July 13, 2026 at 11:15 am

A One-Year-Old Drew Sidewalk Chalk Pictures, But A Neighbor Complained to the Landlord and Called Them “Ghetto”

by Jayne Elliott

sidewalk chalk drawings

Shutterstock

Imagine living in an apartment building with some shared common space. What would you do if you were walking through this shared space and saw sidewalk chalk pictures that were clearly done by a child? Would you think nothing of it, or would you complain to the landlord that the sidewalk chalk makes your building look “ghetto”?

I’d do nothing. Actually, I’d probably smile thinking about how much fun it must have been for the child to create the pictures and possibly pause to admire them for a few seconds.

In this story, one neighbor takes the complete opposite approach. She calls the landlord to complain.

Now, the child’s dad is furious. He thinks she really overreacted.

Keep reading for the whole story from the perspective of the dad.

my neighbor repeatedly calls the landlord over my one year-old and sidewalk chalk

It started with her calling the garbage man’s Supervisor because he was using a garbage can to dispose of her garbage.

It dirty’ed up her garbage can so she reported him to his boss. While he was throwing away her trash.

This is ridiculous!

She calls the landlord and reports that there is “ghetto” sidewalk chalk, which makes us and the apartment look ghetto.

Anytime the landlord has reached out. Which has been twice.. not only was it already cleaned up, but swept away also.

This woman starts fights with everyone in the complex around her.

She doesn’t just complain to you. She will call the police. She will go to the city. She will get other branches of authority involved.

This dad is pretty fed up with the neighbor.

I’m a 30-year-old father of a one-year-old.

It’s hard to not feel like this is a personal attack against your family.

We live in apartments so we face each other and we have to live with each other.

We don’t have anyone over we don’t play music. We are very quiet with our one-year-old.

Really, they aren’t trying to draw attention to themselves.

I know most people don’t think that you can be quiet with a one-year-old, but we are extremely low-key.

We stay out of the way. We don’t like to be in the spotlight .

We don’t want to have conversations with the landlord. Especially over sidewalk chalk.

They’re good tenants.

We pay our rent on time which is the most expensive in the whole unit.

We don’t have any requests. We don’t need accommodations.

I honestly don’t understand what is wrong with people.

I can’t imagine calling a 1-year-old’s sidewalk chalk drawings “ghetto.” It’s a kid playing. That neighbor sounds awful!

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Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

This person suggests talking to the landlord.

2026 07 11 at 7.58.13 PM A One Year Old Drew Sidewalk Chalk Pictures, But A Neighbor Complained to the Landlord and Called Them Ghetto

Another person asks a question.

2026 07 11 at 7.58.23 PM A One Year Old Drew Sidewalk Chalk Pictures, But A Neighbor Complained to the Landlord and Called Them Ghetto

A landlord weighs in.

2026 07 11 at 7.58.33 PM A One Year Old Drew Sidewalk Chalk Pictures, But A Neighbor Complained to the Landlord and Called Them Ghetto

Yes, what happened to her as a child that made her so mean?

2026 07 11 at 7.58.56 PM A One Year Old Drew Sidewalk Chalk Pictures, But A Neighbor Complained to the Landlord and Called Them Ghetto

If the landlord doesn’t care about the sidewalk chalk drawings, the dad should stop worrying about what the annoying neighbor has to say. If the landlord does care, they could get a chalkboard for inside their apartment.

I can’t imagine making such a big deal out of sidewalk chalk. It’s not like the child was using spray paint and tagging the walls or something. This is a one-year-old playing!

The neighbor needs to get a life!

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Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary.

Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast.

Follow Jayne's adventures and connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.