Have we lost all of our common sense? Like, every single last little bit of it?
When I read this article about how chalk has been banned in a townhouse complex in north London, I thought I was reading a satirical story, but nope. It’s a real news, y’all.
The people who live in the townhouse complex received a warning in their mailboxes on Thursday stating, “We ask all tenants, including children, help maintain the integrity of the complex by refraining from using paint or sidewalk chalk on any common areas including sidewalks, parking lots, brick or fences.”
And if the kids decide to draw anyway? Well, then the parents get hit with a cleaning fine.
Hold up a second… a cleaning fine for removing chalk?
I’ve been a parent for 14 years and 12 of those 14 years have involved chalk. What I’ve learned about chalk is that it can be removed by:
a) a hose
b) rain
c) just regular every day life
Never once have I had to pay someone to remove said chalk drawings. Not even when my son drew a very large penis in the middle of our street. Said penis came off quite quickly with a well-aimed hose and he was sent to his room to write me a letter about why drawing large penises in the middle of the road was not a good idea.
When the warm weather hits I scrawl messages on our front street to surprise my boys when they leave for school. Little did I realize the havoc I was creating by using an easily washable substance to write on cement.
We live in a day and age where our kids not getting enough exercise, and we complain because they constantly have their heads pointed towards some sort of screen. Our kids are shuttled to and from activities and they are losing out on free play more and more.
Yet, here are some kids playing outside, using their imagination and creativity, to draw. Something we used to do as kids. Or worse, they're using chalk to be active. How many games of hopscotch did you play when you were a child? How many races did you run where the start and end points were simple lines drawn across the road. Remember Four Square? Or how about when you had a friend outline your body and you drew in your face, hair, and clothes?
A gentleman from the Kipps Lane Property Management said that for every parent who likes chalk, there are tenants who do not so they have to ‘balance’ both to which I call bullsh*t because banning chalk means there is no balance. It works out to:
“People who don’t like chalk” - 1
“People who do like chalk” – 0
I don’t even have an the words to express how this is in my top ten of the stupidest things I’ve read this year. I’m sure there are some people who are going to completely disagree with me, and you know what? That’s okay. Just don’t move in beside me because at about 7:00 a.m. every weekday morning you’ll see me on the street destroying the integrity of our neighbourhood.
Chalk ban, indeed.
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