Hey lovely mums I apologise in advance for my vent but I desperately need to before I explode!! Can I firstly say I am very grateful for my 4 children and amazing husband but FARRKK!!! They have singularly destroyed broken and trashed every important object that I have worked hard for. I know materialistic things aren't as important as a beautiful family but bloody hell!!!! They've broken my diamond ear rings and necklace, lost beautiful sentimental jewellery, broken my iPhone at least 4 times, my computer, all my lovely nick naks etc... it doesn't seem to matter how well I hide my possessions, the minute my back is turned they have destroyed them!! I honestly feel like I now have nothing, nothing to show for my hardworking years! The couch has pen marks all over it, a kid has peed on my bed more times than I'd like to remember, my fridge handle is broken, car is trashed... I don't own a decent outfit! I'm just bloody over it!!! I can't afford to replace these things and honestly, why bother! I love them dearly but I'm so sad to have nothing of any value as I enter my 40's. Please don't trash on me, I totally understand the more important value of children but ... why does everyone else have nice things??? It's not as if my kids are terrors, they're just curious busy kids!
8 Replies
I really get it, I ended up boxing up some precious items and putting them away. Then eventually I got a lock on my bedroom door, and some locked drawers to put my things in.
Can you not teach them to respect your things?!? Is there any consequence for breaking/trashing your stuff? Is there no understanding that they are not allowed to touch mummy things without asking first? I have a daughter, she loves my jewellery but is not allowed to touch it unless I am in the room with her.
She is not allowed to grab my phone.
She grabbed my make up bag and tried to put make up on the cat lol! So my makeup bag has been put on a high shelf where she cant reach it.
Dont get me wrong she's trashed stuff, like she scribbled on her wall in the room and the consequence was no more textas for a week.
We buy cheap furniture from fantastic furniture so its not a big deal if its peed, vomitted etc.
Better furniture will come when my kids are older.
I think you might need to teach them to respect your things and a consequence if they dont.
I agree, they need rules! Unless they are 1-3 year olds, where they are learning to walk and get into everything, there is really no excuse. My son is obsessed with phones/technology, but would never dream of touching my phone, he knows what he is allowed to use and what he isn't. He has accidentally dropped his own tablet (cheap), but is not allowed near my iPad. He is not allowed to just enter my room and take what he wants either, depending on your children's age, it's hard to give advice but I think you need to set some boundaries. There's not much you can do about poo, wee and spew though, it's life with kids lol
Nah, I just have my partner and our adult son and still can't have nice things. If it's little like jewellery, cash or vouchers I get away with stashing it in a lock box but other than that I'm flat out keeping a toothbrush to myself.
I so get it. I hate when my son breaks stuff but it doesn't help I keep knocking stuff over aswell ? maybe make yourself your own little room like a mans shed but except you know a womans shed. Keep all special stuff in there and don't allow anyone in. Like redecorate a garden shed or something
A She-shed!
Curious yes but destructive is a whole different kettle of fish. I have 3 kids ( all boys) and they would never touch my jewellery.
Maybe you need to try different consequences for their actions?
My kids are 20, 17 and 13, I'm only now starting to have nice things again, not that I'm into 'stuff' I declutter constantly and like clean surfaces, but I really appreciate having a living area/kitchen that is not overrun with toys and shit. I've moved a few times, and have basically started again, in a bigger, nicer space.
Put the special things away for now, and know that one day, like me, you'll feel like the inmates are no longer running the asylum ?