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’d have been out there with my hosepipe, washing off my side! It’s about respecting people’s property. My dc could chalk on our property, but I wouldn’t have let them on other people’s. Boundaries! Gotta learn to set them!

I agree with this. Your partner overreacted but the children should have known your drive is out of bounds and it was remiss of the mother not to make it clear where they could draw. She should be parenting instead of sending them out to be a nuisance to neighbours.

And not all chalk colours wash away easily, especially if they decide to chalk on walls.

Because I am allowed my opinion too and to give my input.

Wow, this has brought some really nasty people out to play! Yes, they shouldn't have chalked on your side and yes, your OH shouldn't have reduced them to tears. So, two wrongs....their parents have now marked out where they can chalk and your OH has apologised (hopefully effusively as it was a nasty reaction) so water under the bridge. Literally with luck as it will have washed it all away. Parents need to set boundaries. Move on from it, smile and engage them in idle chat when possible and it will soon be forgotten.

Look, the kids will get bored of chalking within a few weeks. Let them get it out of their system. It's a bit of chalk. Unclench. There are much, much, much worse things to get worked about in this world, kids chalking on your drive ain't it.

Yes not their land to chalk on. It is called having respect of others areas.

Your OH is seriously petty.

It's chalk, it only lasts until the next rain shower - so not long, this summer. And they are children, harmlessly enjoying themselves in the sunshine.

Is your OH always such a miserable, humourless git?

Your OH is seriously petty.

It's chalk, it only lasts until the next rain shower - so not long, this summer. And they are children, harmlessly enjoying themselves in the sunshine.

Is your OH always such a miserable, humourless git?

Your OH sounds very petty.

😂😂😂😂 and as I said, I can imagine the type of neighbours you’ll be in 20-30 years. Miserable and moaning about everything.

It is chalk!! Your husband upset a child over some chalk!

You and your dh would be washing a Banksy off the wall.
But, but it’s our land.

shared driveway that we own half of is right outside our neighbours house not theirs.
I genuinely can't picture this. We need a diagram.

i just got mine a big tub of chalks to share with all the other local kids.

it’s everywhere, we love it.

you showed your snobbery when you mentioned them having a landlord too OP. You consider yourself above the,.

Every street has the miserable house, where those that live there would rather stab the football than return it.

As others have said a shower or a hose pipe will flush it away, so no harm is done, per se. As to whose land it is, well as it is shared it belongs to both of you, and as you have pointed out, they rent, so yes they pay for it, just the same as you pay for your mortgage. Frankly, this is a fad, which will fall away over the next week or so... can't wait for them to start playing basket ball or tennis against the house!

You need to get over yourselves, the children are playing safely and doing no harm to anyone.

It's chalk, it washes off. Why does it matter?

See, I was sympathetic, but complaining they are chalking on public areas like a play park is ridiculous. That's none of your business! It's a PLAY area. Kids have been chalking in play areas since colour was added to chalks! Plus you haven't answered whether they chalked directly by your front door and beneath your front windows, which you implied, or on the pavement outside. If it was the pavement, that's none of your business either because it's not your land.

You're obviously not getting as much relentless bloody rain as where I'm living....chalk wouldn't stand a chance!

Kids where i live went through a phase of chalking about a month or two ago as well. Guess what? They were tired of it in about 3 or 4 days and moved on to the next thing. And the rain washed it off. Sure, it looked messy at the time and was mildly annoying, but not really something I could get worked up about.

Gosh you’re awful neighbours😂

I really they hope they move out soon and you end up living next door to some hooded teenage youths causing proper trouble

Surprise surprise. They are tenants and you look down on them.

That's a great start to the holidays, OP.

Brace yourself for BBQs, bouncing balls, and possibly even the sound of children playing.

The parents don’t care, they also covered a communal playpark with chalk over the weekend too.

A play park? So an area designed for children? Is that not ok - I see chalk drawings fairly frequently when I walk past a local playground. It's near some flats so I assume it's children without a garden. I find it very odd that someone would care about it. It's not like they're drawing over a graveyard.

Are you annoyed because you’re better than they are, because you’ve got a mortgage and they’re paying rent and they should acknowledge your superiority? 😂

Definitely. In chalk.