Children chalking over our land

[Charliec12]

Hi all, am I over reacting? My neighbours brought their children some chalks at the weekend. The children are chalking everywhere with them including on my driveway which we half share with them. My OH said to one of the children tonight that the area looked a mess. Said child started crying and then the Mum came out and was confrontational and annoyed with me that I don’t agree with it looking nice in the area. I also have 2 young children and I get they want to have fun.

1. A child playing isn't the same use of the land as a postal worker delivering. The "attractive nuisance" doctrine can't apply to the postal worker, for starters.
2. Delivery workers have insurance from their employers covering accidents on the job.

Yes,it's more about the parents just letting their kids do whatever they want on the OP's side of the driveway and what might come next.

He was shocked by a bit of chalk? I think he needs therapy.

Kids don't understand where invisible boundaries begin and end, they just start drawing and continue til the "canvas" runs out. I love seeing the innocent scrawling of kids brighten a place up a bit and show there's some life there, too many deathly quiet estates and streets devoid of activity these days!

Genuine question? What was the harm done to you? What I'm ok actually did it have on you? I can't see any harm, it's kids on shitty, long rainy summer having innocent fun. It's a good thing that they're out having fun.

Pick your battles, the children's interest in the chalk will disappear as quickly as it appeared.

Should have been a incidental conversation with a parent not direct to a child. Not nice.

He made a child cry!

You can take pride in your stuff and still be totally chilled about this, secure in the knowledge that the chalk will disappear quickly.

Chalk disappears quickly when it rains. Our school playground is usually covered in chalking, but the second it rains-Gone!

I would rather this than footballs and trampolines etc.

"Covered"? Something tells me you're exaggerating.

If they rent it they have full rights to let their children chalk on it.

Do we detect a bit of anti-tenant snobbery here?

Couldn't you borrow one of their chalks and chalk a line between drive ways and tell them not to cross the line, then watch from the top window incase they cross it

Making a child cry because they got chalk on a driveway that according to you is half theirs anyway is as @Muffin101 said, nasty and being a prick.

I hope you and your OH aren't as miserable and mean to your own children.

You are a miserable woman.

By the way, it’s could’ve or could have and NOT could of.
I don’t pick on people’s grammar, but on this occasion, I will.

Could is a modal verb.
Could have + past participle (or could’ve) means that something was possible in the past, or you had the ability to do something in the past, but that you didn't do it.

Could have a verb phrase.
Your version of could of is a verb + preposition, is not part of a modal verb phrase and has no meaning, and grammatically incorrect!

Learn something new today instead of moaning about some chalk.

What was the point of the post then?

Play your cards right, and you might just wangle some compensation for inconvenience and distress.

If having a car there was the issue OP would certainly have said so.

It is not their land to chalk on. All over play equipment etc. It is a mess. Chalk on your own area. I mentioned they chalked on our shared driveway on our side and theirs.

Not at all. We are great neighbours just have respect for others private areas unlike some.

My kids love doing chalk drawing- great fun. But I wouldn’t let them do it on my neighbour’s driveway, the same way I wouldn’t let them play any game on my neighbours driveway.

👋 it’s raining where I am today, how about you op ?

I think you will look back at this and realise it’s a very silly thing to be annoyed about.

We had a neighbour who was like this, right miserable prick he was who considered himself above everyone else and fell out with everyone. Thought his house was a palace or something rather than a 3 bed semi with a shared path.

'Looking nice in the area' - it's little kids drawings, what is wrong with you (and particularly your nasty husband). I bet you're both stuck up as anything. It's your poor kids I'd worry for most though with that attitude tbh.

I would have just said, please don't chalk on the drive. Then washed it away with a bucket of water.

Get a grip OP. It’s a childrens play park. Not some kind of beauty spot. Im sure the other children playing in the children’s play park have no issue with it.

Im sure your kids would love to get some chalk and draw some pictures outdoors. But they’re probably too busy knitting or doing whatever activities perfect parents like you and your bully husband allow.

Totally agree. I can remember a neighbour having a proper rant at a group of DCs (including one of mine 😳) for chalking in front of her house. It wasn't that they had chalked per se it was the sheer volume. She couldn't get into her house without trampling it in.

Totally understandable. We apologised to neighbour.

We set some rules for DC (in front if our house, fine, in front of other's not fine). No further issue.