Reasonable consequences for teen losing expensive door key twice?

[Zoo2tropolis]

This may be a mix of AIBU and WWYD

My DC is early teens. Usually very responsible, well behaved, very few problems at any age. At the start of the school year they were given a door key. In a pouch, to go inside their school bag and stay there. Told to keep it safe, we have a special door and lock so it's really expensive. It would only be needed every now and then when noone gets home in time to let them in.

Around Xmas time, they lost the key. Then eventually found it, but we were mad they hadn't looked after it. They had taken it out of the pouch, left it loose. The responsibility and importance of keeping it safe, and consequences of not doing that were impressed on them. We helped them devise a means to keep it safe - put it in a zipped pouch, again within school bag and it should stay there.

Today they said it's lost again, this time the zip on the pouch apparently broke, they put the key tucked just inside their phone case and it's gone. The phone has been taken multiple places and they have no idea when it went or whether in or outside the house.

I'm saying the consequences for this should be:

1. Grounded for 1 month, due to seriousness of the issue and it being lost despite previous conversations (but they can still go to clubs)
2. Loss of phone except for travel to and from school for communicating
3. They should use their laptop to come up with a way to earn money to cover cost of a new key, as this is about taking responsibility

So AIBU, or what would you do in the same position?

YABVU, far too harsh for an accidental loss. Can you not just get a key locker by the door for them to use when needed?

I'd be leaving it under a plant pot tbh

No you cant do that, apparently SS would consider that "workhouse" treatment 🙄

I have a similar problem with my door key and I cannot get a new one cut unless I give a certain card which I have lost.
My daughter lost her key while at school. Her canteen card was with it. I phoned the insurance company and rather than having to pay out for a burglary they replaced the lock free of charge. ( not in the uk). What about having a key box hidden outside or leave the key hidden in the garage, if you have one.

Consequences? Come off it. Its a key not the crown jewels
Not their fault it's expensive For whose convenience does he have the key anyway.? Dont you ever lose anything? Mountain out of a molehill comes to mind here. Get a new one ordered.

On topic reply that I'm sure you'll ignore:

Yes you're being incredibly unreasonable and OTT. Those consequences are insane.

Not always possible. My flat has a very elaborate key to access the apartment building. £100 forr lost key.
But OP punishmenta are way OTT.
It is a young ,well bebaved teenager who lost key once. It is unkind. And the suggestion to leave the teenager witbout in a key is ridiculous. What if it is raining andd parent not back for 2 hours.
I wouldnt do a thing unless child made a habit of it. A firm talking to and a lanyard attached tl school bag.

You can't just get a cheaper key without changing a lock. We just had an extension built and they put a a new back door in,we agreed on the door, not even thinking about the lock. Went to get spare keys for our daughter and my SIL and you can't just get them cut, they have to come from manufacturers and are £30 each. They also come attached to bright yellow fobs that glow in the dark so quite hard to lose but there's always that possibility.

I know it's very annoying. I have a similar door. You can get cheaper versions of keys online. I also have a child who frequently loses things though has gotten much better.
When he loses something I try to ask myself how would I like to be treated if I lost my keys etc and act accordingly.

I don't you are being too hard. The only way they might learn is if you stop their spending money to cover the cost of a new key. They obviously couldn't care less.
They then might get the message. Plus, what about the security of your house?

The consequence should be they have to wait outside until someone is home.

All those suggested punishments are disproportionate.

It sounds like they aren't ready to have a house key yet. If them having the key is for your convenience, then you have to accept the cost of accidents, because you are deciding to give a key to someone who isn't ready.

Just get a key safe! Problem solved! Not your kids fault and they shouldn't be punished.

Nope , just no more key, they will have to sit on the step some of the time.
You can't force responsibility, you can only encourage it.
They can get jobs to have a new key cut, and work when they would have been sitting on the step.

Make them pay for a key safe. Those punishments are way way OTT.

I know the sort of key you have we have one as well cost 60 quid to get a new one
my son kept his on one of those coiled springs and it attached to his bag so he couldn’t lose it

If this has already been suggested then apologies.
Surely the obvious solution is to get a Key Safe attached to your wall.
They then key in the (usually) four numbered code, unlock the front door, and then put the key back into the Key Safe.
If they forget the code, then tough shit.

Get a grip

Lock safe, leave the key there once home. Would that help? My nephew lost our keys so often, key cut so many times. Eventually we had a new door as the keys wouldn't work.
It's frustrating and I understand that and consequences too but a balance perhaps? Jobs to do?

I would say get a lock box, but my teen still lost it, also lost padlock key to bike lock, he’s 30, he still looses his key, but to his own house !!! Well tbh and ours

They can pay for a new one, but don't get one themselves.

We have a key safe as our keys can’t be copied /need to be ordered. Nothing to do with a fancy door, just good locks.
Really useful as it means we don’t need to bother taking our keys with us either.

I think you’re being very harsh indeed… most schools aren’t like in the olden days where we all had desks. Kids are taking stuff in and out of their bags 6 times a day, often in a hurry to get to the next lesson. A “pouch” is going to fall out sometime or other.
Yes you can be irritated, but your reaction is way over the top.
Get them a key ring on a piece of elastic that clips inside their bag. Then it can never get lost.
But don’t punish them like this!!

Is there anywhere you could hide a key safe? That might be a better solution for the key

This is way over the top OP. PP have already given plenty of advice on more sensible and reasonable responses.

I would also have a think about whether you want to be the sort of parent that your kids come to (whether as kids or when they are adults) when they make mistakes, or one who they hide their mistakes from