Neighbour’s kid picked my daffodils

Tbh any 8 year old who picks flowers from a neighbour's garden already hasn't been taught boundaries and doesn't have a good role model. Better to lower your expectation and move on. Thankfully they have got the message that it's not ok.

@Lucylooloo2

I'd message "Thank you for the lovely pot by way of apology. Since I didn't get a chance to speak to you I just want to be sure that 'Susie' now understands that picking other people's flowers is not a nice thing to do?".

We have no idea if this child is a brat and the neighbourhood terror or if she’s a bit whimsical and head in the clouds (which I was). If I had done this there would have been no ill intent (only childish thoughtlessness). If my mum had sat me down and explained that it’s not the right thing to do and let’s go over there and apologise I would have taken it on board never doing it again. If she’d been very cross and ‘frog marched’ me over there (as a pp said) I would have been mortified and very very upset. It would have caused me great upset and stress as I was a very sensitive kid. I’ve always kept that in mind with my own parenting as my younger son was very sensitive as a child. No need to frog march a kid over there when you can just walk over.

Are you serious? The kid stole them! It's not super sweet.

I’d be pretty pissed off, OP! Garden daffodils don’t last long anyway, and it’s not as if you get a second flush. Children should be taught that flowers in other people’s gardens are Strictly Off Limits!

That’s really rubbish. Did she message you back? Very cowardly of her. Not a good lesson for the kid!

Cowards avoiding a potentially awkward situation. It's something but not a great lesson.

When DD was little (4ish) she took a small toy from a toy shop. We went back, returned the toy and apologised. Yes it was awkward, yes the shopkeeper was pissed off some, but it was the right thing to do.

Agree.
She had an opportunity there to teach her child a good lesson

Can you not put up a fence, or a haha. Nothing visually intrusive but just enough to keep them out.
Ps I’m one of those ‘aww bless them’, but I’d say that for all animals 🙂

Were there any flowers in the pot?

It's better than nothing, but that is all there is to say about it. The mum is either a bit dim or she lacks the courage to apologise in person (& get her child to apologise).

I agree. If my own daughter had done this, she would have been frog marched round, the door would have been knocked and I'd have expected her to apologise verbally, along with a very sincere apology from me! I'd also have brought a hell of a lot more than a small plant pot. I'd have offered to reimburse the daffodil bulbs as a bare minimum but I imagine I'd have probably brought a substantial garden centre voucher or similar along too. She has taught that child absolutely nothing beyond being a rude coward. Do wrong in life? Ah just don't apologise. Go to a door and chuck a plant on it, don't even knock. I half expect if you hadn't a video doorbell installed that she would have happily continued turning a blind eye!

Exactly. How absurd. The child needs a stern lesson to nip this in the bud.

That's very unsatisfactory. The very least you should have had were sincere apologies and acknowledgement of the damage done. Was there anything in the small flower pot or was it just the pot?

I would be so cross with my child if they did this and would want to apologise to the person whose garden my child had vandalised. People put a lot of time, money and effort into their gardens which is their property. Is it sweet if the child goes into the house and takes something for a gift for them mum? Why didn’t she take the daffs from her own garden? She knew it was wrong and she would be into trouble if she did.

The greedy fuckers eat pretty much everything nice that grows in my garden and yet people still go "aww bless them" if I mention moan about it. Bloody Bambi has a lot to answer for.

Maybe leave out some popcorn 😋

The Deer love to eat my daffodils. 😭

You suggested rewarding theft. No one is proposing severe punishment but stealing flowers from a neighbours garden should not be rewarded.

Are you one of the many parents who advocate for 'gentle parenting' without understanding that it includes firm boundaries and consequences.

@Lucylooloo2

so
have you been round for a chat
wondering and waiting 🙂

I'd go & knock on the door,
Just to let you know that your daughter, has picked every single daffodil in my front garden. So can you tell her to leave my tulips the fuck alone, & not to set foot on my property ever again.

This is one of the most ridiculous posts on a thread with with many many ridiculous posts. I am in my 60s now and I don't remember any time when a child stealing flowers from a neighbour's garden would have 'filled people with joy'.

If I had done this at the time I was a child I would have got a smack. Not saying that was right....but the idea that there was some past golden age when people were filled with joy at the sight of children nicking their neighbours' flowers, is utterly batshit ridiculous. The OP was (rightly) upset by this & that is a good enough reason for her to create a thread.

This happens where I am too. I lost a beautiful wreath given to me as a present and was baffled until my NDN told me that the naice middle class mums will steal the nice wreaths right off the doors.

They were presumably the kids nicking daffs and being called sweet by their own parents.

I can't believe all this " oh it's sweet, she's picked them for her mum" claptrap.

OP says child's family have daffodils in their own garden and the child knew well enough not to have picked those flowers.

I'd be round to have a word with the parents. She's 8 not 3. She understands the difference between neighbour's property and her own.