# are your kids allowed to color the walls of their room?



## aihcalappa (Sep 30, 2007)

I allow my girls, 4 and 6, to draw on, and plaster stickers on the walls of their room. The way I see it, it's THEIR room, and they can decorate it how they want to. Any other room, and its not okay, and on the occasion they slip up, they get to scrub it off.
I'm just curious what the rules about "decorating" are in your family?


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

No.


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## lilbsmama (Nov 18, 2008)

absloutely! I love to see ds' artwork! I can't wait til we own a house and don't have to worry about painting over it though!


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## AllyRae (Dec 10, 2003)

No. The walls of the room are still my property. I do allow them to decorate their furniture (dresser and bed) with stickers though. I don't want them in the habit of coloring on walls and taught them that paper (which includes any of the recycleables in the bin that they can turn into art) is the only thing that can be colored on, so it would be pretty confusing for them if I told them it was ok to color on their walls as well.

They can have any input they want on the decorations in their room though--they help pick out paint colors, bedding, wall art, curtains, etc. But I wouldn't let them dye my carpet in their room and I don't let them draw on their walls (unless I hang a big sheet of paper up first). They aren't old enough to paint the walls to cover it up with they're bored with their scribbles and I'm certainly not repainting the room every week when they want a fresh pallette.







: So, they can color on paper.


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## azedazobollis (Feb 27, 2003)

Absolutely not. In our home, art has it's place. I am an artist and they have their own supplies. I art in my studio. Each family is different and I respect your view because that is your home. In our home, the bedrooms are for peaceful sleeping and dressing. I want their clothes in drawers or in laundry baskets. We have a wall in the kitchen that is a dry erase/ magnetic board that they can do as they choose. I should also say that I have painted murals on their walls.


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## HarperRose (Feb 22, 2007)

No way. They're not going to want scribbled or stickered walls when they're 16 and it's a real pain to paint over something. I also view it as disrespectful of the space I take care of.

I don't color on my walls. I hang pictures. If they want to hang their artwork, they're welcome to grab some tape or a tack and have at it. But no painting, drawing, or coloring on the walls themselves.


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## jeliphish (Jul 18, 2007)

absolutely not


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## SandraS (Jan 18, 2007)

Stickers and things like that, yup. No drawing anymore... but...

My teenagers' bedroom was once a playroom when my boys were younger and one wall was painted with chalkboard paint and the other were just white - and all four could be drawn/painted/smudged/markered/whatever. Kids had a great deal of fun coming in and making their artwork.

Adults did too. I so wish I'd have taken pictures of everything before we painted. There was some really neat pictures and sayings, from floor to ceiling on all four walls. One coat of paint covered it, it was no big deal at all!

Since the boys got older and I needed that room, we don't have any walls to draw on. I'm considering painting another wall in my girls' room partially with chalkboard paint and partially white so they can go nuts. It was so fun!!! (And they never drew on any other walls - they thought it was cool!)


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## philomom (Sep 12, 2004)

No way.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Because it bothered me to still have stickers on my wall as a teen because of stuff like that as a kid I'll probably tack paper up for that sort of activity.

And I'll also get an assortment of those wall decal stickers that peel right off painted walls. I've got a bunch of flowers and butterflies around my apartment right now.


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## eggsandpancakes (Oct 16, 2007)

Absolutely. They can decorate their room however they want. The 2.5 year old is allowed to organize her drawers, has her own laundry bin, and I help her rearrange the furniture when she wants. It's her room, not mine, not her father's. If she doesn't like it, we can paint over it.


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

Nope. But that doesn't mean they haven't... when they do, I give them something to scrub it off.


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## sparklefairy (May 21, 2005)

I wish I hadn't. Their father disagreed.

Guess who wound up painting over to show the house when we moved?

That's why I wish I'd put my foot down.


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## salmontree (Mar 29, 2004)

Nope. It's just to much work to explain to the youngest why they can draw on their own walls while other walls are off limits. Plus I don't want the added work of having to de-sticker it and repaint the room when they get tired of it. Stickers on their toys bins and the small kid chairs is fine though. We've got a dry erase board and a large roll of paper I can hang up if they want to get artistic on a large scale.


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## phathui5 (Jan 8, 2002)

Not here.

They can tape up whatever they want, but no writing/drawing on walls.


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## tankgirl136 (Dec 13, 2008)

My Son will be allowed to because we painted his walls with chalkboard paint. No stickers though since those can be a pain to get off.


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## geo_girl (Apr 18, 2007)

absolutely not.

that is what paper is for.


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## medicmama (May 5, 2006)

Absolutely not !


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## Madders (Jul 15, 2009)

No.


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## angie7 (Apr 23, 2007)

Nope.


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## ABmom (Mar 6, 2008)

Drawing/coloring on walls - No way.

Peelable stickers (used for wall decorations) - yes but not regular stickers. Regular stickers can go on the dressers & closet doors but not the walls. I even let them put stickers on their chairs in the dining room.


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

No. We're in a rental and I don't want to have to deal with it. As well, my youngest would have a hard time remembering that the kid's rooms were okay but the rest of the house wasn't. I don't mind sickers, and I let them tape up any drawings they want.


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## Aufilia (Jul 31, 2007)

No. Art is great but it has it's place, and IMO it's not on the walls... the very idea of trying to get all that crayon and all those stickers off again later makes me shudder. There was 1 room in this house that had stickers all over it when we moved it and it was a mess.


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

No. They can put up stickers, tape up paper they've drawn on, etc.


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## hempmama (Dec 16, 2004)

No. They are allowed to decorate their rooms however they want, with the caveat that they can't decorate in any way that is too difficult for me to undo(should we move, should we change around rooms, should they change their fickle little minds, etc.). I have had to try to get crayon off the wall before, and it doesn't come off, and the wax keeps paint from sticking well. It took FOUR coats.


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## aihcalappa (Sep 30, 2007)

Wow, I'm kind of surprised at all the 'no's. I guess this is one area of parenting where I'm way more lax than most.


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## Shera971 (Nov 26, 2008)

No.

However, my DS (4) is allowed to decorate his room however he likes otherwise. He really enjoys the scupting class he's been taking and his creations are everywhere in his room. And just recently we took down some animal pictures to make room for monster trucks. *sigh* I had put the animal pictures up for when he was a baby and I was a little sad when he wanted to replace them. I didn't let him know though.


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## moaningminny (Dec 31, 2007)

N to the O.


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## not now (Mar 12, 2007)

Not on walls, not on furniture. We'll make our own chalk board and put it up when he's old enough. I will also roll out paper and tape it to the floor for him to color on.

No stickers on anything other than paper. If he wants to repaint a piece of furniture I'll help but I'm not buying him furniture so he can destroy it.


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## bezark (Mar 17, 2009)

DS wouldn't do anything with a marker but put it in his mouth at this point, but there will be no wall scribbling in this house. Ever.


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## SandraS (Jan 18, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *appalachia* 
Wow, I'm kind of surprised at all the 'no's. I guess this is one area of parenting where I'm way more lax than most.

Me too. I never had problems with them coloring other walls, and one coat of paint (which would've gotten done anyways) was all it took to cover it... and I will admit to having a bit of fun drawing my little pictures too! LOL! I guess this is why I bought my own home - I can do what I want and paint over it when I change my mind.


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## MamieCole (Jun 1, 2007)

No way would I allow crayons, markers, paint or stickers on the walls. (Or on the windows of my car, for that matter. I see tons of cars/minivans with stickers all over the windows next to where LOs sit.) If there is artwork that they have done on paper that they would like hung on their walls, I'm all for it.


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## Sharlla (Jul 14, 2005)

Sidewalk chalk or washable crayons only


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## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

I don't care if ds draws in pencil on the walls that I intend to paint since it washes off easily. But I would not want stickers which can be difficult to remove. Crayons are a PIA to remove, as well. And I imagine markers don't wipe off that easily, either. So just regular graphite pencil on walls that need painting. He just does it in the one room. I'd probably be annoyed if he actually did it on ALL the walls that need painting since that's half the house, lol.


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## jeliphish (Jul 18, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *moaningminny* 
N to the O.
















up


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## sunnmama (Jul 3, 2003)

No. With all the drawing options my kids already have, I just can't justify drawing on walls when it is so difficult to "undo".


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## Ceili (Nov 21, 2001)

Nope.


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *appalachia* 
Wow, I'm kind of surprised at all the 'no's. I guess this is one area of parenting where I'm way more lax than most.

We've got a 2 bedroom apt for the 4 of us. We're often playing "musical bedrooms", and I'm currently sharing with 2 of my kids.

I might feel differently about this if they really had "their own rooms" that I could guarantee nobody else would use before it needed painting again, AND that is likely to need painting again before they "outgrew" the wall art. A 3yo might not mind the marker on the walls, but the same child at age 9 might want a clear wall.

I don't want writing on the walls in my bedroom. I don't want to let one child write on the walls of one room in case we end up switching around and a different child is in that room a few months later. They can move the stuff they've taped up from one room to another as needed.


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## lilyka (Nov 20, 2001)

absolutely not. I doubt my children could be consistantly trusted to not draw on other peopls walls.

some stuff will not come off nor can it be painted over. I wish someone had taught our renters that wall are not for writing on.

My kids have chalk baords on the back of their doors. they can write with chalk on them.


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## amynbebes (Aug 28, 2008)

No.


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## newbymom05 (Aug 13, 2005)

No way.


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## Llyra (Jan 16, 2005)

Absolutely not. I allow hanging things up with small tacks or with tape, but not stickers or coloring or drawing on walls. For one thing, I don't own my house, so those aren't OUR walls, and I'm responsible in my lease for putting them back the way they were when we moved in before I leave. For another thing, someday they'll be older, and I don't think they'll always want a room that reflects the tastes they had as preschoolers. If my kids wanted to create a mural, we'd hang butcher paper on the walls; that's what my own mother did.


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## 1growingsprout (Nov 14, 2005)

NO... its not even a discussion point. Just as a side thought, if its ok to draw on walls its not that short of a leap in a few years to defacing public property and vandalism. Art has its place but NOT on the walls. In my house its not negotiable.


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## A&A (Apr 5, 2004)

My son wanted space stickers on his wall. So I bought him space adhesives that are made to go on the wall but are easily removed!!!


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## Evergreen (Nov 6, 2002)

I allow but don't encourage it- in their rooms only. Typically I do the, "Paper is for coloring thing." though. They don't really want to write on the walls. Dylan did a bit between 17-24 mos until I painted her walls to look like clouds. Then she only drew in her closet. I never had a problem with her drawing anywhere else. She is six now and it's a nonissue. Ava has never even attempted to draw on a wall.


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *1growingsprout* 
Just as a side thought, if its ok to draw on walls its not that short of a leap in a few years to defacing public property and vandalism.

Uh, I think that's a really, really, really, really big leap.


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## StephandOwen (Jun 22, 2004)

Uhhhh.... no.







That's what we have paper for. Paper is for coloring/drawing. Walls are not. He has posters and removable stickers that are made for the wall in his bedroom (thomas the train on one wall and space/planets on the other).


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## aihcalappa (Sep 30, 2007)

um, yeah. I would hardly equate drawing on a wall the kid has permission to draw on with a future of vandalism and crimes against humanity. P.S. My kids have never written on someone elses wall.


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## philomom (Sep 12, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SandraS* 
Me too. I never had problems with them coloring other walls, and one coat of paint (which would've gotten done anyways) was all it took to cover it... and I will admit to having a bit of fun drawing my little pictures too! LOL! I guess this is why I bought my own home - I can do what I want and paint over it when I change my mind.

Actually, marker doesn't paint over well. From experience, I had a group of girls over to a "graffiti party" just before my dd got a new room color paint job. You know, a special treat, something you don't get to do without getting into trouble. The girls had a marvelous time and talked about that day for years. But the paint didn't stick. Even after I scrubbed the walls. It took a special primer and three coats of paint to make it look normal again. It was a painful and expensive lesson for the hubby and I.


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## Jannah6 (Aug 29, 2007)

Nope. Sounds good, but they would "forget" and color other rooms in the house.


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## QueenOfTheMeadow (Mar 25, 2005)

Nope! We rent anyway. I think I'd probably feel the same way if we had our own house though. I do like the paint you can get to turn a wall into a chalk board, so that might be a possibility.

On a funny note, when I had all my wisdom teeth out, I was on some serious pain meds. I wanted to call my mom to tell her I was home etc, but the numbers just wouldn't stick in my head. So I yelled down to dh to tell me the number. He thought I was dialing it, but I was actually writing it on the wall instead. By the end of a few days I had my parent's number, my best friend's#, and both my sister's #.








Luckily it was in pencil!


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## MOMYS (Nov 5, 2008)

Nope. We are currently renting, but we owned before. In one house we pained one wall with blackboard paint and the kids loved it.... now we have a blackboard and the kids love that, too...

To be honest, I have never considered allowing my kids to draw on the walls.


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## LaLaLaLa (Oct 29, 2007)

Nope; we live in a log cabin, so there's no way to paint over anything. I don't know what we'd even do about marked walls--sand them down and revarnish? Eek!

We encourage lots of artwork, but not on any of our walls.


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## mazajo (Nov 3, 2004)

In my grandparents' house of 35 years there is a little room in the basement which has served as kids playroom/ extra bedroom over the years. When I was in 5th grade, my cousin in 6th, and my sister in 7th, we got permission from Nanny to paint a mural on one of the walls. We painted a jungle mural, complete with giant black panther, a parrot, a snake, and lots of trees and flowers. Its still there







It covers one entire wall. We were actually pretty good! During later years some of the younger cousins took to writing graffit style all over the other walls of that room and while it doesn't look anywhere near as good as our mural, it's still interesting to look at now.

I currently rent, so it isn't an issue with my kids. No way would I let my 3yo scribble randomly all over his room, but older kids, especially if they were serious and had a good plan of what they wanted to do, quite possibly!


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## KweenKrunch (Jul 25, 2009)

We don't allow the children to destroy our home.


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## ScootchsMom (Feb 12, 2007)

Absolutely not. The kids' room has pine walls, so there would be no way to get it off without sanding and refinishing the walls. I like clean walls, but I will tape up a giant sheet of paper for her when she asks.


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## One_Girl (Feb 8, 2008)

We don't draw on any wall in our house, but dd is allowed to put up the stickers that are made for walls because they come off easily and we decorate the walls with her artwork because it is cheaper and easier to redecorate that way. I think that it is great to let kids decide what they want their room to look like, but it is also reasonable to put up limits for that decorating.


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## Hoopin' Mama (Sep 9, 2004)

Absolutely not. We have enough options around here for artwork.

Hanging butcher paper over a wall is a great one.


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## 1growingsprout (Nov 14, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KweenKrunch* 
We don't allow the children to destroy our home.


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## 1growingsprout (Nov 14, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *eclipse* 
Uh, I think that's a really, really, really, really big leap.

Really?? you must live in a city with out graffiti issues then

back to the OP, we do NOT mark on the walls, crayon, marker, paints or any other format.


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## stik (Dec 3, 2003)

My older dd, who understands the difference, has paper taped to the walls surrounding her bunk bed so that she can draw there.

My younger dd is only allowed to color on paper on the floor or on an easel. The paper around her sister's bed it too high up for her to see.


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## StrawberryFields (Apr 6, 2005)

Nooooo way, definitely not. It may be their rooms, but I'm the one who has to scrub/wash/prime/repaint. Writing and drawing on the walls, floors, fabrics, etc. is just not, NOT allowed.

Stickers I'm a little more lax about because they are not really a huge deal to remove. I don't promote or encourage them to stick stickers anywhere but on themselves and paper, but if someone sticks one on a window or a wall I don't go nuts either. I just peel it off later.


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## Irishmommy (Nov 19, 2001)

Not in this lifetime.


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## NiteNicole (May 19, 2003)

I don't let her color on the walls, but she has lots of available space to express herself (we have chalk for outside and she can draw on pretty much anything with that. We have a MASSIVE mesh saftey fence around the pool that is a perfect canvas with tons and tons of space). When she's old enough to want to take on PLANNING to paing on her walls, I'm open to it.


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *1growingsprout* 
Really?? you must live in a city with out graffiti issues then


Hardly. My city is covered, and I mean covered, with graffiti. Some of it is gorgeous, but most of it is ugly and I wish it would go away. My point was that the only similarity to drawing on the walls of the inside of your own bedroom (with permission from the owners) and scrawling graffiti across the walls of buildings that do not belong to you and upon which it is unwanted is the fact that walls are involved. I don't let my kids draw on their walls, but I have faith that if I did my kids would be smart enough to know the difference between their walls and someone else's and doing something with permission and doing the same thing without permission by the time they're old enough to be out and about unsupervised. It's sort of like saying that if I let my kids fold down the corner of a book to mark their place rather than using a bookmark, they might go to the library and rip up all their books. Or if I let my son pee behind a bush in the back yard in an emergency, he'll be dropping trou' in the middle of the street when he's 30 because he doesn't feel like walking to the bathroom.


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## rightkindofme (Apr 14, 2008)

I won't have a problem with my daughter decorating her room as she sees fit. Painting is not that expensive and not that hard. I've done a *lot* of painting in my life and even though I don't like it, it's worthwhile to me to allow my daughter the freedom to explore the world and alter it to suit her personality. But then again the walls in my house are: royal purple, dark dark blue/purple, green, raspberry, sky blue, and navy. And it's a small house.

We intend to put up chalkboard paint and whiteboard paint in the playroom on some of the walls. I think that using tons and tons and tons of paper to scribble on is incredibly wasteful and unnecessary. I'm pretty hardcore about not wanting to produce a bunch of stupid trash.

Besides, there are a few computer scientists who have said that one of the best things their parents ever did for them was to allow them to paint and draw on their rooms because they did complex math equations and sat there and stared at them during their teen years. If some of the most brilliant minds I have ever heard of think that being able to express themselves this way was instrumental then I'm absolutely willing to give it a shot.


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## lilbsmama (Nov 18, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rightkindofme* 
I won't have a problem with my daughter decorating her room as she sees fit. Painting is not that expensive and not that hard. I've done a *lot* of painting in my life and even though I don't like it, it's worthwhile to me to allow my daughter the freedom to explore the world and alter it to suit her personality. But then again the walls in my house are: purple, dark dark blue, green, raspberry, sky blue, and navy. And it's a small house.

We intend to put up chalkboard paint and whiteboard paint in the playroom on some of the walls. I think that using tons and tons and tons of paper to scribble on is incredibly wasteful and unnecessary. I'm pretty hardcore about not wanting to produce a bunch of stupid trash.

Besides, there are a few computer scientists who have said that one of the best things their parents ever did for them was to allow them to paint and draw on their rooms because they did complex math equations and sat there and stared at them during their teen years. If some of the most brilliant minds I have ever heard of think that being able to express themselves this way was instrumental then I'm absolutely willing to give it a shot.









:


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

I should note that I'm living in an apartment.


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## rightkindofme (Apr 14, 2008)

I should also note that if you are in a rental then I understand that it is a totally different situation.


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## momtoluke (Feb 14, 2009)

No way.


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## snoopy5386 (May 6, 2005)

as a toddler no, as a teenager probably yeah. One of my best friends when I was a teen had a room where there was stuff written, drawn and painted all over the walls of her room. Done by herself and her friends. It was so cool. So I would probably let my teen do it, with the express understanding that they are helping me repaint when they move out. My friend was in college across the country when her mom sold her house so I'm sure that room was a nightmare for her to repaint, but her room is one of my best teenage memories.


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## ledzepplon (Jun 28, 2004)

Heck no!

They do have a say in what gets taped or hung up, though.


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## becoming (Apr 11, 2003)

Nope, because we plan to sell our house soon. When we get a new house, still nope, because it will be a new house!


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## marie1080 (Aug 5, 2006)

Nope. Art is on paper only with a 2 year old


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## inkslinger (May 29, 2009)

Absolutely not at the moment, but I might when they are teens. Right now we are in a rental, and I want them to know that art has a place, on papers or canvas, etc. They are allowed to put stickers on their beds and we have large papers and canvases for them to paint/color/draw on.


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## 2lilsweetfoxes (Apr 11, 2005)

No, they can draw on paper and hang the artwork. When we move (next month), I'll be hanging twine criss-cross in a pattern on one of the walls of the kids' rooms with clippies so they can hang their artwork.

(however, I did find out that waterpaints and washable markers do come off with soapy water...so if I want to do a mural, I may use that method. We rent.)


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## VeezieTG (Nov 10, 2006)

in the last 2 days the boys have colored the entire front of my white dishwasher. i don't mind tho. the pride that they felt having accomplished something together, on their own, with no guidance, and a strong mutual desire to just create on what they saw as a blank canvas inspired me to just tell them how awesome their art was and leave it at that.

on top of that, i feel like the things in our house, including the walls, are just things. i want them to know that i value their creativity, and their achievements, much much more than any material thing. whether i think of them as actual "achievements" or not doesn't matter, because they certainly do. i am a renter. but i know that i have to paint all of our walls before we move out anyway. i also don't buy new furniture, or alot of glossy nice stuff in general because i don't come from a mindset of "these are my nice things, look how nice they are." that said... they really don't show a strong desire to color the walls, much.

my children value each other, us, our pets, our friends and family. my older son shows tremendous respect for others pretty much always. and tho he doesn't say it, i think he somehow intuitively knows that by respecting someone you must also respect their attachments, even if you don't have the same attachments. i know whole-heartedly that my son would never go to someone else's house and color on their walls or their dishwasher. he would probably, knowing him and the way he operates, say something like, "i colored my dishwasher and its awesome. do you want me to color yours?" if he felt inclined. but that's even a stretch, because he really understands the difference between being at home with your family and the boundaries there and being around others and having to learn their boundaries before encroaching your own wants upon them. he knows that our household is basically a free place, and that other places are not so free and you have to abide by that and that's just how it is...

i don't think its something you have to teach them. they take it upon themselves to observe it. pretty early on to, as i see my youngest forming the same public habits.

i also agree with the waste aspect of all that paper...

and i strongly disagree that coloring the walls leads to graffiti... i know alot of graffiti artists. alot. and of all of them, i know 2 of their mothers. and their mothers would be mortified to have something drawn on their wall. a graffiti artist usually comes from a background of alot of hindered creativity, rebellious spirit in general, and an almost eerie compulsion close to exhibitionism. out and out vandalism, tagging, etc... not talking about graffiti art but just defacing property for the sake of being bad... that comes from a whole other set of issues. i don't think one single person on mothering.com has to worry about raising a criminal. we are giving our children the foundation for a successful adulthood. whether that foundation consists of wall coloring or not.


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## sewchris2642 (Feb 28, 2009)

Not this house--we rent. When we owned, Erica painted a mural on her and Angela's bedroom wall.


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## PhoenixMommaToTwo (Feb 22, 2006)

Nu-uh, no way. For me, (and this is just me, I don't care what you do) it's a matter of respect. You respect your surroundings and drawing on the walls is not what I want to teach my kids.


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## kblackstone444 (Jun 17, 2007)

Why would I let my children draw on their walls? That's defacing property. They are, however, allowed to decorate their rooms pretty much any way they want, providing it doesn't permanently ruin anything.

And it's their rooms? True, but *I* pay the rent and *I* will have to pay for painting it when we move, if the walls are all covered with writing.


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## loraxc (Aug 14, 2003)

I haven't, but actually now I'm sort of considering it.







The problem would be that she would cover the walls really fast and then probably want to do it again....too much work.


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## SaraMum (May 17, 2009)

My son has never asked or attempted, he just colors or papers and books because that is what I have provided for him, I would probably let him though


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## 2xy (Nov 30, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *1growingsprout* 
Just as a side thought, if its ok to draw on walls its not that short of a leap in a few years to defacing public property and vandalism.

That's kind of like saying that allowing toddlers/preschoolers to run around naked will lead to them becoming streakers as adults.

We've moved a ton due to being a military family once upon a time, and also have lived in military quarters for a few years. Nope, we didn't do our artwork on the walls. There's enough to do during a move without having to repaint walls. Also, I can't recall my kids ever trying to draw on the walls, nor asking to do so.


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## AbbieB (Mar 21, 2006)

I had never even considered it until reading this thread. Now I want to have a room in the house where everyone can doodle on the walls! I think it might be kinda cool.

I get all of the "no" answers. I don't get the "defacing property" answers. How is it defacing property if it's yours? (It reminds me of this one hideous decorating idea my mother had when I was away at college. I came home to find the walls of the bathroom I used were textured and painted in the worst teal sponge paint technique. Now that was certainly defacement! Sorry mom, it's true.)


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## sunnmama (Jul 3, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *VeezieTG* 
i also agree with the waste aspect of all that paper...

I don't get the "walls instead of paper" argument. It seems to me that covering a wall with butcher paper and replacing it once a year is more eco friendly than covering a wall with scribble and repainting it once a year. Paint isn't exactly eco-friendly.

And we can conserve paper without using the walls. My toddler usually draws and paints on unfolded cereal boxes before they are recycled (they can stand up to a lot of messy watercoloring). We can provide reusable surfaces like chalkboards and whiteboards, sliding glass doors and wet/dry erase markers, pavement and chalk, etc. It really isn't nec to use the walls, which will require repainting, in order to conserve paper.


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## pink gal (Feb 27, 2008)

Nope


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## SweetPotato (Apr 29, 2006)

she's never even thought to ask about drawing on the walls- so happily no (I wouldn't be cool with that) However, we do have a big set of those wall stickers/decals from Target- flowers and butterflies- that can be removed and restuck without damaging the paint. She put those around her bed and occasionally moves them around.


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## purslaine (Feb 20, 2006)

Yes. Now I have to







: as I am one of the few.....lol.

We own the house. They have their own rooms. It is drywall coverred with paint - not pine or anything. They are allowed in their rooms only.

I know it will be a pain to paint over, but I think the joy and freedom that comes from owning and designing your own space trumps the pain....

Kathy

ETA: I like the butcher paper idea. I simply am too disorganised to make it happen regularly - that and I live in a rural area -I cannot get "stuff" with ease the way those in more urban areas can.


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

No. They can decorate freely though. My 7 year old's room was plastered with dirt bike pictures and posters until recently.

I do think I'll get him a cork board to contain some of that when his room is finished though.


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## Yooper (Jun 6, 2003)

It has not come up here. However, if it did, I would discourage it. If dd was insistent, we could talk about ways to make it possible in her room or cover walls with paper, or something. But I DO think stickers are hard to get off sometimes and can damage the finish of the walls. We have 120 yo plaster walls and any sort of abuse would be discouraged just because fixing or replacing would be very costly and time consuming. I would have to guess that some time in the last 120 years, some kid probably scribbled on the walls somewhere


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## SandraS (Jan 18, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KweenKrunch* 
We don't allow the children to destroy our home.

Your kids would DESTROY your home if you let them doodle on a wall? Wowza! That would be terrible! Mine were perfectly capable on drawing on the walls in their appointed rooms and my house never fell down.

Eh, I'm of the philosophy that "In 10 years will it really matter". I don't have the inclination to stress myself over the small stuff (and painting on the walls is VERY small stuff).


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SandraS* 
Your kids would DESTROY your home if you let them doodle on a wall? Wowza! That would be terrible! Mine were perfectly capable on drawing on the walls in their appointed rooms and my house never fell down.

You're right. I would not destroy the house in the sense that the walls will fall down. But it will make the home look tacky to MOST people.

Just because some people don't let THEIR kids write on THEIR walls, it's not something to get worked up about. No one is saying that you're a bad parent just because you don't consider it a big deal. People are different.

We do not allow coloring on the wall because dh and I think it looks tacky.


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## purslaine (Feb 20, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *elmh23* 

We do not allow coloring on the wall because dh and I think it looks tacky.

You are right. I do think it looks tacky. That is why they can only do it in their room. It is _their_ room, yk?


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## northwoods1995 (Nov 17, 2003)

No.


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## limabean (Aug 31, 2005)

Nope. If we had chalkboard paint on a wall they'd be welcome to draw there, but not on regular painted walls. Call me uptight.


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kathymuggle* 
You are right. I do think it looks tacky. That is why they can only do it in their room. It is _their_ room, yk?

That's great for you. I still spend a lot of time in my kids room (they are 4 and 2.) I don't want to look at it.


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## seaheroine (Dec 24, 2004)

No. We already have an easel, multiple bulletin boards, canvases, drawing pads, etc. Right now we're obviously facilitating artwork -- DD usually colors/paints in her highchair/outside/on the coffee table with a mat -- but later, she is welcome to use any art supplies to create anything...not on the walls or furniture, though.

DH and I both like to create artwork but we don't draw on the walls or furniture. If she was really interested, I'd probably buy some of the unfinished wood furniture pieces at Michaels or something...but we've worked hard to pay for our house and all family members need to respect that.


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## Just Kate (Jul 30, 2009)

Nope, because I hate painting. I might consider letting them draw on the walls once they are old enough to paint over it themselves.


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## GuildJenn (Jan 10, 2007)

It hasn't really come up in our house - we have an easel set up almost all the time and my son gravitates there.

I think if he really wanted to draw on the walls I would probably get chalkboard paint and paint one wall, or something similar - something that honours his desire to decorate while giving me a sense of, oh, I don't know - deliberateness? - about it. We are redecorating together though.

I know a mum who put clear plastic on her walls (Mac-tac? Something like that) and her kids draw with erasable markers on it, which is pretty neat.


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## NYCVeg (Jan 31, 2005)

Nope. In the first place, we rent--but I wouldn't allow it if we owned either. Neither dh nor I can paint competently, and we're not spending money to hire to someone to paint just so dd can scribble on the walls. She's never tried, actually. It's "her room" but also "our house" and we need to maintain a moderate level of cleanliness for our own sanity.

We also don't allow coloring or stickers on furniture. Mostly b/c dd's is the most expensive furniture in the house (her grandparents bought it), and we'd like to use it through middle school at least.

If she were a teenager, I would allow it if she wanted to. At that point, she would be old enough to be able to paint herself (or pay to have the room painted) if necessary.


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## kirstenb (Oct 4, 2007)

No way. We don't own a home, but even if we did I still wouldn't allow it. He's more than welcome to help decorate his room, hang his pictures, etc.


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## pixiekisses (Oct 14, 2008)

Yes. We have one room that's used as a play room, and in there we have one wall with chalk paint, and the others are white. They can do whatever they please. Grownups do too.
And in our 10.5 yos. room he got to decide (well, of course, his room) and he and his uncle (my younger brother) decorated it with graffiti style writings and pictures.
Whenever they get/want their own rooms, that's theirs. Me and my dear decorate and paint how we please in our room and the rest of the place really, so they can have their art in their room just as they please. (I think I might even let them have curtains it they really wanted them and where old enough to wash them themselves. And I really don't like/want curtains, we don't have any.)
We've never had any problems with any of the other walls being drawn on, bc they have a place for it.


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## sunnybear (Nov 18, 2004)

My mom allowed me to do this, up until I moved out! I loved it. I had lots of posters and used water colors, markers, etc on my walls. My friends thought it was the coolest thing ever and contributed to it. It was so much fun and I love that she allowed me to do what I wanted. When I moved out, she just painted over with primer and painted it white again...she didn't seem to be especially troubled by having to do that.

I would definitely allow my son to do so when we have our own home (renting with roommates right now), and I can't wait to use chalkboard paint, too.


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## artgoddess (Jun 29, 2004)

My dd, 20 months at the time, decorated the entire hallway, and parts of the dining room before I got around to scrubbing the crayon scrawl off the walls. Magic Erasers work really well for this. There is no open wall space in my kids room, too much furniture. But if they had the space for it I would let them go for it with washable crayon. We rent, don't own so it has to be easy to remove.


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## limabean (Aug 31, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *artgoddess* 
My dd, 20 months at the time, decorated the entire hallway, and parts of the dining room before I got around to scrubbing the crayon scrawl off the walls. Magic Erasers work really well for this. There is no open wall space in my kids room, too much furniture. But if they had the space for it I would let them go for it with washable crayon. We rent, don't own so it has to be easy to remove.

I used a Magic Eraser to get rid of a crayon mark in the kitchen, and while it didn't take off the paint, it did dull the finish and/or leave a dull residue that I couldn't get rid of (I couldn't tell which), so I've never used Magic Erasers on painted surfaces again. This was a couple years ago though -- maybe the newer-formula ones don't have this problem?


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## SandraS (Jan 18, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pixiekisses* 
Yes. We have one room that's used as a play room, and in there we have one wall with chalk paint, and the others are white. They can do whatever they please. Grownups do too.
And in our 10.5 yos. room he got to decide (well, of course, his room) and he and his uncle (my younger brother) decorated it with graffiti style writings and pictures.
Whenever they get/want their own rooms, that's theirs. Me and my dear decorate and paint how we please in our room and the rest of the place really, so they can have their art in their room just as they please. (I think I might even let them have curtains it they really wanted them and where old enough to wash them themselves. And I really don't like/want curtains, we don't have any.)
We've never had any problems with any of the other walls being drawn on, bc they have a place for it.

I love that! My boys shared a room a few years ago and wanted it to be "scary"... so we painted walls and ceiling black (and it only took one coat of paint to cover over it, for the record!), and used glow in the dark paint to make scary pics all over - you look under the bed, and there's eyes looking back; a graveyard with bats and ghosts around the perimeter right above the carpet; spiders and spiderwebs in the corners... it was the awesome-est room evah!!! (And no pics to show for it, sniffle - I don't know why). And when my son wanted it an aquarium room, one coat of purple, blue, aqua, and green each on different walls and the ceiling instantly transformed it. So easy, and so fun. My teenager has an OSU room with black, red, and scarlet... and it too will be a one-coat to cover when he changes his mind. I love letting them have their own custom areas!


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## oceanbaby (Nov 19, 2001)

No. I don't freak out about a mark here or there, but there is plenty of paper available for their art creations.


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## artgoddess (Jun 29, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *limabean* 
I used a Magic Eraser to get rid of a crayon mark in the kitchen, and while it didn't take off the paint, it did dull the finish and/or leave a dull residue that I couldn't get rid of (I couldn't tell which), so I've never used Magic Erasers on painted surfaces again. This was a couple years ago though -- maybe the newer-formula ones don't have this problem?

hmmm, I don't know the halls in this rental are painted with a matte finish. I wonder if she had drawn in the bathroom with a glossy finish instead if that would have happened.


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## pixiekisses (Oct 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SandraS* 
I love that! My boys shared a room a few years ago and wanted it to be "scary"... so we painted walls and ceiling black (and it only took one coat of paint to cover over it, for the record!), and used glow in the dark paint to make scary pics all over - you look under the bed, and there's eyes looking back; a graveyard with bats and ghosts around the perimeter right above the carpet; spiders and spiderwebs in the corners... it was the awesome-est room evah!!! (And no pics to show for it, sniffle - I don't know why). And when my son wanted it an aquarium room, one coat of purple, blue, aqua, and green each on different walls and the ceiling instantly transformed it. So easy, and so fun. My teenager has an OSU room with black, red, and scarlet... and it too will be a one-coat to cover when he changes his mind. I love letting them have their own custom areas!

Oh, I want a scary room!








I love that too, and it's just a room, no big deal to me but it means so much to them, and easy to change as well.
Our case worker (we're fostering, emergency care) has seen it, and it inspired her to paint her kiddos wall with chalk paint too bc she loved it so much.








(Well, it has actually inspired some friends too.)


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## artgoddess (Jun 29, 2004)

My DP is a civil engineer. And when plans are updated he saves the old ones for scrap paper. They are large enough to almost cover the entire top of our coffee table. We have a stack of upside down plans on the coffee table and when the page gets full we just tear off a clean sheet. My littlest one, almost 2 loves to draw, and this is a perfect compromise for now.


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## My3guys (May 27, 2009)

Nope. They have a tremendous amount of art supplies and scrap paper to do their art work. They use that. Plus, we have an entire playroom tricked out for their use including one whole massive wall with floor to ceiling chalk paint so they can color there to their hearts content. Not in their bedrooms, though. If they want to hang their art work there, I am fine with it and help them. Color on the walls...no way!


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## aihcalappa (Sep 30, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SandraS* 
My boys shared a room a few years ago and wanted it to be "scary"... so we painted walls and ceiling black (and it only took one coat of paint to cover over it, for the record!), and used glow in the dark paint to make scary pics all over - you look under the bed, and there's eyes looking back; a graveyard with bats and ghosts around the perimeter right above the carpet; spiders and spiderwebs in the corners... it was the awesome-est room evah!!!


That rocks! Like Halloween year-round.







:


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## aihcalappa (Sep 30, 2007)

I must say, I didn't realize that this topic would bring out such strong opinions. It's been interesting reading all the responses!


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## Needle in the Hay (Sep 16, 2006)

Not his bedroom, but his playroom. Before we moved in (when ds was 5) we had done a lot of renovations but purposely did not redo the playroom at all.
DS has not drawn or stuck stickers anywhere else in the house and he hates graffiti--go figure







Oh the stuff people come up with!


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SandraS* 
I love that! My boys shared a room a few years ago and wanted it to be "scary"... so we painted walls and ceiling black (and it only took one coat of paint to cover over it, for the record!), and used glow in the dark paint to make scary pics all over - you look under the bed, and there's eyes looking back; a graveyard with bats and ghosts around the perimeter right above the carpet; spiders and spiderwebs in the corners... it was the awesome-est room evah!!!

That? is awesome!


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## Satori (Jan 30, 2003)

No way and I'm shocked that other parents would allow it.


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## carole3 (Aug 30, 2004)

No


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## Evergreen (Nov 6, 2002)

Even though I am one who allows it (though my kids don't do it) I had a friend whose kids were colored all over the entire house. I thought it looked extremely trashy. They thought it was allowing healthy exploration. Oh well, to each his own. I never knew this issue could be so divisive!


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## 2goingon2 (Feb 8, 2007)

No, I wouldn't allow coloring on the walls but I did paint the top half of my kitchen in my previous house with chalkboard paint. My two oldest were the only two kiddos I had at the time and they loved it. I loved it too because I could write items needed from the store as they popped into my head or phone numbers. My husband and I are currently remodeling/adding on and I want to paint the BOTTOM half of my two little boys' room with chalkboard paint so they can go at it.


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## pauletoy (Aug 26, 2007)

Not in this lifetime!


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## fork (Feb 7, 2007)

Absolutely not!

I think that it looks sloppy, and when grandma(or anyone else) comes over to visit and wants to see the kids rooms I don't want to have a sloppy mess all over the walls. I currently work as an interior designer, and all of the walls in my house are painted crazy colors. Theres nothing I hate more the plain white walls, with the exceptions of white walls that kids have scribbled all over. I think that creativity is very important, and if an older kid wanted to paint a mural or something I would definitely let them.

Once the future kids are old enough to understand the difference of why they can draw on one wall and not any others I will probably paint an entire wall with chalkboard or dry erase paint. I would have loved something like that as a teen. In fact, I might do it for myself when I move to a bigger place and can have a craft room/office because it would still be fun for me.

Painting a light color over marker is all but impossible without multiple coats of stain-blocking primer. In the place we just moved into, one of the rooms was painted super dark blue with clouds. It was a terrible paint job or we might have thought it was cool and left it. Anyways, three coats of paint later and we discovered that there was pink and black marker scribbled all over one wall, and it bleed right through all the layers of paint. It was clear as day, and we had to paint that wall all over again. We couldn't see the marker on the old dark colored walls or we would have scrubbed harder when we washed them. I was so mad, I wanted to find the kids that used to use the room and make them re-paint it.


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## Porcelain Interior (Feb 8, 2008)

No, I find it disrespectful and I can't stand the way it looks. I don't like graffiti either, and I think that's why I don't care for the way it looks.

I'd allow it in a treehouse, but not in my house.

Chalkboard paint walls= cool.

Regular painted walls no.


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## sisteeesmama (Oct 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *1growingsprout* 
NO... its not even a discussion point. Just as a side thought, if its ok to draw on walls its not that short of a leap in a few years to defacing public property and vandalism. Art has its place but NOT on the walls. In my house its not negotiable.

Some people like graffiti, though, and I am one of those people.

But I don't like _bad_ graffiti and I would consider my 20monthers drawings to be badd graffiti at this point. I don't love, I don't hate it so when I am too slow to catch her it's not really high on my list of things to care about. But I do love those Mr. Clean magic erasers, they get crayon off easily, no paint needed.

*I'm not surprised by all the 'no's', though, most MDC mamas, as far as I can see, are more conventional in a lot of ways than I think people expect.


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## riverscout (Dec 22, 2006)

Sorry we aren't rad enough for you.


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## QueenOfTheMeadow (Mar 25, 2005)

closed for moderator review.


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