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

Out of control children….. 5 year olds chalking on a pavement?

Yes m, luckily miserable people are the minority!

Also, I bet it would be the same miseryguts that complains that all kids are online these days and don’t know how to entertain themselves without a screen.

On front of my house yes possibly and I’d clean it once they were done. Not in front of anyone else’s.

Greeting about entitled young people when full grown adults are banging about THEIR PROPERTY as if a public pavement outside belongs to them and God fucking forbid a child even looks at it 😂

I let my GC do it on the drive and pavement in front of the house - and on the extrerior walls of the house - like you said it rains a lot and it washes away eventually. I make sure they keep it in front of our house though. Yes it rains but it doesn't wash it all away and I've seen the state of my floors when the dogs has walked it in, dry and even worse wet, it's like paint

Graffiti 🤣

'Enjoyment of a tidy pavement'???!!! You win the internet today 👏 . Did you lose your soul by accident or did you purposely crush and burn it?

It really takes a special kind of wanker to object to this. I don't even like children and I'm very precious about keeping our house clean and Insta-perfect but even I couldn't complain about children's chalk drawings not on my own property. Isn't children playing innocent games outside the exact thing we're all supposed to be encouraging in order to reverse the destruction of our society?

Your neighbours (and certain posters on here) are about as miserable as it gets, but I think this is a case of 'when someone shows you who they are, believe them'. Clearly people to be avoided and no doubt the same kind of people who will moan about how awful young people are today and how there's no respect anymore as they age and want help bringing in their shopping/bins/whatever and no-one is interested in helping them because they are FUCKNG MEAN OLD BASTARDS. Let's hope they never need a parcel taking in or for a neighbour to keep an eye on their empty property while they're away.

I loved doing this myself and so did my children, but I always told them to stay in front of our own house. I would not per se love it if other children chalked in front of our house; as a one off no problem, if it were all the time I would probably like it less. Can't really explain why tbh! But I would never, ever have hosed it down, I would have praised their art and would probably have told myself not to be so difficult and just enjoy the art!

The resident clearly doesn’t like it so the child should be advised that it’s only ok outside their own home. It’s called being considerate to your neighbours

White chalk is great. I bought some coloured ones and they would only come off with bleach and scrubbing

I would have smiled sweetly and answered the kids that it looked great, but in my head I would have been thinking “what an absolute mess, I hope it rains soon.” It would also annoy me that the parents had presumed it’s ok - make a mess outside your own house by all means, but don’t assume everyone else likes chalk all over the pavement.

I would take a photo of the art and play with them for a bit if I know them and their parents, why not. But I like kids, I have a seven years old and I think they are bright and wonderful little humans in most cases.
Once I've said that I also can see why some people can be annoyed by it.

Were you ever a child or were you grown, fully-formed as a grumpy adult?

"Chalk all over the pavement"! The indignity!

🤣👌🏻

Just come on here to say that!!

A nice warning letter (or preferably a fine) would make them even more grumpy!

In the knowledge that people can be a bit funny about the fronts of their houses (see also parking) I've always told our dc to keep it to our own property/ in front of our own house. It wouldn't bother me in the slightest, but there are some right miseries around who seem to think they own the public spaces.

Put up with what. All those micrometers of chalk they might trip over? The beauty of old ugly tarmac they never spend any time looking at and literally wall on destroyed?

Get a grip

Oh brilliant!!! 👏

Except that’s exactly what happened. First response told me I was joyless when I gave these examples.

Is it considered obtuse if someone is unable to follow a thread? I tend not to jump to name calling on threads so I’ll leave it to you to decide that one.

Oh do try to keep up.

I find it much more likely that they said it in reply to your response specifically about 'the scribbles of a 5/6 year old'.

And saying someone is obtuse isn't 'name-calling', give over.

That's not what they asked. You should be considerate of your neighbours for things that reasonable. Your neighbour could not like a thousand different things, that nobody would ever for one second claim isn't being considerate to continue doing.

So the question remains what is unreasonable, and disrespectful, about it. The fact the neighbour doesn't like it is irrelevant in its own.

You obviously didn't read the post, they started in my garden ... run out of space and continued on the pavement. As I've said I've told my child not to chalk outside other people's house going forward but in the moment I honestly didn't think it would be an issue ... hence asking for others opinions as to whether I was in the wrong for not stopping them chalking on the pavement when they ran out of space in the garden.

I am now very well aware it depends on my neighbours and everyone has differing opinions.

Children will steer clear of those that didn't like it and keep to pavement whereby there wont be an issue :)

Didn't think of that, that's a good idea

All sorts of vehicles park outside my house, given its a public highway, some even have garish writing and images on them!