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

I'd be tempted to write "miserable cunt" with an appropriate arrow.

This! I’d take chalk over dog poo every time. I don’t have to try manoeuvring my feet and a pram around dog poo and reminding myself where it was walking to and from home.

Thing is, the idea of or term 'ruining someone's enjoyment of a tidy pavement' wouldn't even occur to me in the context of explaining why someone might not like kids' chalk drawings.
The house on my street that regularly churns out piles on the pavement of broken chairs/ sofa cushions/ small electricals/God knows what else, yes, absolutely, that makes the pavement untidy, and a hazard to walk round sometimes.
But a bit of colourful chalk scribble… I would never have thought that that might be ruining someone's enjoyment of the pavement.

Have you ever parked on a street? That street is not your own personal canvas/parking place for private property.

(And no you have not paid Road Tax since the 1960's, so no you have not paid for a right to park there. It is just society who accepts that abandoning private property in the shape of 4 wheels is OK.)

Ouch! 😂

What a stretch that is! I’m not sure how you can extrapolate anything about my upbringing from that post. Maybe I can deduce that yours was uptight? Or maybe you just can’t tell me what’s specifically disrespectful to you about chalking on the public pavement.

Sad bugger, wouldn't have bothered me and I am easily annoyed.

I’m perfectly aware that we pay emissions tax, not road tax, thank you.

I find the car comparison pointless to be fair but actually I know plenty of people who hate when people park in front of their houses.
Not me. I couldn’t care less.

People seem to have confused my responses. I think kids should stick to their own property area/pavement to play etc because I was brought up that way. But It’s not me who is bothered about a tidy pavement.
However, I do know that there will be people out there who do care about things like that (I can think of at least one local to me!) and I was offering a different point of view to those struggling to see why someone might have a problem with it.

It’s ok to think differently!

Wouldn’t bother me at all, I remember someone moaning at me as a child for it though so they won’t be the only ones unfortunately

Why is everyone offended by that? We have been raised differently in that respect? I was raised that you only play outside your own house. Other people obviously have been allowed to play outside other houses. It’s just different parenting styles.
I’m getting confused as to why people find this so offensive? Perhaps my Asperger’s is causing me problems here!

What if you live in a block of flats?

Best response so far. Chalk it in giant letters outside their driveway.

In our local protected park (Grade II - you can walk on the grass but dogs must be kept in leads) there’s always a few chalk drawings. If they allow it there I’m sure it’s ok elsewhere. We used to draw hop scotch on the pavement when we were kids.

I played outside every house. In the street. In the park. In the woods. I suspect I’m older than you. It’s not disrespectful to you personally to play outside your house in the street. It’s not about you. It’s public space. And respectful is such a ridiculously pompous word. I think that’s my problem with it.

It was a cheap flyaway ball (that’s why it went into a garden so easily), so way too light to do any harm to any garden. But she didn’t even have anything at all in her garden that could have been damaged, just lots of grass so that’s not even the reason. I think she just hated children. My mum had a few confrontations with her over the following years as she used to go crazy if we were even out playing in our own garden. There was a time we drew with chalk over our own driveway and she was loudly commenting to another neighbour that we were creating graffiti in the street.

Its kids they don't need to be that offensive.
A big Mr Grumpy or Sad face emoji would do the job.

🙄🙁

sounds like a complete misery guts of a neighbour

It looks hideous. The parents should be fined.

Fgs! Children innocently playing and drawing with chalk outside as they should do.
What is wrong with that?
Nothing!

Your neighbour is a twat

The answer is in the first three words. They could read the bible instead.

Well I suppose your children have the right to chalk outside his house and he has the right to wash it away.

The neighbour is clearly a grump so next time suggest that your children do their chalk art the other way down the street. His actions are not worth escalating things over.

Eh?

Oh bless them, I can’t even imagine being annoyed that the neighbours kids have enjoyed themselves drawing chalk on the pavement. Of all the things to be annoyed about….?!

Some people are just unpleasant.

Miserable twat probably complains about kids being on screens all the time, too.

You've done nothing wrong. Your neighbour is completely joyless.... I guess now you know to not chalk outside their house.

But my kids have enjoyed chalk drawing on our pavement. My neighbours loved it though and joined us in game of hopscotch!

Don't get down about it. Chalk towards your oppoosite neighbours house instead next time. Shame you have to worry about that though.