Well, if you must leave it open!

[Thistledew]

DS has just turned 2. He is mad about all things diggers. There has been some major resurfacing work on the road near us recently and a digger (sorry DS, backhoe loader) has been left parked just down the road for about a week now. DS likes to go and have a good look at it close up. Today he asked to drive it, i.e. sit in the cab. I said "Sorry DS, it is locked", but stupidly to demonstrate the point I tried the door handle.

It's not locked.

It would make DS's week to sit in the cab and pretend to drive for a few minutes.

Would you let him?

Yes, whenever I am comprehensively handed my arse on MN, I too like to pretend I was just completing an "interesting thought exercise".

Maybe you could borrow the digger so you could backtrack a little faster, OP?

No-one has given reasons other than potential safety as to why there is such a distinction.

Yes, almost everyone has also said because it's NOT YOURS. It belongs to someone else.

What could happen if you go in someone else's digger is not what your son needs to think, it is THIS DIGGER IS NOT MINE, I shall leave it the fuck alone

Also, at 2 years old, this is THE most important message to learn.
Critical thinking can come later, when they've learned how to behave in a civil manner.

Personal safety is immense btw, what if he slipped and split his head open on one of the switches?
What if something fell from the inside of the vehicle roof and hurt him?
What if the safety mechanisms were not on and he managed to move it - even over your foot!
Also:
You could get one of the workers into real trouble if they were meant to have secured the vehicle.
It. Is. Private. Property. You would be trespassing to enter the vehicle.

You're setting a very bad example of entitlement to your child.

As others have said - if he liked 'red cars' would you let him randomly sit in one outside Tesco if you found it unlocked?

If you genuinely can't see the difference in this and jumping bollards, you probably shouldn't be out unassisted anyway.

ExileOnMNStreet

Thistledue 😀

Ffs. Sometimes the answer is no, because I said so.

Not everything has to be a sodding discussion, you don’t have to give a reason for everything.

Why not 👍

Blueberry I missed a golden opportunity there to ask OP if she was using the digger to dig herself a bigger hole

FWIW, I know two children brought up by parents who gave them an explanation for everything, involved them in each and every discussion regarding a yes or a no answer, let them discuss whatever they want to discuss without ever shutting them down - some of it pretty grim and definitely inappropriate for the setting. But the parents thought they were helping them with the critical analysis skills...

Those children are now in their late teens and they are so unbelievably difficult. Their manners are appalling, they both have quite a lot of issues, neither can function appropriately in social situations like the near-adults they are, and they are so unbelievably self-involved that I don’t think they even consider the views of others EVER. Because their own views have constantly been held up and talked about and examined. It’s depresskng.

Going against most of mum's net here. I'd let my child! Your supervising. Your not going to harm anyone. Make his day!

Errr OP you should not have touched the digger at all. I am surprised you thought it was ok to open the door.

It also isn’t ok to walk on walls belonging to people’s homes. It’s their property! And the cumulative damage will have to be paid for by them!