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

[Mancunian]

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?

at dinasaw's link.

Tarmac pavement (like you have all over Britain) is SO UGLY. How can anybody complain about putting some temporary happy colour on it? People do lovely pavement chalk art to earn pennies (busking like) all over Europe. How that anybody would object.

In romania, It is part of the kindergarden curriculum, they do that all the time. And it is not raining as much!

DS uses pavement chalk at his playgroup and I love seeing the twenty-legged spiders they've drawn when I go to pick him up. It's cute and harmless. I always tell DS that drawing on the pavement with chalk is OK but drawing on walls/curtains etc is bad and he seems to get it.

Here in Germany children do that all the time - no one would complain.

just watch this doesn't happen

YABU I agree with your DH - makes the street look like a right mess

Pavement chalks are for patios and backyards, not public places

I'm sick of looking out of my window in the mornings and seeing the walls, pavements and even the road covered in chalk.
It's a form of vandalism.

I think it fosters creativity and I'd rather kids be doing chalk doodles than setting fire to the neighbourhood cats or whatever it is they like to do.

Sounds fine to me, it is just chalk. ilovesprouts' idea is good too, if it does get a bit crazy, just give them a bucket to wash it down with.

Well, why don't you let them draw in the walls in your own garden/house, then?

I love chalk drawing and let my kids do it. although I have had to draw the line with the older ones drawing on fences and writing rude words (usually badly spelt).

In fact it is actively encouraged at the park where they run holiday clubs most of the girls spend all day decorating the paving slabs.

But then we are in a 'shock horror' council estate. Oh the shame of it.

Why would I want chalk on my walls? That's just silly. They need to be out on the pavement where they can be enjoyed by everyone.

But everyone doesn't enjoy it, do they? It's a bit arrogant to think that just because you and your kids enjoy it, that everyone else feels the same way.

I was being a wee bit sarcastic but...

I don't enjoy a lot of other people's behaviour but unless it's illegal or harmful there's not a lot I can do about it really.

scaredoflove I was going to suggest Julian Beever aswell! He's amazing

I adore street art when done well. You can see some brilliant pieces of graffiti travelling into London on the train.

Chalk washes off..let them at it

Chalk drawings on the pavement wouldn't bother me.

Maybe they should put a hat down next to the pictures for people to throw in loose change and they might get a bit of pocket money.

(Anyone else read "The Children Who Lived in a Barn")

"Pavement chalks are for patios and backyards, not public places"

But not everyone lives somewhere with a garden; I think this is more a problem of 'children, they should be boxed up somewhere, not playing in public - can't they all go back to their Wiis?'. Chalking is possibly the least annoying thing they could be doing, compared to gymnastics on the garden walls, kicking footballs or riding bikes with total disregard for traffic.

Communal apartment living is much more common on the Continent, as is children playing out without the obligatory adult guard. The kids near me recently did a fantastic chalk 'road' on a large open tarmac space, complete with proper road junctions, then they rode their bikes and scooters around in a sort of DIY Cycling Proficiency Test. The bigger ones also drew a small road for the little ones' toy cars, and some hopscotches for the vehicle-less ones. It was lovely.

Kodokan - I know not everyone has a garden. Mine is handkerchief sized and the patio is umm, well, half handkerchief sized. When I step out of my front door I have a 2 feet between my doorstep and public pavement. We have a public small park/garden where the children from the area meet each other and play - brilliant socially.

I don't think they should be indoors on wiis, thanks

But I think that when they're outdoors there are certain rules for public spaces and chalking the pavement isn't one of them. My ds was given a pack of chalks once. They couldn't really be used on the patio so I got rid, cruel mother that I am

My DS is the one of the only children under twelve on our little street. He chalks on the paving slabs outside my house (my patio is being dug up and hopefully completed before the next millennium) and the neighbours have said they like it because it reminds them that it's not just old folk living on the street. They love seeing the little ones out doing their best Banksy impressions.

Common practice here in Italy and as for pavement chalk we just use normal ones..My dd's adore it ( we don't have a garden )

I think whether I let my kids chalk on the pavement would depend on what type of street it is.

If it is a family friendly street, where lots of kids play out in a predominantly family area then I would think it was fine. Where I live now, its the opposite of that though and so I wouldn't let them do it. I think it an make a street look tatty and is often not what people want to see on their street when they come home from work.

The other reason I would be tempted to not allow it would be if a neighbour on the street had a 'for sale' sign up as I would hate to think that it could put off a buyer (people are that fickle).

All that being said, I would never complain about it to a neighbour (unless it was on my house or rude or something!)

Not read whole thread - has anyone yet suggested that the OPs DH should be made to sit and watch Mary Poppins until he recants?

I don't have a garden so I take my dc to the park to chalk.

I honestly don't see a problem with it and quite frankly think you have to be a bit of a miserable so and so if you do.

YANBU If the pavement chalk is truly easily washable then I see no problem. Thought the Bangor story was bonkers. Police should intervene if people are using heavy duty chalk that won't wash off easily or if they are making offensive slogans etc , but fgs, a couple of kids drawing pictures on the pavement is the epitomy of harmlessness.

I am a miserable old cow, but don't like chalk all over the pavement. But I would never complain. I would just huff and puff away to myself like Mrs Mangle.

What I used to do for dd was get old wallpaper, and then stick a great big long 20 yard bit of it all round the garden (or hallway in the rain) and let her create murals.