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?

When I am old I am going to wear purple AND go round defacing pavement art with a high-pressure hose

Am i the only one wondering why the OP's DH gets to make the decision on the children playing out with something like chalk???

I don't think it's harmful but it's wrong because its not your pavement!!
I am with your DH it is encouraging children to be disrespectful of others' property.

It's everybody's pavement; it's public property, no? Is it unacceptably harmful to let kids trample the grass in the park, or wear out the swings, or bend back the pages of a library book?

Sorry, I really don't get that; rubbing chalk on tarmac does nothing to damage it or wear it out or anything bad at all. It's not the same as marking private property or causing permanent disfigurement to anything.

Yes it is unacceptable to let them trample down plants in the park,wreck swings or bend back library books, I don't know what point you are trying to make?
The pavements belong to the highways authority.It is not 'everybody's ' like common land or a village green, very different legally.
It is the attitude that 'i can cause, albeit temporary, defacement to something that doesn't belong to me because I want to.Rules/consideration for others which don't apply to my darling little bunnies which is so prevalent nowadays.
As someone else has suggested mess your own walls/driveway or use old newspapers/wallpaper to scrawl on

Basically you are running a risk, as I remember reading a story about kids getting arrested for doing just this! if your Neighbours complain expect a problem

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/6605107.stm

YANBU

I gave my son's chalks once and let them draw all over the concrete in our back garden where the car parks. It soon washed away in the next rainfall and they had a great time whilst they were doing it.

We used to chalk on pavements when we were kids.

There's nothing wrong with it as long as there's no swear words or rude pics.

I grew up with big chalk and a huge parking lot to draw on and no one complained. I didn't become a graffiti artist either but am a selling artist, and make a very good living too. lol I love that my daughter is now at that age where she is getting into chalk on pavement.

It doesn't wreck pavement to have a bit of chalk on it. That's my point; it's public space and chalking is a harmless way to use it.