.... to let my children draw with chalk on the pavement?

[FourArms]

A neighbour of mine made a lot of comments last time the kids down the street drew on the pavement with chalk. Unfortunately that time it was actually a bag of plasterboard they'd found somewhere , which didn't wash off for ages, but I didn't have a problem with it. Neither did any of the other mums on the road who also watched them doing it. In fact, I thought writing slow down at the start of our cul-de-sac on the road was a good idea.

Anyway, yesterday I let my 2 yr old draw on the pavement outside my house with some chalk. Before I knew it 6 other children had also joined in, and had a lovely time drawing, playing hopscotch and writing their names etc. Proper ELC blackboard chalk, so will wash off next time it rains.

Cue a knock on the door and some sarky comments from the same neighbour about how it's not on to let them do this and makes the place look a real mess. AIBU to let them do this?

Last summer, I saw a local police officer having words with some kids and their parents- he said it amounted to vandalism and made the parents get a bucket of water and got the kids to wash all their lovely pictures away.

thanks to this thread, I had a brilliant day today chalking hopscotch etc... on the pavement outside our house - We had some lovely comments from our neighbours and some of their children joined in - one neighbour said how lovely it was to see hopscotch on the street again as he hadn't seen it for about 15/20yrs! we (DS1 (age 3) and I) have just washed it off ready for tomorrow! I may do a bit of showing off soon with my art skills! should be fun!

thanks for the fabulous idea!

these police have a lot to answer for! I'm sure they'd prefer children to be playing with chalks on the pavement than the recent and tragic trent of "playing" with knives.

*trend sorry

It's HUGELY popular here in Germany. I think it's a great idea, plus it washes away easily.

YANBU but washing it off seems like a good compromise

My uncle (who lived next door to us as kids) told us off once for having a water fight (well away from his front door) because "it's getting the [stone] flags wet" and stopped my brothers digging a pond (they were keen fishermen) in our field (rented out) because "the horse might fall in"

well after paying £5-20 for a big bucket of them from ebay last night i have been into town and bought the same bucket for £1.99 [sob]

I had to laugh at this thread :O
What a boring neighbour!! Honestly, it is just typical these days of so-called do-gooders!! Or miserable old buggers I like to call them!! I have bought chalk this afternoon for my little girl and her friend and I drew them a hopscotch and they have had a wonderful aternoon drawing in the garden! They can't do it outside cos of the main road, if in close or cul-de-sac certainly would let them! Let them carry on

Where from kerryk?

The neighbour had another go about it today. She said if she'd seen chalk on the street before she moved in, she'd never have accepted the house. WTF? Seeing something like that would make me more positive about the move. Oh well...

they were in a little newsagent/card shop. they had loads of lovely little toys for next to nothing. that will teach me!

We're having a street BBQ at the weekend... thinking of buying the kids a huge tub of chalk to play with.

Our local pound shop has a box of chalk for £1. dd loves doodling on the garden path with it

My DC love doing this too, they do it on the patio in the garden but if we didn't have a patio area i would happily let them do it on the pavement as long as it were safe

I don't know what your neigbours problem is, they are just kids having fun! i take they aren't writing swear words and drawing big cocks all over the pavement.....otherwise i might see her point

My neighbours allow their boys to draw on their drive and sometimes they get a little carried away and end up drawing on the pavement too... people complained about this! I was so frustrated! 1. It's chalk, 2. They're kids who are being a bit creative and 3. It's chalk - it washes off!

To avoid neighbourhood chaos, perhaps ask the kids to draw on your garden path if that's possible?

YANBU. (As long as it's normal chalk though).

My dad had a right go at one of our grumpy neighbours who moaned about the same thing when I was little .

i am really glad this thread was started because without it i would not have thought of buying the chalk for the kids.

they have had a great time with it today, as have the other children in the street, even the rabbit is running around with pastel colours on his back

our back cement jungle garden is all paved, and is currently covered in large red flowers and smiley faces and bizarre scribbles....... and once my DH untightened his grip on the chalks, my 3yr old managed to have a go too. (!)

Llots of fun. But why did they do it when days of no rain is forecast????