Neighbour’s kid picked my daffodils

She needs to know it was wrong, so you're right to tell her parents.

I do think that an eight year old knew exactly what she was doing and that it was wrong. However, this brings back memories of my brother aged around four with the little girl from next door but one picking all the daffodils from our next door neighbour's garden then knocking on her door and presenting her with them.

Maybe it’s a cultural thing but I find it very weird that a kid that age would think it’s just okay to waltz into someone else’s garden and pick flowers there. It’s not exactly public property.

If you know who it is it’s probably worth mentioning (not in a telling off way or anything) so that they don’t do it to other’s gardens.

I couldn't get upset over this because they were picked by a very young child.

Some of these responses are extremely OTT.

I remember picking loads of daffodils from our garden for my mum and getting a hell of a telling off, maybe even a smack at a similar age, and saying you never told me. Once I knew I never did it again, I suspect it will be the same for this child. I'd do exactly this.

What on earth am I reading on here tonight? It is not sweet and lovely to have your flowers stolen from your garden. Flowers that give you joy. It is not the op's responsibility to provide flowers for neighbourhood kids. What's next? Giving them her garden furniture because it gives the 8 year old joy to be able to sit on a rattan chair

I would be angry tbh! I wait all year for flowers / spring!

Yes it's been done by a child but boundaries have been encroached!

What I will say is get a pot and compost and get yourself down to ASDA, because they have daffodils in little grey pots that are ready to replant! I have done this because mines came up blank this year!

Go round to theirs and pick them right back.

Mmm, my brother picked a huge bunch of daffodils from the council flowerbed on the corner of our street. He came home so thrilled to give them to my mum but she went ballistic and really told him off. I remember feeling quite sorry for him, but - he was only five and it wasn't a private garden.
Eight is usually old enough to know better and definitely if it's flowers in a garden. I think I would have a quiet and calm word with parents asking her not to do it again, but I wouldn't be angry.

Stealing is not super sweet.

Ahh now that puts an entirely different slant on it I think.

Have a friendly word with the parents tomorrow.

I hope you have taught your own child consideration for others.

Which is why the OP needs a friendly, polite word with the child's parents.

So they can explain to the child that it's wrong.

I’m sorry to hear that OP.
I love my daffodils.
I can’t bear to actually pick them myself as they bring me such pleasure - I buy some from the supermarket to have in vases. I enjoy looking at them out of the window and seeing them cheering up my otherwise dull garden.
Over the years I have enjoyed collecting different types.
I would be REALLY upset if someone came along and picked them.

Oh I really sympathise OP. I would be very upset.
It also makes me sad that you see people, not just children, picking daffodils in public spaces but they don't even bother taking them home. They just throw them away a bit further down the road.

This.

(Also Mother's Day is over a week away, so unlikely to be for that for those suggesting so.)

I definitely picked flowers as a kid and would never have an iota an adult would be upset about it! Kids don't realise these things

This /

Kids will be kids, but they have to learn to respect others property.

I remember doing this as a kid. Picked beautiful flowers from a neighbours garden to surprise my mummy. I was delighted with myself as they were so lovely and knew my mum would love them. Never once crossed my mind when I had picked them that was them gone from that garden. Wasn't until I got home and my mum obviously realised and told me never to pick flowers again from someone's garden but thank you. It's only now as an adult I can truly understand how that would have impacted the home owner, the hours into her gardening she did (funny seen her earlier today now in her 90s still out gardening). I now try and tell my kids, flowers are for smelling only. But kids don't have the long term realisation sometimes.
I think it's OK to be sad though, they are beautiful.

I would be gutted too. I spent years drilling into my DCs not to pick garden flowers, whether in our garden or others, and explaining how much nicer they look (and longer they last!) when left attached.
I think you may need to say something to the parents, otherwise she'll be back for the tulips next...

I can’t believe that people are making excuses for this and saying it’s “sweet” that the little girl did it for her mum. If my children had done it I’d have been really cross with them and taken them back to the house to apologise.

I’m sorry @Lucylooloo2 I would be upset too.

I actually have a childhood memory of being shouted at by a teacher for picking some daffodils at school and being a bit shocked. I now understand they're bulbs and will only flower once per year but as a child I just wanted to pick some pretty flowers amd saw no difference between them and buttercups or daisies.

So I completely get why it's annoying but the child may not understand!