFS.

@Grenlei

I don't find swearing common.

Letting your kids scrawl all over everything (or setting up a pool on your driveway so it's abutting and spilling over onto the pavement, causing a general nuisance) is however. And on the basis of comments I've heard from others locally, most seem to agree - and are glad they don't have to live next door to it.

I'm glad I don't live next door to a bunch of snobs!

[quote Happyhappyday]@Plumtree391 the children’s parents should bring them indoors? Like permanently? It’s chalk?? So confused why this would bother anyone.[/quote]
No, not permanently , but they really shouldn't be playing out the front. That's what back gardens and parks are for.

@Grenlei

I don't find swearing common.

Letting your kids scrawl all over everything (or setting up a pool on your driveway so it's abutting and spilling over onto the pavement, causing a general nuisance) is however. And on the basis of comments I've heard from others locally, most seem to agree - and are glad they don't have to live next door to it.

Oh god. It's get worse. Water on the pavement. I'd have just called the police. How the heck do you live with it. You have my sympathies.