[Closed] Am I too strict?

tv - how would a kid have a tv, if you want a tv, get a job, move out, pay rent, bills, tv license and enjoy whatever programs you like.

Exactly - If you wnat a bike, move out, open a steel fabrication workshop, buy a rubber plantation, mine some metals, build a forge, lay yourself a few hundred miles of road and piss off while you're about it.

now come on thestabiliser, i dont mind if they want to ride off road, but the trails dont maintain themselves eh.

*high fives*

What's more important to you? The relationship with your son? Or the 2.00 he spent on some crisps? Did you not maybe think that he thought it would be ok? That its just some crisps?

Seriously, you went 'mental' over some crisps? have a word with yourself

OP - unless you had notices stating 'DO NOT BUY PRINGLES WITH MY MONEY' on either side and above your front door, and on the doormat, and perhaps at various points en route to the shops, then I don't really think this is your sons fault.

As for kids not doing little chores like this ... Really?

Well I suppose if you don't want your kids to be your servants, then yeah. I am surprised that in this day and age so many people still follow a quite authoritarian model of parenting. This thread is a good example. I remember when I was a kid I spent a lot of my time feeling unjustly punished and unfairly treated by my elders. It didn't teach me values, boundaries, morals etc, I worked that stuff out for myself, all it did was left me feeling rather resentful and angry.

This has reminded me of the time I ate most of the carrots from my dads veg patch and he went insane and chased me half way across Shropshire.

Ahhhhh memories.

Choose your battles. Especialy when savoury snacks are involved. If you want crisps issues that are really worth going mental about , then my girls eating all the decent flavours out of the bloody multipacks, and leaving just the sodding smokey bacon, or roast chicken flavour.....?

Well.....

[img] [/img]

see 17yr old sitting in garden with his mates knocking my beers back. life is too short, your kids wont be at home forever.

They will if they drink my beer without permission, under the patio forever!

I think you went over the top why not explain to him the value of a good quality snack,and explain next time ask.

How ever in my house it was my job to do the small shop runs, it was a mile each way. but we had an open fridge rule, anything could be eaten as long as we ate our dinner. (obviously within reason)

Im fully in the oppinion of brining your kids upright, but going off it over a packet of crisp when you could have just had a civilised word.

Seriously, you went 'mental' over some crisps? have a word with yourself

+1

Your son now thinks his dad's a dick

When I was 11 I was given £5 to go and get my haircut.
On the way I bumped into a friend who invites me back to his house.

A few hours later I arrived home hair uncut having lost the lot playing 3 card brag.

My hair grew quite long that year. .D

I went mental because my kid took money that wasn't his to take and would again reading some of these replies explains a great many things.

I went mental because my kid took money that wasn't his to take and would again reading some of these replies explains a great many things.

It explains that when you've asked if you're in the wrong, you're not very interested in the answer.

Why not focus on the fact that he went to the shop for you and bought what you asked?

reading some of these replies explains a great many things.

Such as....?

* makes 'Bingo Card' list of the things about to be mentioned *

[b]joolsburger[/b] - Member

I went mental because my kid took money that wasn't his to take and would again reading some of these replies explains a great many things.

So, you've asked everyones opinion, the majority say you were OTT, yet your reaction would be the same if it happened again?

Why ask?

can i just use my dailywail bingo card?

I went mental because [s]my kid took money that wasn't his to take[/s] I have a short temper and an inability to control it in response to a challenge to my authority and would again reading some of these replies explains a great many things.

FTFY.

I went mental because my kid took money that wasn't his to take and would again reading some of these replies explains a great many things.

Ah come on OP, did you honestly think you would get a unanimous response from STW that what you did was 100% correct and totally awesome and exactly what everyone on here would have done?

What no hummus? You need to put your house in order mate!

Sounds like you're probably stifling his creativity, and limiting his self-expression too. You monster! 😉

My dad had a jar of change when I lived at home (probs still does) it was full of brown coins mostly but if you rummaged around you could come up with the odd 50p or even v occasionally a quid!! I used to help myself to it.

How would you have reacted? As my dad was pretty much not bothered.

Your son probably understands the concept of stealing, and maybe technically he sort of did, when he helped himself to your loose change, but is it really worth going 'mental' about it?

I hope he came back with an empty tube, smiled at you as you were 'going bonkers' and said to you "well you know how it is dad, once you pop you cant stop", that should have softened the blow for you that your son was stealing off you.

Way too harsh reaction IMO, you're going to be a v stressed out individual by the time he is 16, maybe even dead from stress.

It's true I'm a monster Binners

BoardinBob - Member
Seriously, you went 'mental' over some crisps? have a word with yourself
+1

Your son now thinks his dad's a dick

He is meant to be a parent not a mate. The kid was in the wrong he stole money he needs to know it is not acceptable at that age.

Out of interest what punishment did the OP dish out?

He is meant to be a parent not a mate.

I think being a parent means trying not to flip your lid over a minor transgression.

He is meant to be a parent not a mate. The kid was in the wrong he stole money he needs to know it is not acceptable at that age

Can you not be both ?

Stealing money is taking it from your mums purse without permission. Not buying a bag of Pringles with the change when you're given money.

I've had him killed so all sorted now

You asked you 13 year old son to do an errand and they did it without complaining or making a fuss - great result
You gave them far too much money for a loaf of bread (assuming this isn't an Islington artisanal loaf we're talking about) so they used some change for an alternative source of carbohydrate as well as the bread - fair enough
You flipped out - not cool.

You sound like the mum in Jack and the beanstalk...

I've had him killed so all sorted now

You fool! You've just cut off a potential household revenue stream

[img] [/img]

Poor lad, he must have been thrilled to be entrusted with the tenner and was overcome with consumer lust and a feeling of wealthy recklessness when he saw the Pringles on the shelf.

I'd have told my own lad aged 15:

1 - You should really ask when you spend other people's money, as a courtesy.

2 - You should have brought them back to your Mum as a present; she would have said "no thanks I'm on a diet" and then you could have scoffed them with a clean conscience.

He won't forget the scolding though - I went to the shops when I was about ten and emptied my piggy bank onto the counter to buy an Airfix model but it turned out I was 3 pence short. The shop assistant told me to take the model and come back later so I went to my Mum to ask her for the 3 pence because I knew it was important to pay it straight back. She bollocked me for borrowing money, a lesson I never forgot.

Edit: kids in their early teens are desperate to please and be popular, my own son is currently curling up with embarrassment because while watching the TDF go past he shouted out "Come on Brad!" in a moment of enthusiasm. We keep assuring him that nobody heard but he is mortified anyway.

Taking something that's not yours without asking is wrong I'm amazed anyone would disagree. But fair enough I am just old fashioned and too strict. I'll get some coke and he and I can talk it over on the gak.

Finally.... some bloody common sense. Don't forget the hookers for later

joolsburger - Member

Taking something that's not yours without asking is wrong I'm amazed anyone would disagree.

It could be argued he was given it... never took it.

"bring back the change" is what my mum would have said to me ...

I'm staggered that someone who's a parent would act like this towards their own child. I'm all for instilling values, morals and scruples in mine, but there are ways and means of doing it.

weeksy - Member
He is meant to be a parent not a mate. The kid was in the wrong he stole money he needs to know it is not acceptable at that age
Can you not be both ?

Stealing money is taking it from your mums purse without permission. Not buying a bag of Pringles with the change when you're given money.

Shit I've been getting this whole stealing thing wrong!

Right I'm going to buy myself a Liteville 301 on my GPC after all I did use it for my train tickets for work I will use the rest on a new bike.

It wasn't his money....

[i]Taking something that's not yours without asking is wrong I'm amazed anyone would disagree.[/i]

No one is really disagreeing with that, and I'll bet your son already knew that, now he also knows that his dads got a temper. 😕

I'm shocked everyone has missed it but if you're wife has said you were over the top then you were over the top, because the wife is always right.

But you were wrong anyway.

I remember being given £1 by my mum to buy some Fairy liquid. I could spend the change on sweets - about 8p. Fairy liquid like Sellotape, and Hoover, was just a generic term to me so I enterprisingly I bought Happy Shopper washing up liquid for much less and got more sweets. I think my parents appreciated my entrepreneurship and just pointed that difference in quality. They weren't so happy when they found out that I'd given my brother - who I was supposed to share the sweets with - only 4p worth and I'd kept all the savings 😈

chambord - Member
This has reminded me of the time I ate most of the carrots from my dads veg patch and he went insane and chased me half way across Shropshire.

Ahhhhh memories.

Taking something that's not yours without asking is wrong I'm amazed anyone would disagree. But fair enough I am just old fashioned and too strict.

No not at all, what you are is an overbearing bully who can't deal proportionately with a childs actions. I know this because I've been exactly the same myself in the past with my kids . I applaud your values but sometimes you do need to look at your actions from a distance, I'm pretty ashamed about how I've behaved in the past, time to sit down with him, apologise for how you dealt with it and then explain calmly why he was wrong.
If that doesn't work force him to eat tube after tube of pringles till he throws up. 🙂

Well that's me told! An overbearing bully eh, and you get that from the phrase "went a bit bonkers"? As for plan B the boy has an appetite like Bruce Bogtrotter so I'm not sure that would work.

oh oh, watch out - he's going to blow

hides behind sofa with pringles...

As others have said - in that position eat the pringles. Maybe offer him one then as he goes to take it eat it too.

The fact you ask the question indicates you think you have.
IMO if that's all you worry about with your kids, they are probably angels. Mind you, you've just taught him a valuable lesson, not to tell you anything.

Unless you are an actual rabbit, I'm not sure I believe this one...

It really is true. We (My cousin and I) washed them in the rain water barrel and scoffed the lot. Cousin got away with it. I was in big trouble.