Letting children chalk public pavement

[RainbowRanger29]

Hi,

So wondering AITA for allowing my young child (age 5) to draw with chalk on the public pavement?

My child was happy out drawing pictures and writing her name with chalk in the front garden with her little friends from the street. They ran out of space in the garden and continued there colourful chalk drawings along the public pavement outside the house.

No one owns the public footpath (its not anyone's actual property) and they drew along outside around 5/6 houses. They drew rainbows and houses and wrote their names and a hopscotch. Nothing offensive but not exactly amazing art (they are only 5!)

One of the neighbours arrived home and appeared visibly annoyed with the chalk, the kids asked if they like their art and they ignored them, went inside, got their hose and washed the chalk away from the public footpath outside of their house only.

The children were still out drawing and got upset that they had washed it away (mummy didn't they like our pictures? Why are they washing it away? Etc)

We live in the UK and it rains an awful lot! It would have washed away anyway later that evening when it rained ... I think it was mean of them to hose it away in front of the kids (surely they could of waited until the kids had stopped playing?)

Or is it me ... should I have not allowed them to chalk the public footpath?

Is it kids being kids enjoying chalking public areas? I used to do this as a kid and it never seemed to upset anyone? Or is it disrespectful to allow children to chalk on public footpaths outside of other people's home?

Interested on everyone's opinions

Yep! Not even remotely.

Personally I find this joyful and fun. We always had pavement chalk for Ds and friends when he was younger. They’d chalk all over the patio and garden stepping stones. If we had a pavement outside I’m sure they would have chalked there too.

Ds has outgrown this now but each summer I donate packs of pavement chalk along with suncream to our local foodbank hoping it encourages children outdoors to enjoy some innocent fun. I would love to see chalk art when out and about.

Hopefully their joy will rub off on the grumpy neighbours eventually. If it doesn’t rain then at least they’ll have one fresh space each day to decorate… 😆

I think it’s a lovely wholesome activity, but they have their reasons. Whether it is they are miserable, or have OCD and don’t want it on their shoes in the house or have lost a child/grandchild who used to do the same thing and they can’t bare it etc. especially if they have to cross it to get to their house.

I have only ever let my kids chalk on our property - not on public places.

A spray can is not comparable to chalk! the chalk just washes off when it rains, so this is hardly an act of vandalism. I bet you'd be singing a different tune if you woke up one morning to discover that Banksy had graffitied the pavement outside your house.

I think this is completely harmless - in fact lovely - and I'd much rather a 5 year old was doing this than what some of the kids in our area get up to which in the last few months has included destroying a playground and repeatedly setting sports equipment on fire. There are also some lovely children in my street who play outside together - they regularly walk along my front garden wall, chalk on it, "steal" stones from my garden to build little sculptures with, occasionally pick the odd flower as part of their games - they're just playing and learning about the world, no harm at all. I think we're just a bit conditioned these days to be overly protective of our space or to assume the worst. Feel a bit sorry for kids these days to be honest - we want them to get off screens, but when they do something like this (which in essence is a great activity - it's outdoors, creative, collaborative) they get moaned at.

Let them do it. It's chalk not permanent marker.

I was in Paris recently and it was all over the pavements in the residential area I stayed in. Such a lovely thing to see.

You’re right, I wouldn’t. I’d have rolled my eyes because you are one of THOSE parents. But I wouldn’t have said anything, or washed it away.
Though I am entitled to have an opinion about it.

So different people called you joyless for doing something different to the OP’s miserable neighbours.

Chalk on a pavement is very patently not vandalism and it’s absurd to suggest it is.

I actually think your own concerns and actions as you set out in your post were entirely reasonable, and I would have done similar.

The events in the OP, however, are very different. The neighbours may well be annoyed by the chalk, but frankly that makes them petty and anally retentive. And to wash them away in sight of the children, while being so ill-mannered as to ignore their reasonable questions, is neither neighbourly nor a good example of social intercourse or manners.

I'm impressed that children still do this! We oldies did it all the time, if our grandparents lived in the old terraced houses where the doorstep would be cleaned and chalked there would be a very handy supply of big chunks of chalk rather that the little sticks.
One of my dearest memories is of my late mother and aunt, her sister, chalking a hopscotch grid using the flags on the drive and teaching my children how to play hopscotch, two 60 year olds leaping around for the first time in years.

Don't be obtuse. People are obviously referring to not liking chalk drawings. No one thinks you're unreasonable to ask kids not to damage trees or cars.

I’d be tempted, as a 40 year old adult, to go out there now and chalk “JOYLESS BASTARD” on the path in front of their house and draw an arrow

You shouldn’t do it outside other people’s properties, no, it’s an eye sore you have inflicted on them until it’s washed away.

It’s self absorbed and entitled, do it on your own property or at least away from other people’s residences.

Kids chalk on the pavement by our house which is fine I think it's sweet.
They did start chalking across their own fence aswell.
If they'd of chalked my newly painted fence I wouldn't be happy but paving I don't think is a big deal at all.
We all.did this as kids didn't we.

Every day on this forum, I see the reason we have an epidemic of entitled and out-of-control children. There are zero boundaries anymore, and anyone who dares to put a boundary in place, gets told they are ‘miserable’.
Its madness to me, but clearly we are in the minority.

Yes! It would be so tempting!

I love colourful pavement chalks -but a friend of mines DC chalked all over their driveway once and then walked it all over her cream hallway carpet when they came in! It hoovered up fine from what I remember, but if im being charitable, maybe that was miserly neighbours concern?

I guess you could draw a boundary for them - in chalk!

Your neighbour was just being a grump

The nieghbour needs an attitude transplant and should apologise to the children for being offensive.

The kids are innocent.

I would be delighted to see kids out being kids

Kids are out of control if they draw with chalk on pavements?

I’d heard it all now! Hilarious 🤣

I’m quite an old-school, firm parent, who tends to be more strict than the other parents I know, especially on consideration for others and manners, and even I think the neighbours are miserable twats.

But you see, I’d also judge their behaviour, not just the children’s. And I’d judge the neighbours’ behaviour as falling well short of the minimum standard I’d expect to see from my child. Because I expect my child to respond when addressed, and consider the feelings of others as a bare minimum. Neither of which the joyless neighbours felt they needed to trouble themselves with.

Criminal damage, I believe

https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/coronavirus-bakery-worker-threatened-fine-chalk-DWycKB_2/

If it means that DT’s have fun without causing any damage or danger to themselves or others I’m happy to be one of ThOSE parents.

What were they drawing? A bunch of Palestinian flags?