Neighbour’s kid picked my daffodils

It’s bizarre how many posters have taken up the idea that this kid was picking them for her mum, which makes it “sweet”. One person suggesting this as an reason doesn’t make it a fact!
I’d be more inclined to think charitably I if the kid hasn’t avoided picking the flowers in their own garden! Her parents probably told her not to touch those so she moved on to the next nearest…

Go and pick theirs in return? See how they like it?

She needs to learn not to take other people’s property. She’s not entitled to a share of OP’s flowers.

Can you go round and explain to mum and child that it’s private property, and technically trespassing and theft. And now you have no daffodils which is hardly fair

tell her she needs to knock on the door next time so to start you know she’s there and don’t call the police when your ring doorbell goes, and second you can show her which flowers to take, if any, so as not to damage the plants.

one or two fair enough, but every single one? Kid needs to learn to share.

Haha, good joke! This post is a joke, right?

It's really weird that even as an adult you seem to think you were the wronged party there.

Definitely have a word with the parents. She’s clearly not sensible enough to be out alone.

Firstly she’s going onto other property when she shouldn’t then she’s stealing.

Hardly a good start to freedom.

Did you miss that the OP says the child had daffodils growing in her own garden already? Should the OP also buy the child's family a doormat, glue it to her own back and lie down at their front door?

Why didn't the 8-year-old pick the daffodils that were in her garden then. ??

I would be seriously pissed off if an eight-year-old came into my garden and picked all the flowers!

Quite a few years ago I was doing my usual walk and there was a child older than eight, don't know the age maybe 10, and she was literally in the graveyard going from gravestone to gravestone picking all the flowers that had been planted in memory of loved ones! I called out to her to stop.

It really is not super sweet to do this and anyone saying how lovely, it's for mother's Day, well, the daffodils will be dead by then

Yeah I bet you would do that.

Bloody hell, just listening to the ‘oh how sweet’ and she’s only a little child’ brigade on here is giving me the rage. There’s nothing sweet about a child who is old enough to know better stealing. No wonder there are so many entitled little brats around with such pathetic parenting.

I’m sorry about your daffodils OP, they look so lovely growing in the garden, a real sign that spring is on the way.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, it would have filled you with joy to see someone come into your garden, part of your home, and take things that belong to you?

It is not "super sweet" to steal flowers from a neighbour's garden. Just like it's not super sweet to pick flowers from a verge or a park or in the wild. It's theft and I would go and speak with the kid's parents as it's not on, even if the child didn't realise.

Years ago I had two of my neighbours' kids playing together reaching over my garden wall picking things and pulling things up. I saw them doing it and went and spoke with both sets of parents. They both knew what they was doing was wrong and came and apologised to me. Didn't happen again.

YANBU; it’s absolutely not ok. It’s your garden and your property. Parents - do not let your children do this.

Go and complain to the neighbour and tell the parents that they cannot let their child on to your garden again.

Can you put up a fence and a gate?

She can explain in any way she likes. I don't have to explain you why. You can go with op and complain and get 8 year old in trouble if you like. Stop being so angry with peoole you don't know.

The girl shouldn't have been in thr neighbour's garden let alone causing damage and stealing.

The parents need informing and whilst the dc doesn't need locking up she deserves a thorough bollocking.

What on Earth am I reading? "Super sweet" - she's 8, not 3! More than old enough to know not to pick flowers, especially from someone else's garden.

I'm sorry OP. I'd be really sad too. I think mentioning it to her parents is a good idea.

Can't believe some of these answers. Eight isn't tiny and they've got their own daffodils. She's old enough to know better. The OP is right to politely ask her parents to speak to her and make sure it doesn't happen again.

I adore daffodils and have planted them in every house I've ever lived in as an adult

They are the start of spring

I spent years repeating 'flowers are to be left for everyone to enjoy' and 'don't pick them!' to my own children

(we lived in york at the time and for years,I'd walk the kids on the other side of the road to the bar walls/Clifford's tower so their was no temptation for little fingers but wed always stop to admire them)

In the house we lived in before I moved away,we lived in a very 'gentle parenting' area

My daffs had just started to bloom when some random kid would yank them up,bulb and all,stamp on them and walk off

His mother would stand there,proudly smiling and cooing at him (this happened a few times over the time we lived there)

I did try to have a word with her about not allowing her 8/9/10 year old to ruin my garden and all I got back was 'just buy some more!'

Yes,as a single mum with little money,I was meant to buy more and plant them,just for the little fucker to ruin them again

The entitlement is real

I wonder what the same parents would have said if I'd allowed my children to steal the milk off their doorsteps as they where thirsty ,to steal their clothes off the washing line as they liked the clothes or to batter their dog as they 'felt like it'

Once upon a time not so long ago, this would have filled people with joy to see a child do this, but fast forward to now, that poor little girl deserves locking up and an Asbo. Oh how society has changed!
To even create a thread on this is disgusting, you obviously have literally nothing else in your life to complain about. Lucky Lucky you!

I would buy some daffodil bulbs and take them to the little girl in a gift bag with some earth and a little gardening set. Explain how she can plant them in her own garden and eventually pick them herself-as they belong to her. And you then keep yours as you also grew them in your own garden.
Depends on how well you know the family of course?

I d be fuming some 8 year old stealing out of my garden I don't think it's sweet at all. Can't see how anyone can think it's sweet. It's bloody stealing and what will she nick next. I've had stuff nicked out of my front garden. Believe me there is nothing sweet about it. I often wonder what all the people on here who think it's sweet would do if it was their flowers.

No my father was an irresponsible alcoholic, and mother was a codependent so you are right they didn't teach me anything. Tgey were beyond neglectful. However, I wasn't a nightmare child but during summer vacation when I used to meet my cousins, I would do some naughty things with them and they were fun because that was the only time i could be silly or childlike. I agreed in other posts, it is not sweet like other posters said.
Please stop assuming you can tell a person based on a very little information you learng about them.

Why should she say it in a non-complaining way? It would be wise not to go in all guns blazing, but I think we can assume if an eight-year-old is allowed out unsupervised she probably doesn't have a learning disability and should therefore be able to grasp that you don't pick flowers from other people's gardens. You don't even go into other people's gardens uninvited. So yes, the OP has grounds for complaint, and a reasonable expectation that the parents will make sure this doesn't happen again.

I'm a really keen gardener and would be absolutely raging if someone picked even a single flower from my front garden - the amount of work I put into it, oh my God, I'd be gutted uf someone damaged any of my plants. If it was a child I'd just gently explain you shouldn't do that and point them in the direction of the nearest patch of daisys - if it was an adult doing it... I'd go fucking mental, armageddon. I'd properly go ballistic at them.