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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:
ThreenagerCentral · 09/09/2025 13:18

If grown men can spray paint red crosses on roundabouts, your children can chalk where they like.

BertSymptom · 09/09/2025 13:19

YANBU but I’m really not surprised some people have a problem with it.

Bet they’re the same people who moan about the kids of today always being on screens as well.

Whokilledrogerrabit · 09/09/2025 13:19

I actually don't think either of you are being unreasonable. A bit of chalk on the pavement is fine - as you said - it washes away.

Your neighbour doesn't want it right outside their house though, which is their prerogative. I don't see why they should keep it there if they don't want to (for any length of time).

I would have made it a non issue with your daughter and told her there's plenty of space elsewhere to draw.

AllTheChaos · 09/09/2025 13:21

JudgeBread · 09/09/2025 11:50

Some people are just joyless bastards OP.

Kids outside being artistic and enjoying the sunshine is a delight. The kids on my street have been decorating the pavement all summer. I paid them with ice lollies to do unicorns outside my house.

What a lovely idea! I will remember that next summer 😊 I love seeing children being creative and having fun, it makes me really happy

nomas · 09/09/2025 13:22

BoredZelda · 09/09/2025 13:10

Can we stop calling anyone who doesn’t want to pander to children’s whims as joyless and grumpy. “It’s just kids playing” is a euphemism for “my kids can do whatever they like”. If a kid drew a lovely rainbow on the path outside my house, sure, it might be nice, but if they are anything like the 5/6 year olds who do it on parts of our estate, it isn’t lovely and joyful, it looks (obviously) like the scribbles of a 5/6 year old. It’s also not brilliant environmentally. I wouldn’t stop anyone doing it or wash it off, but if someone doesn’t want it outside their house, it doesn’t make them joyless. These are public property and I’d love to know at what point kids are old enough to understand you can’t just draw on public property.

I was called joyless because I stopped some kids climbing a tree outside my house. I have nothing against kids climbing proper trees, but this one is a flimsy piece of crap that is already at a 45 degree angle and part of their climbing it involves pulling it down so they can clamber on to it, and ripping off smaller branches to hit each other with. I also had an issue with kids playing football on a grass bit across from my house, despite there being a perfectly good, purpose built ball pitch for kids about 3 minutes away. Every day there were footballs flying into our front garden, hitting the cars etc, lads running about screaming at each other. We eventually had the factor put up some “no ball game” signs and were accused of being grumpy and not liking kids. On the contrary, now that the girls on the estate are back doing their gymnastics and TikTok dances on it, that brings me great joy. Not many places for them to do that round here.

Just because others don’t want to indulge your children, that doesn’t make them joyless.

The tree thing is awful.

It’s been proven that repeated physical contact to plants can stress them out. Not sure if it’s the same for trees.

theDudesmummy · 09/09/2025 13:22

Well at least the grumpy sod will be remembered on this earth for a long time, if that was ever an aim of theirs. I am in my 60s and I still remember "the old lady next door" from when I was about six. We had a shared garden with her. Me and my brother had a little gang of kids on the street and sometimes we would use the garden for our adventures. Nothing destructive or loud, just normal playing. She would complain to our parents every single time, saying that "children should be seen and not heard". I am sure she has been gone and pushing up daisies for many a year but she is not forgotten, over 55 years later!

Wishihadanalgorithm · 09/09/2025 13:23

Hang on… I know the answer to this: There is no problem with children chalking the pavement.

Someone from my village complained to the council about this as they were selling their house and were worried it would put off potential buyers.

Anyway, they got told it’s not criminal damage and so it’s fine.

It ended up on a FB group and we saw the letter the council sent out to parents who had received the complaint about their children drawing with chalk.

To quote Shakespeare: much ado about nothing.

OnTheBoardwalk · 09/09/2025 13:23

Wouldn’t bother me but can see why it would be annoying for others. I certainly wouldn’t be gushing over ‘their masterpieces' and letting them get upset because people didn’t like their scrawlings

I'd just let your kids carry on chalking but not outside their front door

TheKhakiQuail · 09/09/2025 13:23

It wouldn't bother me, but not everyone likes it. My friend who encourages her children & their friends to do this makes washing it away at the end part of the game.

BoredZelda · 09/09/2025 13:24

ClawedButler · 09/09/2025 13:18

To be fair....you do sound quite joyless.

Show quote history

Thanks for proving my point nicely.

If you think it’s joyless to not want kids to wreck trees and damage cars, that’s a strange stance to take.

OnTheRoof · 09/09/2025 13:26

Yanbu, and there are much worse terms than joyless for your neighbours behaviour. What a pair of arseholes.

ShesTheAlbatross · 09/09/2025 13:27

Pricelessadvice · 09/09/2025 13:15

I’m so glad someone else thinks this!

It seems that if you don’t find everything children do sweet and endearing, you must be a sad, lonely monster.

I have zero interest in children. I don’t get any warm, fuzzy feelings seeing them playing out/chalking pavements.

Show quote history

I don’t get warm fuzzy feelings either. I just think, oh there’s chalk there. And then probably immediately forget. I cannot imagine caring enough to get a hose out. I’d be completely neutral on it.

Regardless of children, I do think it is grumpy to deliberately ruin someone else’s enjoyment of something that isn’t affecting you.

MyRubyFox · 09/09/2025 13:28

Because I don't want a load of gharish scrawl outside of my house. Whilst you may look on with the eyes of a loving, doting Mum and see pretty pictures, some people, like me have worked incredibly hard after many years to buy their house and because of this take great pride in how it looks. It wouldn't annoy me greatly just be a bit niggled and hope it rains soon. Agree the neighbour should have been a bit more kindly with the children when getting rid of chalking.

MyOliveStork · 09/09/2025 13:28

No he is a miserable sod with no joy in his life and takes great joy from being a dark gloomy cloud of misery. Ignore him and move on. The fact he ignored the children and hosed it off in front of them speaks volumes about him. It’s one thing to have a quiet grumble once in his house but that’s just cruel.
valuable lesson to daughter, yes there are people like this in the world around us, don’t let them bother you.
Hope she continues to enjoy herself with her chalk x

Ginburee · 09/09/2025 13:29

My children chalk but only outside our house as we have neighbour issues.
I love seeing adults hopping on it when they think noone is looking.

Pricelessadvice · 09/09/2025 13:29

ShesTheAlbatross · 09/09/2025 13:27

I don’t get warm fuzzy feelings either. I just think, oh there’s chalk there. And then probably immediately forget. I cannot imagine caring enough to get a hose out. I’d be completely neutral on it.

Regardless of children, I do think it is grumpy to deliberately ruin someone else’s enjoyment of something that isn’t affecting you.

Show quote history

On the same hand, perhaps the children are ruining someones enjoyment of a tidy pavement.

We are all just living our lives and that should involve not inflicting things on other people who might not like them. So I will stand by the fact that the kids should have just decorated the pavement outside their own house/drive.

Typicalwave · 09/09/2025 13:30

I couldn’t waste energy over this - it’s a complete non issue

MaloryJones · 09/09/2025 13:30

Doesn't bother Me

The littles down the road have spent a lot of Summer chalking outside their's on the pavement .
Not a Problem

ChiliFiend · 09/09/2025 13:30

Wow - I would be exacting petty revenge forever, like never accepting a parcel for them and any of the other things nice neighbours do.

TheNinkyNonkyIsATardis · 09/09/2025 13:31

I think that the neighbour was a joyless sod.

However I also think that if your kids are saying, "mummy, didn't they like our pictures", you can nicely respond, "Looks like they didn't. Not everyone likes drawings on the pavement. Next time, check with me if you want to chalk outside of the house."

Just because the neighbour is a joyless sod doesn't mean your children get to wilfully piss them off, they can learn a bit about dealing with joyless sods without getting upset about it.

Letsgoroundagainnow · 09/09/2025 13:31

Indianajet · 09/09/2025 11:50

I remember doing this as a child - marking out hopscotch squares. It certainly wouldn't worry me if children used chalk on the pavement outside my house.

Nor me!

I may try and join in with a go at the hopscotch! 🤣🤣🤣

Mischance · 09/09/2025 13:31

What a grumpy cow!

TalkToTheHand123 · 09/09/2025 13:32

Ablondiebutagoody · 09/09/2025 11:53

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

Edited

😂

BeaLola · 09/09/2025 13:33

We don't have any small children in our road currently but when we did and they did this outside my driveway on the public footpath I was quite touched by their efforts - when they were asleep in bed I drew a rainbow on their driveway (I did ask the Parents permission as I ask needed to borrow the chalk )

Eastmeetswest1 · 09/09/2025 13:33

Well done for getting them all outside playing in the fresh air. Wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

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