As an artist myself, I’d first of all praise Max and friend for their creatively. And then add - very kindly - that they shouldn’t really be drawing on people’s fences. But chances are if I knew the children’s parents were good people I’d assume they themselves would be pointing this out.
Don’t move house - when I first moved to suburban London from North Berwick aged 9 I graffitied our road sign with ‘the Bay City Rollers’ were here last night’ (sure, in Berrylands Road in Surbiton!). And then my friend and I wrote on a red phone box. I was outed by my stepfather who recognised my writing and had an inkling given how I used to run home from school to watch Shang-a-Lang each week. 😯
Haha, love it! Terry went one better and carved his full name into a path near his mum’s house… given that he has a very unusual Greek surname, there wasn’t much chance of persuading people it wasn’t him
If it had been two years later I would’ve been writing that the Sex Pistols had been there. Now who would you rather have hanging out at the end of your leafy, middle class street? 😆
Amber I can't begin to describe how horrified I am at your son's behaviour - I mean, the ALPHABET?!!!! The obscenities!! It's just the sort of thing that 100% justifies a stranger photographing your six year old son and putting his photo on the internet, not an overreaction at all... 🤦♀️🙄
OH MY GOD some people are unbelievable. Whatever happened to asking kids and/or their parents nicely to not do something? Of course there are ARE some people who will reply with a f**k you even if asked nicely, but nine times out of ten they don't and are nice about it in return. I'm very, very grateful to now live somewhere with amazing neighbours who all look out for each other and are all lovely (for example, my dog did something dreadful that we were horrified about, I went to apologise to the neighbour and burst into tears on her doorstep with ashamed apologies. Next day her son turned up with a bunch of flowers FOR ME. Yes, I cried again).
I'm just sorry that you can't actually reply with what you reeeeeally think of that neighbour, but quite right for pointing out that they can't post pictures online without your permission. That is VERY dodgy ground and totally overshadows any tiny misdemeanor on Max's part. He is six, the neighbour is a grown adult... who's really in the wrong here?!!
*high-level sarcasm in case that wasn't clear to anyone 😉
I know, it being the alphabet just makes it so much worse! The utter delinquency! 😆
That's SO nice of your neighbour to send you flowers! Thankfully most of ours are lovely, too, but there's a small minority who just seem to be annoyed by literally everything, which kind of spoils it a bit...
The point about them being adults and Max and his friend being kids is the main thing that got me about it all, because when I pointed out that she didn't have my permission to share the photo, she took it down but posted a snippy reply saying, "well, HE didn't have permission to deface my property", as if the two things were exactly the same. But I don't really think a 6 year old chalking on a fence because he didn't realise he shouldn't ,and two grown adults terrifying him, then publicly shaming him is really comparable. I was almost disappointed that they DIDN'T phone the police, because if they had, I don't think Max would've been the one in trouble, somehow 🙈
The whole thing is ludicrous and I don’t blame you for composing endless replies in your head (I mean, me too, honestly). We’re having problems with someone who lives near our school and doesn’t like the sound of kids playing. Or quietly gardening during gardening club, for that matter. Imagine being that much of a dick.
I know, it's really eye-opening how intolerant some people are to kids just being kids... My bet is that they're the same people who tut-tut about children 'these days' always being indoors on devices, conveniently ignoring the fact that it's because they can't even walk past someone's house without them complaining...
Wow. Taking a picture of someone's child and then posting it online is an enormous (and unethical) overreaction. Your son is SIX. It's chalk. It's not like he was a 16 year old spray painting obscenities on the side of their house! You did all the right things, though. Kids need to be able to make mistakes and learn from them, it's an important part of growing up. I think every neighborhood has "that neighbor", unfortunately.
Yeah, I'd have had no issue with them coming out and having a word with him - he's obviously got to learn that he can't chalk people's fences - but the reaction was just so OTT to me, especially given that it's Scotland, so any chalk just gets washed off by the rain anyway!
I don't know if the law is the same in Scotland, but in England Ring door bells aren't legally meant to cover the pavements as it is a privacy breach. I assume based on DPA and GDPR so should ne the same. Obviously, widely ignored but if people moan about kids using the pavement, might be worth subtly mentioning...
As an artist myself, I’d first of all praise Max and friend for their creatively. And then add - very kindly - that they shouldn’t really be drawing on people’s fences. But chances are if I knew the children’s parents were good people I’d assume they themselves would be pointing this out.
Don’t move house - when I first moved to suburban London from North Berwick aged 9 I graffitied our road sign with ‘the Bay City Rollers’ were here last night’ (sure, in Berrylands Road in Surbiton!). And then my friend and I wrote on a red phone box. I was outed by my stepfather who recognised my writing and had an inkling given how I used to run home from school to watch Shang-a-Lang each week. 😯
Haha, love it! Terry went one better and carved his full name into a path near his mum’s house… given that he has a very unusual Greek surname, there wasn’t much chance of persuading people it wasn’t him
😆
If it had been two years later I would’ve been writing that the Sex Pistols had been there. Now who would you rather have hanging out at the end of your leafy, middle class street? 😆
Amber I can't begin to describe how horrified I am at your son's behaviour - I mean, the ALPHABET?!!!! The obscenities!! It's just the sort of thing that 100% justifies a stranger photographing your six year old son and putting his photo on the internet, not an overreaction at all... 🤦♀️🙄
OH MY GOD some people are unbelievable. Whatever happened to asking kids and/or their parents nicely to not do something? Of course there are ARE some people who will reply with a f**k you even if asked nicely, but nine times out of ten they don't and are nice about it in return. I'm very, very grateful to now live somewhere with amazing neighbours who all look out for each other and are all lovely (for example, my dog did something dreadful that we were horrified about, I went to apologise to the neighbour and burst into tears on her doorstep with ashamed apologies. Next day her son turned up with a bunch of flowers FOR ME. Yes, I cried again).
I'm just sorry that you can't actually reply with what you reeeeeally think of that neighbour, but quite right for pointing out that they can't post pictures online without your permission. That is VERY dodgy ground and totally overshadows any tiny misdemeanor on Max's part. He is six, the neighbour is a grown adult... who's really in the wrong here?!!
*high-level sarcasm in case that wasn't clear to anyone 😉
I know, it being the alphabet just makes it so much worse! The utter delinquency! 😆
That's SO nice of your neighbour to send you flowers! Thankfully most of ours are lovely, too, but there's a small minority who just seem to be annoyed by literally everything, which kind of spoils it a bit...
The point about them being adults and Max and his friend being kids is the main thing that got me about it all, because when I pointed out that she didn't have my permission to share the photo, she took it down but posted a snippy reply saying, "well, HE didn't have permission to deface my property", as if the two things were exactly the same. But I don't really think a 6 year old chalking on a fence because he didn't realise he shouldn't ,and two grown adults terrifying him, then publicly shaming him is really comparable. I was almost disappointed that they DIDN'T phone the police, because if they had, I don't think Max would've been the one in trouble, somehow 🙈
The whole thing is ludicrous and I don’t blame you for composing endless replies in your head (I mean, me too, honestly). We’re having problems with someone who lives near our school and doesn’t like the sound of kids playing. Or quietly gardening during gardening club, for that matter. Imagine being that much of a dick.
I know, it's really eye-opening how intolerant some people are to kids just being kids... My bet is that they're the same people who tut-tut about children 'these days' always being indoors on devices, conveniently ignoring the fact that it's because they can't even walk past someone's house without them complaining...
Wow. Taking a picture of someone's child and then posting it online is an enormous (and unethical) overreaction. Your son is SIX. It's chalk. It's not like he was a 16 year old spray painting obscenities on the side of their house! You did all the right things, though. Kids need to be able to make mistakes and learn from them, it's an important part of growing up. I think every neighborhood has "that neighbor", unfortunately.
Yeah, I'd have had no issue with them coming out and having a word with him - he's obviously got to learn that he can't chalk people's fences - but the reaction was just so OTT to me, especially given that it's Scotland, so any chalk just gets washed off by the rain anyway!
I don't know if the law is the same in Scotland, but in England Ring door bells aren't legally meant to cover the pavements as it is a privacy breach. I assume based on DPA and GDPR so should ne the same. Obviously, widely ignored but if people moan about kids using the pavement, might be worth subtly mentioning...
Good point - they're not supposed to cover them here either. I guess that would rob people of the opportunity to be annoyed, though 🙈