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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Letting children chalk public pavement

489 replies

RainbowRanger29 · 09/09/2025 11:45

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

OP posts:
GobShy · 09/09/2025 14:04

wandererofthekingdom · 09/09/2025 14:01

I would be delighted to see kids out being kids

You hardly ever see it these days. I never see kids drawing in chalk or playing hopscotch or with skipping ropes etc. Everything is virtual.

Burnout50 · 09/09/2025 14:07

incognitomouse · 09/09/2025 13:05

I'd be sending my kids to do it every day after that 😆

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Well I love a good rant as much as the next person but this is so totally pointless, I wouldnt even bother.

But you do you... 🙄

Throwaway65131 · 09/09/2025 14:07

Wouldn’t bother me in the slightest (in fact some of my neighbours did this with their children during Covid and I thought it was quite sweet to see the drawings when I came home - one of the neighbours was a nursery nurse and drew some recognisable children’s characters such as peppa pig etc) but only thing I can think of is perhaps your neighbour was worried about tracking chalk from the pavement into his garden and into his house. Or perhaps he’s just the miserable type who thinks children should only play silently and virtually invisibly. Does he often appear to show annoyance when children are playing outside? Or maybe he was having photos taken to list his home for sale. We don’t know. Rude of him to do it in front of the children and without answering them, but also at the same time, would perhaps be better if the children are doing something with potential to impact on others such as this, if they did restrict it to outside their own and those neighbours who are pro- children

TaupeFox · 09/09/2025 14:08

It’s chalk for goodness sake. What harm have they done? When we were kids in the late 1970s and bear in mind we lived in a very neat, respectful cul-de-sac in a nice area on the outskirts of Manchester. I remember once we chalked in bright colours all over the neighbours’ drives as well as our own. My mum was horrified what we had done and knocked on the doors to apologised to them but I think most just thought it was funny. 🤣

wldpwr · 09/09/2025 14:08

How ridiculous. Some people seem to pride themselves on being joyless. This is up there with a man who took issue with my kids collecting conkers outside his house (on the verge, NOT in his front garden). He even got his lawn mower out and started shredding the conkers with it so the kids couldn't have them. I wonder if he broke his lawn mower? We'd recently watched Peter Rabbit so he's known forever as "Mr MacGregor" in our family.

MyDeftDuck · 09/09/2025 14:10

I see no harm to be honest. I’m sure the pictures were not rude or offensive and actually, considering how many people live alone some artwork might brighten their day and provide a talking point……Get Britain Talking!!

Rather spiteful of that person who washed it away……..it would have been gone in the first shower of rain anyway, why waste water on it? Just mean spirited IMO.

MrsPerfect12 · 09/09/2025 14:11

AwwI love seeing this kind of thing. I’ve let my children do it when younger and we also had a neighbour complain.

HobnobsChoice · 09/09/2025 14:11

SerendipityJane · 09/09/2025 14:02

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I really wouldn't rely on what the police did or didn't do during COVID as evidence it's criminal damage. In this case the Met said
"officers would be “reminded about applying common sense and discretion where appropriate in these exceptional times.” and no fine was issued.

spoonbillstretford · 09/09/2025 14:12

Joyless person. We did the same in the 1980s and the pavements on the new build estate were delightfully new black asphalt which made a very good blackboard!

I'd be sorely tempted to go and draw a "male member" as my CDT teacher used to say and an arrow pointing to his house.

SparklingRivers · 09/09/2025 14:13

How mean of them. Must be very miserable people.
Our DC and neighbours DC regularly do chalk on the paths around our houses and they've only ever had positive comments. Multiple neighbours have stopped to chat to them and complimented their pictures or asked what they're drawing.
Even if they're very precious about their house looking tidy they could've just said "can you not do it on the path infront of our house in future" and waited until they'd gone inside to wash it away!

MrsSkylerWhite · 09/09/2025 14:14

Ablondiebutagoody · 09/09/2025 11:53

St George's flags would be more popular than rainbows tbf

Edited

Not where I live.

Ignore the miserable so and so, OP.

SerendipityJane · 09/09/2025 14:15

HobnobsChoice · 09/09/2025 14:11

I really wouldn't rely on what the police did or didn't do during COVID as evidence it's criminal damage. In this case the Met said
"officers would be “reminded about applying common sense and discretion where appropriate in these exceptional times.” and no fine was issued.

Show quote history

Well it's the Met that told us the have to investigate all and every crime and arrest every perpetrator

Although I concur that generally, ignoring the police does seem the way forward these days.

ScribblingPixie · 09/09/2025 14:16

I think there's no problem them doing it, and also no problem someone who doesn't like it washing it away. None of you owns the pavement.

SparklingRivers · 09/09/2025 14:16

Pricelessadvice · 09/09/2025 13:55

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.

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Were the children of the 80s also entitled and out of control? Chalk on pavements is far from a recent development...

Thedevilhasfinallycaughtupwithhim · 09/09/2025 14:16

It an issue. But as with everything (especially anything related to children), people can make an issue out of it.
Ignore them.

PizzaPowder · 09/09/2025 14:16

Your neighbour needs to lighten up

LatteLady · 09/09/2025 14:17

Where I used to live we held a week long Arts Festival and for one of the weekends, our street was closed to traffic, so children could chalk art onto the road. One of th best bits of the week and our local shops said that sales of chalk always went up afterwards. It is ephemeral and disappears at the first shower... how sad that your neighbours @RainbowRanger29 could not enjoy it... you would be very welcome to come and chalk in my current road!

Roseshavethorns100 · 09/09/2025 14:17

PollyBell · 09/09/2025 11:59

Yes this, no i wouldnt say something to throw children but my child would not have been allowed to do this outside someone else's property, it is not up to me to decide what my child does is harmless or not

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It's just chalk on a footpath for goodness sake what is the big deal. What's wrong with people these days all so bloody rude, miserable and entitled.
As far as I'm concerned those children are spreading a bit of joy and adding a bit of colour to the world just what we need to brighter up our days.
😊💐

IAmQuiteNiceActually · 09/09/2025 14:18

Americano75 · 09/09/2025 11:54

What a ratbag!

I'd be tempted to chalk a massive cock and balls outside their gate but I'm childish that way.

😁

Friendlygingercat · 09/09/2025 14:18

Many years ago when kids still played in streets of terraced houses my friends and I wrote with chalk on the pavement when playing a game called hopscotch. In those days many women took great pride in not only washing their front step but also the entire pavement in front of their house. Unfortunately my pals and I had not taken this into account and simply wrote our names in coloured chalk on various flags.

The neighbour complained to my mother who directed me to get a bucket of water and a scrubbing brush and remove all the marks in pink chalk which I had made. Later the neighbour again knocked at our door and complained to my mother that there were still chalk marks on her "front". My mother told her that "My daughter used pink chalk. I have punished her for what she did but I am not going to punish her for what her friends did. You are going to have to speak to the parents of the other children." When the neighbour asked for the names of the other kids she was told "I am not a snitch" and had the door closed in her face.

MyDogHumpsThings · 09/09/2025 14:19

I’m quite the curmudgeon for child-related issues, but even I think this is fine! Give it five minutes and the rain will wash it away!

Roseshavethorns100 · 09/09/2025 14:20

SparklingRivers · 09/09/2025 14:16

Were the children of the 80s also entitled and out of control? Chalk on pavements is far from a recent development...

Show quote history

No the people that moan about it are the entitled ones.
Children drawing on a footpath with chalk is hardly out of control.
Were you a child once? What did you do for fun?

wldpwr · 09/09/2025 14:20

SparklingRivers · 09/09/2025 14:16

Were the children of the 80s also entitled and out of control? Chalk on pavements is far from a recent development...

Show quote history

I don't believe for a second that the "problem children" of our society are the ones drawing rainbows in chalk on the pavement 😂

Newmummypamela · 09/09/2025 14:23

No, I wouldn't allow my children to do this anywhere but on my own property, out of respect for my neighbours. I remember years ago, one family beside us who prided themselves on a neat & tidy exterior, wouldn't let their children chalk outside their house, but allowed them to do it everywhere else - & I'm not talking about a few small doodles, it was around the whole block - so cheeky!

DryAndBalmy · 09/09/2025 14:24

I’m FURIOUS on your behalf. What a horrible, miserable person.

OF COURSE your lovely children should have fun playing with chalks on the pavement. It’s a simple, ancient little pleasure that countless other kids before them have enjoyed.

Perhaps your neighbour has an issue with small children making sandcastles on the beach too? Little chalk drawings are about as offensive and permanent as that.

I’m really sorry that you’ve had this experience.