Intolerant neighbour disgusted by chalk drawings.

[Milsey13]

We've been living in a lovely community Cresent of flats where everyone knows everyone, families, couples and elderly. Our children are good natured, caring and kind. They play outside together and all neighbours are used to them and love seeing their chalk drawings, especially through lockdown. We have since had a new neighbour. On first meeting he revved his engine and sped up going very close to my son who was chalk drawing, he always moves out of the way but had very little time. My son was a little stunned. The neighbour then walked towards him glaring at him like he was a juvenile delinquent. I looked at him with raised eyebrows and the neighbour started ranting at me that the chalks are disgusting and he's sick of seeing them when he comes home and we should not be playing outside and to go to the park etc etc. He was very aggressive. I suggested he need to be more tolerant as we are a diverse community with families and those without children have always enjoyed their drawings. He said we have no respect and he will be complaining about us etc etc. My son is autistic and very gentle and kind but is now to scared to go outside incase he sees us. I feel the neighbours aggression and driving was far more disgusting than children chalk drawing. My son is known for his amazing drawings and it's been encouraged as part of his play therapy, so it was very confusing that someone would refer to art as disgusting. The irony also is, that my son has a fantastic engineering brain and it turns out the complaining neighbour is an ecologist and environmental engineer promoting a greener future! Yet, he's revving his engines and intimidating young children! I just can't get over it!

[RoseAndRose]

@girlmom21

This comment is ridiculous though. Driving fast and close to a child intentionally is appalling behaviour.

You have to go close to a child who is on the pavement so close to your driveway that the child needs to move for vehicular access.

And 'sped up' is a useful phrase, because it carries the impression of dangerous speed. But as this was presumably starting from 0mph, any movement at all is speeding up.

[MistressOfWaves]

There are a lot of kids on my estate without any road sense whatsoever. They sit in the road to draw with chalk, they leave their scooters everywhere, play hide and seek in our parking areas among the cars, and they’ll run across roads without looking. Obviously it’s down to the drivers to be careful because they’re kids but it’s really frustrating to live with so I can understand why he’s annoyed

[AllHailKingLouis]

How lovely, a group of adults telling a woman that her autistic son’s drawings are probably crap and that she’s delusional to think they’re any good. Good old mumsnet.

OP, how many kids are doing this? Is it just your son?

[msbevvy]

He is a total arse with the car revving but if he is an ecologist he may have legitimate concerns regarding the contaminants in the runoff and how it could affect aquatic organisms.

[TigerLilyTail]

New neighbour sounds like an arse.

We do chalk drawings on out driveway only. We're on a blind bend so kids aren't allowed on the road.

How about a chalk board for the house, if your son is upset? We have the easel chalkboard from IKEA. It's pretty reasonable.

[girlmom21]

@RoseAndRose if he's driving onto his driveway he was driving at 0mph and if he's driving off the child had plenty of time to move.

I don't think the OP mentioned a driveway but even if he was driving into a driveway he could ask the child to move rather than use a car to scare him.

[Sortilege]

I can’t believe MN sometimes. Someone is peed off because your child is drawing in the road and your answer is “we are a diverse community”?

[Trixiefirecracker]

@msbevvy you are joking aren’t you?

[georgarina]

@AllHailKingLouis

How lovely, a group of adults telling a woman that her autistic son’s drawings are probably crap and that she’s delusional to think they’re any good. Good old mumsnet.

OP, how many kids are doing this? Is it just your son?

Honestly. I forget how effing miserable this site is sometimes 😂

[PresidentByeThen]

@msbevvy

He is a total arse with the car revving but if he is an ecologist he may have legitimate concerns regarding the contaminants in the runoff and how it could affect aquatic organisms.

Yep. That'll be it.

[Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas]

Where is he drawing? Pavement. - then it’s fine. On road, it’s not.

[QuidditchThroughtheAges]

Why is he on the road?

[Dixiechickonhols]

If he’s on actual road or a communal car park I’d make sure he isn’t. It’s not safe. All it would take would be delivery van driver rushing and distracted and he could be killed you don’t expect a small child to be bent over drawing in road.
Personally I think chalk on path isn’t on unless you wash it off. It looks a bit scruffy. What’s cute to you is graffiti to someone else. What he’s drawing or writing might be offensive. I’d stick to your garden/drive.

[TrashyPanda]

I love seeing kids chalk drawings on pavements. And it washes away in rain, so don’t know why anyone would get worked up about it. This is the U.K. - it rains a lot!

but it sounds like your son was either on your neighbours driveway, or on the road. Neither of which are safe.

You need to make sure your son stays well away from drives and the road.

[SerenaVanDerWoodsenHumphrey]

Apparently chalking on public property is illegal in Scotland now.

[Louisana6]

@Notanotherwindow

Also your sons autism, intelligence and play therapy are completely irrelevant to the issue?

Not irrelevant whatsoever, don't be so rude.

[Johnnysgirl]

I can't get past your son always moving out of the way of cars, but usually is given more time 😱
Stop letting him believe the world is his canvas and keep him on your own property (and out of the bloody traffic!)

[ThreeImaginaryBoys]

@Viviennemary

Drawing in chalk on the road of pavement simply isn't acceptable these days I'm afraid.

Why?

The kids in my street, including my own, regularly chalk on the pavement.

Some really miserable and joyless people on this thread.

[CandyLeBonBon]

Neighbour is a dick but don't let your kid chalk in the road! That's just bonkers

[CandyLeBonBon]

@SerenaVanDerWoodsenHumphrey

Apparently chalking on public property is illegal in Scotland now.

Funsponges

[ThreeImaginaryBoys]

@girlmom21

Chalking on the road is dangerous and irresponsible. Chalking on the path in this weather isn't great either as people are walking or riding through it. Do you not have a driveway?

What possible harm can walking or riding through chalk do? It's not toxic waste!

[Inkyblue123]

You are both in the wrong on this. He’s a plonker and so are you for letting kid do chalk drawings in a place where he could be hit by a car.

[CandyLeBonBon]

@ThreeImaginaryBoys my thoughts here would actually be that ds might get upset that people are riding through it/spoiling it which could be really upsetting?

[stuntbubbles]

I love a bit of pavement chalk in a neighbourhood! A road near us in lockdown did an entire street of games and quizzes, and changed them after each rainfall: it was lovely. New neighbour sounds like a grumpy arse, I’d make clear to DC to draw on every bit of the pavement except outside their house.

[Mummyoflittledragon]

@msbevvy

He is a total arse with the car revving but if he is an ecologist he may have legitimate concerns regarding the contaminants in the runoff and how it could affect aquatic organisms.

In the U.K. pretty much all water from properties enters the sewage system rather than streams and rivers and therefore is cleaned and will not affect aquatic life.

Your ds should not be in a place, where reversing cars cannot see him. If he continues to intimidate you and your ds, you could contact your local PCSO for help.