Balancing bucket on top of door - aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

[Juxal]

Age-old trick ha ha.

Except last night dd (9) and her friend (10) used a bowl of flour and water mixture. I had fallen asleep on the sofa so went up at 1ish. Result: thick gunk all over me and the bedroom carpet, and whilst I was getting stuff to clean it up with, the cats had decided it was a tasty treat, and then threw up all over the place as well. Waaaaaaaaaargh!

The girls are finishing cleaning up now (scrubbing carpet). I have said to dd no screens (tv, ds, computer) for a week.

DH was very angry last night, well we both were, but he gave them a good telling off last night. I have had a more measured word with them this morning.

Is that sufficient punishment? And should I let them go swimming later?

[SlartyBartFast]

no don't let them go swimming. though you might relent on the screens, if only for a bit of peace



is the carpet ok now?

[4andnotout]

I cant beleive they did that! I certainly wouldn't have dared to do it to my parents!
I wouldn't let them go swimming later in fact dd would have been grounded and i would have marched around to her friends house and told her parents!

[Juxal]

I shall tell her mum, but it happened at about 1am. I didn't wake up in time to ring her mum before she went to work this morning and can't ring her while she's there; one reason for the sleepover was that friend's mum was working today and couldn't get childcare.

They are both very sorry and begging for chores - neither dh nor I can think of any more, other than unload the dishwasher. They made us breakfast in bed, and lovely cups of tea.

Don't know if the carpet's OK yet, as dh has told them to leave it to dry and then he will go at it with a stiff brush and the hoover, but the bits I did last night seem all right.

At least they're back at school tomorrow. Phew. I think I might be being too soft?

[SlartyBartFast]

clean the whole house for starters,
or the car
or mow the lawn
or clear out cupboards,
iron
there must be laods of chores?>

[Juxal]

Oh Ruby, I must admit I am chewing my smile every time I think of it.

Give me a revenge, I can't think of one.

(DH is still very grumpy about it all, btw, which is also making it hard to keep a straight face.)

[ingles2]

OMG!
I would be livid for about 5 mins then reality would kick in. I would just know they were all carried away with the excitment of pulling of a stunt like that.
There is no way they really thought about the implications of flour and water turning to glue.
I would say no screens, no swimming, a bit of carpet scrubbing then forget it.

[becstarlitsea]

What are your least favourite chores? I'd pass all of them on while they are feeling contrite. It will do them no harm and you'll feel much more forgiving towards them. Mine would be

• Scrub the oven (give them some non-toxic stuff so they don't gas themselves - baking soda paste or somesuch)
• Clean and tidy the garage
• Tidy cupboards and clean inside cupboards while they are empty
• Sweep and clean all floors including tricky crevices
• Peel/scrub vegetables for the next two meals
• Do all washing up for next meals

I agree with no screens - keep 'em busy doing chores in the meantime!

It was a silly prank, clearly they didn't intend to be mean. But they need to pay for it in hard work since you had to scrub the carpet at 1am which is not so funny.

[Juxal]

Well, they are now sorting out dd's bedroom which is full of everything and nothing is organised; well overdue - she half did it the other day, but after yesterday it's gone back to standard state.

We have to go into town to get new school cardy and shoes, so they can trail around boring shops with us and we won't go into any nice ones! Except the bookshop.

Carpet's drying out, doesn't look too bad.

I think this is enough. I can't keep piling stuff on them. But no swimming.

[MitchyInge]

have you planned your revenge yet?

[crumpet]

I'd expect though that the shock of actually seeing the mess it caused will have brought them up short and they do sound contrite, so you'd need to think whether it is a one off or the sort of thing they are likely to repeat - if it is not, then I'd let them off too much more - it was a very funny!

(I'd probably not be so generous if it had happened to me!)

[Juxal]

Poor things, they sobbed for hours last night, woken up by the noise and by dh swearing. Got royally told off by him, and then they sobbed for such a long time that I thought I was going to have to phone the friend's mum and take her home.

Very very sheepish first thing this morning when I went in and took a while to believe that I was my normal, vaguely good humoured self. Set to cleaning up with a good will, and have uttered no complaint about anything. (DD is nagging to go swimming though. I have to deal with her attitude...)

I doubt very much they'll do it again. Well, the friend certainly won't - not so sure about dd

As for revenge, I'm useless at that. Suggestions?

[christmasmum]

Ooh, no fun cleaning up at that time! I remember doing something similar when I was younger, but involving cling film and toilets, enough said... anyway, my devious mum went for the initial punishment thing and the next evening sat me down, very calmly explained why she was so cross and dissapointed in me and then suggested that I set my own punishment to show how sorry I was.

I probably ended up doing twice as much as she would have made me do and it gave her an easy out when I'd finished to say that I was forgiven.

Valuable life lesson learnt

[Juxal]

Woah, good mum you had, christmasmum! I'll remember that for next time.

[UniS]

revenge can wait... a long time. I think my mum waited about 5 years.
She served up a trifle on one of my trips home from college with boyfriend ( now dh) in my portion was a fruit I thought was cape gooseberry or some such exotic sweet thing. It was a distinctly savory acidic cherry tomato.... seems I HAD been a tad annoying insisting that tomatoes are fruit when I was a teenager...

[Juxal]

LOL

I will make her a seaweed pudding with flour and water when she brings her first boyfriend home...