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.

I can only apologise for offending you, I think you’ve taken what I’ve said completely the wrong way. My fault not yours! 🙈 I wasn’t being serious for the majority of what I posted. If you look back to my earlier posts you’ll see I wrote very similar points to yours. I think I mentioned in my post to you that I had acknowledged most of what I had written was intended to be nonsense on purpose.

It was just to light-heartedly poke fun at the people falling over theirselves to make excuses for the parents of those children because I thought it was absolute madness as well. I completely agreed with everything that you wrote and was being deadly serious when I said that your post was one of the most sensible and objective posts I had seen on the thread. I of course don’t think you’re a child hater or anything of the sort. ☺️ My sarcasm didn’t come across well. Apologies again!

My writing style and the OP’s are completely different? Shockingly, because we are not the same person. On a separate note, nothing I wrote was grammatically incorrect like you’ve suggested because my literacy is more than adequate thanks. You may want to go back and properly make an effort to read what people write in future to avoid making the same mistake again. So, what you’re “hearing” is your own made up rubbish because I said nothing of the sort. Although my bet would be that you’re completely aware of that fact but trying to be purposefully obtuse in a failed attempt to shame me because you can’t accept someone having an opinion that is different from your own. I can’t imagine why you’d have written what you have otherwise. Only an utter moron would be spiteful enough to dig someone out for their ability to spell in any case.

I’m confident that if you would like to use the report option to report my username and comments to Mumsnet HQ with your suspicions that I’m the OP and trying to derail the thread by trolling or whatever you may believe is the case, then they can assure you otherwise.

Just because I happen to agree that people should teach their children to respect other people’s property that doesn’t make me a troll. I wasn’t the only person who has said that either but I think you must have missed that as well as you seem to have taken exception to my comments but that’s up to you. I have absolutely no wish to carry on arguing with you or anyone else. I stick to all of my original comments right back from the very beginning so there’s nothing more I can add that I haven’t already said. I won’t be commenting any further on this so if you quote or tag me again you’ll just be wasting your time, not mine. Thanks.

Yes as people keep commenting so I reply. I don’t need anyone to tell me anything :)

People just want an arguement on here. Sad how nasty people can be :(

Not me someone else who gets my point and yes I am definitely a child hater 🙄🙄🙄

"Yes as people keep commenting so I reply. I don’t need anyone to tell me anything :)"

So why even make a post about it and respond to every poster, arguing your point? I'd give it up now if I were you!

I will do what I want thank you :) I haven’t argued every point some are very valid.

Yet you ‘innocently’ replying to every comment just goads it further.

I genuinely can’t see what on earth you’re getting out of keeping the conversation going at this point? Desperation to have the last word?

You and others are keeping it going by posting and continuing to attack the op. She has every right to respond and correct people.

I guarantee most people would be pissed off if they found kids had chalked all over their land/property/shared driveway. All this let kids be kids and run wild is bollocks. Do It on your own side not other people's.

I guarantee most people would be pissed off if they found kids had chalked all over their land/property/shared driveway

how are you guaranteeing that Jaineee? Because I reckon most people wouldn’t mind at all.

See how that works? We have a tendency to assume others think like us even when it’s crystal clear that isn’t the case.

It's chalk! Washable and harmless fun. Upsetting children to the point of tears isn't something to be pleased about, that's mean. No wonder their parent came out confrontational, clearly they're upset over seeing their child cry. Surely, it's not causing any harm. Children's chalk drawings are to be treasured, it's part of growing up, making memories and having 'fun'. Let them be children and enjoy their childhood the best they can without causing a fuss. If it was intentionally hurting someone, ok that would be cause for concern. But it's just chalk. My husband drew a pretend road on our driveway for our children to ride on with their little bike, they loved it. We share a drive with our neighbours, (we own it, they share it) but the neighbour saw what my husband had drew and he said 'I love your pretend road it's brilliant' .. he was pleasant and positive about it, he don't mind even though it's our drive they use, he didn't complain. After my children came in the house that evening, my host and hosed the chalk off, no harm done! Lighten up OP, there's bigger things to worry about.

Chalk washes off, lighten up - it's nice to hear of children encouraged to play outside and draw instead of stuck on screens or parents paying to entertain their offspring.

Yes op chalk washes off! I'm not sure if that hasn't been mentioned twenty trillion times but there'll be another to suggest it any minute .

Newsflash! we shouldn't have to wash off kids annoying scrawls from shared driveways. Here's an idea buy them a blackboard to go with their lovely chalk and shove them in your own unshared garden.

You've missed the point - no you don't have an issue with landlords - it was the tenants that you feel better than.

Bet your kids have lots of fun (!).

You'll be the neighbour who doesn't throw the ball back when it lands in your garden in a few years 🤣

Who are you ranting at Jainiee? I’m pretty certain no one on this thread has dc that have chalked on your drive.

if it’s a problem for you go and have a chat with your neighbours, if not it’s just weird to be so emotionally invested in someone else’s problem.

YABU. What a misery!

People always say ' better than stuck.on screens' as of people give a,stuff about someone else's kids' screentime!
Of course it is cheeky and entitled to deface someone else's property. Even if only on a temporary way.

I'm contributing to the thread hun as are you. Who knew that to contribute to the thread one must be experiencing the exact same problem or else it means we are 'emotionally invested in someone else's problem'.

I repeat it is not ok to make a mess on shared areas. Do it in unshared areas. I'd have had the hosepipe out straight away and accidentally given the feral kid a spray too . Back gardens folks, that's where kids play. Or the park. Not shared driveways. They were lucky they didn't get backed onto by a car. Now that would have given them something to cry about.

there you go again - why are you peacocking about what you’d do in an imaginary situation that doesn’t exist?

are you ok hunni?

Peacocking about? <wtf>

Again, I'm commenting on a thread. How it worke is an op posts a secanrio and others chip in with thoughts and opinions. I hope that helps.

<dashes off In a peacocking twirl >

Peacocking about is wonderful 🤣

You've asked if you're being unreasonable and than argued with anyone who has said that you are!

You are being unreasonable!! It's chalk and they are kids!

Do you get cross if they are on their bikes and come over to YOUR half of the shared drive? What about if they were blowing bubbles and they blew on to your property? Or all walk up the drive together and cross on to your side.

Also when you say "outside your property" are you talking about the pavement outside?

I can't believe he shouted at them and I can't believe you posted on here about it!

I think the dad drawing the line was probably a passive aggressive way of showing how pissed he is that you made his kid cry over this.

You sound like awful neighbours.

Loads of streets near me are covered in chalk at the minute and the local park. It's literally as harmless as blowing bubbles.

I repeat it is not ok to make a mess on shared areas. Do it in unshared areas. I'd have had the hosepipe out straight away and accidentally given the feral kid a spray too . Back gardens folks, that's where kids play. Or the park. Not shared driveways. They were lucky they didn't get backed onto by a car. Now that would have given them something to cry about.

To me, this is bonkers. Absolute madness. Sometimes I can't understand how people live enjoyable lives.

I live a very enjoyable life thanks as do my dc. They're older now but when younger they managed to have a lovely time without making a mess in shared areas, screaming or running around in restaurants. 3 things that many mumsnetters seem to love their kids to do. Creative my arse. Be creative in your own garden .

Nobody is saying children should scream in restaurants.

There is a difference between children screaming in restaurants, which I have never seen championed on here, and making a child who you like next door to cry because of chalk on a shared driveway.

I think saying that being run over would 'give them something to cry about' is quite a usual way of thinking.