Pexels | Josh Willink

Mom Writes Shaming Letter In Sidewalk Chalk After Neighbor's Drawing Ban

Published October 29, 2021

When we're deciding whether or not to intervene in a situation, the first question we tend to ask ourselves is "Is this person hurting anybody?"

If we find that the answer is no, most of us are happy to just mind our own business.

Unfortunately, it seems that some people are simply incapable of doing this and the second that something seems weird or different from their tastes, they make it their mission to put a stop to it. If they aren't having fun, then nobody else can either.

But while it's usually best to ignore these people's complaints, they can sometimes find ways to ensure that isn't an option for us. Usually by complaining to someone with authority until that person reaches their breaking point.

And a situation like this has led one mom to get creative with one big open letter after a neighbor rained on her kid's parade.

For much of the time they've spent in the pandemic, Ashley Woodfolk and her toddler-aged son passed the time by drawing with sidewalk chalk in their housing co-op's courtyard.

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However, Woodfolk tweeted out a statement on October 25 that revealed this would no longer be possible for them because a woman who lives in the same building complained to the co-op board.

Once she announced this change, her followers soon wondered why the co-op board would pay this woman's complaints any mind.

Pexels | Oladimeji Ajegbile

But Woodfolk wanted to stress that she didn't blame the board for this development, saying that they had ignored the matter for as long as they could and remained very apologetic when they informed her of the new rule.

That convinced her that the woman simply wouldn't let up until she broke their spirits.

But while Woodfolk intends to comply with the policy change, she wanted to write one last message to let that woman (and everyone else) know what she just ruined.

Twitter | @AshWrites

It's obviously hard to see what she wrote in this picture, but her message began with, "This will be my last time using sidewalk chalk in the courtyard since it seems to be such a problem for you (and only for you)."

She went on to say that the fun her son had using sidewalk chalk here was not only harmless, but also helped teach him his letters and numbers. Apparently, he's a big fan of the number eight and the letter E.

But since the woman wanted to prioritize this fun over the building's real problems, she got her wish.

Woodfolk continued, saying that while she would have loved to take her kid to the movies and to museums, she didn't feel safe doing that due to COVID-19.

Pexels | Josh Willink

And she mentioned that even public parks had more crowds than she was comfortable with.

In her words, "The courtyard was a safe space but now there are limits on that too."

She then closed her message by saying she hoped the woman enjoyed the last weeks of good weather now that she's free of her dreaded sidewalk chalk.

In conclusion, she said, "And I hope that every time it rains, rain that would have washed away any colorful ABCs I wrote on the ground, you think of me."

h/t: Twitter | @AshWrites

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People & Society