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!

[ArmWrestlingWithChasNDave]

we should not be playing outside and to go to the park etc etc

Yeah, he's right. The street isn't a playground.

[PansyPetunia]

Are your kids drawings as good as you think ore they a complete eyesore!

Can't he do it in his own garden on your own property?

[ThreeImaginaryBoys]

@CandyLeBonBon I guess, but that's not how I read it :)

[notanothertakeaway]

AIBU?

Yes

OP disappears

[LongBlobson]

Why so much grumping about a kid doing chalk drawings?! I think the heat has got to you all.

[Spidey66]

Chalk drawing on pavements is fine. Kids have always done it. Hopscotch markings is one I remember from my childhood. It doesn't bother me in the slightest if the neighbours kids do it. The rain washes it off and OK we're in a heatwave but this is the UK, we're never far from rain!

Chalking on the road is not so good though and in that scenario I can understand why the neighbour was angry.

[PansyPetunia]

@LongBlobson

Why so much grumping about a kid doing chalk drawings?! I think the heat has got to you all.

Because it's in the road!!

[Floella22]

@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.

Really?
Do you ever wash your car on the road or your drive because there's a lot more contaminants from an oily, dirty vehicle.

[Lagertha6]

@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!

I think you're being unreasonable. I'd hate chalk drawings outside my house and would hate to walk over them with my shoes.

I agree should be in a park or own gardens.

[mathanxiety]

Even if DS was drawing in the road, your neighbour's extreme anger was not warranted.

[TigerLilyTail]

I wonder if the guy didn't see the OP's son at first and got a fright when he nearly hit him.

[stripeyflowers]

Could we have a photo of his chalk drawings, OP?

[HikerSpiker]

Chalk drawings are fine, kids have always done them, they wash away.

Expecting a random person to appreciate your kid's child art is unreasonable 😂. As is, allowing your kids to draw in a place for cars and expecting the drivers of those cars to not drive while they stand back and let your little darling get on with his masterpiece.

Let the chalk drawings continue but stop letting your kids disturb your neighbours and find somewhere safer for them to draw.

[Houseplantmad]

@Viviennemary

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

Eh? Says who?

[HikerSpiker]

@stripeyflowers

Could we have a photo of his chalk drawings, OP?

To send on to the Tate Modern?

[Sweetpea1532]

@DeanStockwelll

This thread has your name all over it

[ElenaSt]

He was rude but I would not want the communal area I live in to be defaced with chalk drawings.

[Greensleeves]

I would go out under cover of darkness and decorate the pavement outside his house with images of Mr Grumpy, Mr Mean, Eeyore and Evil Edna. Miserable, mean-spirited cunt.

[LongBlobson]

@PansyPetunia

Because it's in the road!!

I don't think the OP is clear enough about whether it's in the actual road. We need a full explanation with diagram...

My comment was in response to the number of people complaining about chalk drawing in general, including on the pavement or on driveways!

[movemyshed]

Drawing in chalk on the road of pavement simply isn't acceptable these days I'm afraid
Why on earth not?

On the road, fair enough because of the safety aspect, but on the pavement is fine.

[hellswelshy]

Some very odd responses on here op. Chalking on a pavement by a child? Why would anybody care whatsoever about this??? Maybe your neighbour has too much time on his hands! Plus he sounds quite aggressive & I would personally be addressing that if that was aimed at my dc. Its chalk not spray paint..

[NellWilsonsWhiteHair]

Your neighbour was a prat regardless of anything else.

If DS was doing chalk in the road or car park though (or obstructing a driveway) I do think that's dangerous and would change that. (I remember preferring to
chalk the road when I was a child - much better colour and texture for chalk than the pavement - but in retrospect I understand why my mum said no!)

The people sneering that your DS' chalking obviously can't be artistic or skilful or aesthetically pleasing are being prats too.

I like seeing DC's chalk all over the pavement, including when it's straggly or a game (hopscotch etc) rather than a picture. I don't get the preciousness of "not outside my house, it's unsightly". UK is culturally weird about kids though.
Where I live most families live in flats and so usually don't have a dedicated 'outside my own house' bit of pavement, much less a drive.

Mind you, I don't even mind a bit of permanent graffiti if it's well done. Clearly out of step with the MN masses!

[stuntbubbles]

@Greensleeves

I would go out under cover of darkness and decorate the pavement outside his house with images of Mr Grumpy, Mr Mean, Eeyore and Evil Edna. Miserable, mean-spirited cunt.

I’d decorate it with “save the planet” messages

[ginslinger]

This is probably because I'm an old gimmer, but I don't understand why there's a problem with children chalking on pavements, providing they're not causing a danger to themselves or obstructing the pavement. I think we've forgotten what a community is these days.

[stripeyflowers]

@Houseplantmad

Eh? Says who?

🙂I confess I am just really curious to see the chalk art.