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.

Do you actually understand what fun actually is for a child? Chalking on a pavement is a rite of passage for most children-harmless FUN.

No, she doesn't.

Nothing like that :)

YABVU

Oh my god, chalk!! CHALK!! NOOOOOOOO!!!! NOT CHALK!!!!! LIFE IS FUCKED FOREVER HOW DARE THEY??!!!!!!!!!!

Not at all, it is about having respect for others areas.

😂

Shock horror. Call the police, the sheriff and the fire brigade.

Just imagine..... children in a playpark, playing.

Do you make a habit of sucking the fun out of things?

A parent from our local school used to write encouraging, cheerful chalk messages for the children to read as they returned to school after the long summer holiday. It was all the way up our road and in neighbouring roads and it was really sweet.

Lasted a couple of rain showers and then was gone.

I'm guess it's not the chalking as such but the encroachment on your driveway. Sounds like that's sorted now so I would move on and not get het up about if it happens again.

I don't get how people can argue this...

There was a poster here before saying a girl was cutting off flowers from her bush to give to the teacher every day. It's sweet, and it will grow back, but that's not the point.

Why don't people see that it's not your property?! Why do you think it's OK for your kids to trespass on someone else's land, regardless of impact?

The same argument could be made for dog sh!t... it will wash away with the next rain. For stepping on flower beds or cutting flowers... they'll grow back. For writing expletives or putting bum prints in the snow on your car... it will melt off.

People think because they have kids that the world revolves around them. Your kids and their presence are not a blessing for everyone.

Wasn't this on an episode of One Foot in the Grave...

🤣🤣🤣

Those god damned children using fully eraseable chalk to draw on the floor, how very dare they! How DARE they draw using something that can be easily washed away! Bloody kids, having fun.

You are being unreasonable obviously. But I think you know that. They're kids it's not disrespectful to draw some pics on a driveway. Literally a cup of water would wash it away. I think you and your partner need to wind your necks in a bit. Especially him if he's making a child cry over it?? I couldn't be either someone who would get so angry over something that is literally a non issue

OP: Hi all, am I over reacting?

Majority of thread: Yes

OP: No I am not

Do your kids play out OP?

Actually I work with landlords nothing wrong with them or how anyone is housed. I meant they don’t own the land, someone else said they did.

The worst part about this post is that you don’t seem to recognise how concerning it is that your DH was so shocked by a bit of chalk on your drive that he raised his voice to a child who would have no concept they were doing anything wrong, reducing them to tears.

Does he normally have issues controlling his reactions when frustrated? Is it possible that you’re focussing so much on who was right or wrong, with regards to the chalk on the shared driveway, so you don’t have to face up to just how bad his behaviour was?

I would be mildly irritated by this too - the children's parent/guardian should have explained to them (and made sure it happened) that they could only chalk on their side (or ask for permission first before chalking on someone else's drive). Yeah it is minor but it is all part of teaching children to have respect for other people's property and boundaries - and not bringing up future entitled CFers.

I wouldn't have said anything though (and definitely not in an annoyed way directly to the children). You got exactly the response from mum that I would've expected from someone who didn't bother to do the above. I would pick your battles with someone like that - a bit of chalk on a drive is just not worth it.

I bet this is one of those posts that the answers will vary tremendously on where you live. I live just outside Bristol where Graffiti of any sort is rife and in the main positively encouraged thanks to Banksy and others. I personally don’t have a problem with it and I find it quite cheering to walk out of my door and see lots of chalk art done by the local children.
I do have a problem however with a grumpy git reducing a child to tears over a bit of street art which as others have said will soon be washed away.
You are being unreasonable

😂😂😂😂

But you're saying that just because they rent, their kids shouldn't be allowed to play as they choose on their side? You know it's their home, right? You don't have to actually own property for it to be your home.

Yeah but is it really “land” if you share a drive @Charliec12 ? 😬

Imagine getting that angry about erasable childrens chalk lmaooooo.

This is all there is to say.