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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

in allowing my children to decorate the pavement with pavement chalk?

110 replies

Mancunian · 10/06/2010 19:30

They have a box of proper pavement chalks and want to do pictures on the pavement outside the house. I think that's fine as it'll wash off easily enough and the weather is predicting rain anyway tomorrow. I also don't think that anyone will have a problem with childrens drawings done in chalk on a public pavement.

My husband however, disagrees. He says it looks messy and is akin to graffiti. He doesn't think the neighbours will appreciate it at all and has banned them from doing so, instead they are limited to a patch of tarmac in the back yard.

So who is right here and who is wrong?

OP posts:
sweetnitanitro · 10/06/2010 20:23

I can't believe people would complain about kids drawing with chalk on the pavement! My neighbour's kids do it all the time, I think it's really sweet and I love reading their rules to hopscotch

WitchyWooWoo · 10/06/2010 20:24

a town near where i live has a gala day, and all the children can chalk pictures on the pavement and prizes are handed out too. its lovely and ill make sure ds has plenty of chalks when he's older!

shoshe · 10/06/2010 20:30

My mindees were out doing last week, the old lady in the flats behind us, came and joined them.

I had never spoken to her before, from her voice, she is very 'upper deck'

She said it brought back memories of being 5 herself

I did give them a bucket of soap water and scrubbing brushes after, they had as much fun cleaning it off as putting it on.

rimmer08 · 10/06/2010 20:30

sorry, i dont like to see it outside my house it looks kinda trampy

SomeWhereOverTheRainbow4 · 10/06/2010 20:31

Let them!! It's a lovely thing for Children to do and it will wash off easily! I'm sure no one will complain! xxx

Firawla · 10/06/2010 20:33

I would have no problem seeing this, i would find it nice. Especially as it does wash off what's the problem? I would let my dcs do it if we did not live on a main road so not physically possible but if you are able to have the space outside your house i think its a good activity for them. DH is just being overly picky

Meglet · 10/06/2010 20:35

yanbu.

We did it as kids and not one of us grew up to be a graffiti artist.

Although even Banksy had to start somewhere so you never know.

shubiedoo · 10/06/2010 20:37

I can't believe there are actually people who would object to chalk drawings... get a life!

emptyshell · 10/06/2010 20:38

Compromise solution - get a few old paintbrushes you've had from painting and decorating and a small bucket of water - let them paint pictures in water all over the pavement. Lots of nurseries and reception classes have that as an activity and the kids love "painting" the outside school walls and painting letters on the pavement.

Reminds me I had a cover lesson the other week where I was outside chalking number formations out on the playground with a class... fine, except I was wearing black trousers, going to the gym straight from school, and ended up going in there with some very wonky 4 year old style numbers all over my backside where I'd been sat down on the playground working with the kids.

whydobirdssuddenlyappear · 10/06/2010 20:41

YANBU. If it was akin to graffiti, then pavement artists would be issued with asbos. That said, I would personally confine my kids to the patio rather than the pavement by my house, but that's more because of the dog shit than the neighbours. 'Look mummy, multimedia pavement art with found objects'. Ew.

foureleven · 10/06/2010 21:18

a hopscotch would be ok but not random drawings.. it IS terribly lower deck.

usualsuspect · 10/06/2010 21:27

I'm sure my ds has drawn a rather rude picture on my front pavement before ..now thats lower deck

starsareshining · 10/06/2010 22:07

I remember doing this as a child and only one woman had a problem with it. She did seem to have a problem with most things though. Sent her husband out with a bucket to wash it off as we all watched. Must have been very humiliating for him. She also once threatened to call the police because my sister accidentally trod on a patch of her grass. she didn't get on very well with the local parents...

bronze · 10/06/2010 22:09

we have had this argument
it was on our own back path too so couldnt even annoy other people

KickArseQueen · 10/06/2010 22:17

Why don't you mention it to your neighbours and ask them if they would mind, if they say no then let the kids go for it - if dp complains tell him you have plenty of chubby pavement chalks and are not afraid to lose one if insertion in his jacksy is required

ScreaminEagle · 10/06/2010 22:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

OrmRenewed · 10/06/2010 22:21

You are right and he needs to stop being so precious. If anyone really does object a bucket of water and a broom will get rid of it.

ChippingIn · 10/06/2010 22:22

Hmm - there are two issues aren't there...

  1. His word is law?? riiiight - that would get him a good telling....

  2. I'm going to sit on the fence a bit with the actual chalking though... if it was the odd time I wouldn't mind, but if the street regularly looked multi coloured then I'd get a bit fed up of it tbh.

When we were kids the street was new and there were a lot of builders bricks around which when you rub them up and down the edge of the pavement make lovely piles of red powder, which mix beautifully with a bit of water and make great paint... and stain everything in sight... the times we were told.... and the times when we completely denied it (whilst looking like native americans!!)....

AlwaysMeanWellOftenWrong · 10/06/2010 22:43

anyone who complains needs something in their lives to occupy their minds.

whydobirdssuddenlyappear · 10/06/2010 23:18

Chalking on the ground (albeit out the back, not on the pavement, thanks to aforementioned dogshit, plus nutty drivers) really helped my DS to develop the confidence to draw pictures. I think the non-permanence of it helped. Can't your kids finish their chalking session with a bucket of water? That way nobody can get upset, and let's face it, it's not like kids usually have to be forced to fling buckets of water around

snice · 10/06/2010 23:28

I presume your DH would approve of these two girls being arrested then

hmc · 10/06/2010 23:28

I wouldn't mind at all if you were my neigbour, but some people are of the nimby persuasion and would tut and bluster over chalked on pavements. You may be lucky, or you might get some Hyacinth Bucket type come and remonstrate with you

scaredoflove · 10/06/2010 23:34

If they start young they may end up as talented as Julian Beever

users.skynet.be/J.Beever/pave.htm

dinasaw · 11/06/2010 02:16

www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/2007/lisa-badland-09-04-07.shtml

Someone called the Police about some children chalking pictures on pavements in our town. How can anyone mistake a five year old for a group of teenagers?

dinasaw · 11/06/2010 02:16

www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/2007/lisa-badland-09-04-07.shtml

Someone called the Police about some children chalking pictures on pavements in our town. How can anyone mistake a five year old for a group of teenagers?