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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be incredibly annoyed with my 20 month old son.

220 replies

GoFullForce · 20/05/2011 09:10

so much that Ive had to go upstairs and calm down away from him.

In the shower this morning, and ds playing/shouting for me, but as I was washing my hair, was reassuring him that il be a minute etc... anyway looked down and their is my £300 NEW mobile phone, broken, gone, etc... yes its insured through my house insurance, but Ggggrrr, I'm so annoyed.

annoyed at my 20 month old son, honestly!. Hmm

It was on charge in my bedroom, same place where I have charged my mobiles for 5 years. Grrr .

OP posts:
Tee2072 · 20/05/2011 09:13

Was it in his reach?

We have a rule in this house; if our son can reach it, it's fair game. This is why nothing important is lower than about 3 feet.

TrinityIsAShreddingFatRhino · 20/05/2011 09:15

so you've charged your mobile there for 5 years
but you have only had a child for 20 months?

so you have just taken a bit long to learn to put it UP

means higher than 4 feet Grin

Buda · 20/05/2011 09:15

YABU.

Sorry. You left it where he could get it. He is a baby. He has no idea that she shouldn't take it and no idea that he broke it.

Well done on going upstairs to calm down though.

ShittingHenry · 20/05/2011 09:15

Incredibly annoying but worth remembering that to him it's not a £300 phone- it's just another piece of goofy shit to be investigated and smashed to a zillion bits.

Original poster
GoFullForce · 20/05/2011 09:16

yes and no, it was behind the side cabinet, so he had a hard job getting to it, but he did, hence why I am now Sad

OP posts:
stealthsquiggle · 20/05/2011 09:16

You need a 'safe zone'. I can't say that we moved everything up the walls when the DC were toddlers, but there has to be one room where you can leave them out of sight (but within earshot) for 5 minutes or you will go stark staring mad.

Sympathy on the death of your mobile, though.

OppositeOfBlooming · 20/05/2011 09:16

He doesn't know the difference between a £300 phone and a cardboard box in terms of value. Not when left to his own devices like that. It's your responsibility to keep it out of his reach I'm afraid. Annoying but it's not his fault.

Original poster
GoFullForce · 20/05/2011 09:17

haha, trinity, I also have a 5 year old.

OP posts:
JoniRules · 20/05/2011 09:18

YANBU...you are a human being, regardless of whether you left it in reach or not, we can't always remember to move everything out of reach. Quite often i am surprised at what my DD can now reach and it changes from day to day. You ARE allowed to be annoyed and have feelings you know. In about 10 mins you probably would have calmed down anyway and chalked it down to one of those things. I often get annoyed and irritated by my DCs because of things they do. Often I don't show it anyway and then the moment passes.

BendyBob · 20/05/2011 09:19

Oh dear. Sorry about the phoneSad.

It's pointless to be annoyed with someone who is only 20 months. Be annoyed with yourself maybe...at least it's insured.

Get anything valuable/dangerous up and out of sight. Everything is as interesting as anything else at that age. They don't differentiate between their own toys and other people's things.

Bumpsadaisie · 20/05/2011 09:20

What a pain.

At 20 months though, afraid you can't really be annoyed at him. But you can be annoyed "in general" that you've lost your phone.

What did he manage to do to it?!

dawntigga · 20/05/2011 09:21

FFS he's 20 months old of COURSE he's going to play with something he see's his mummy playing with. He doesn't know he's being destructive he hasn't got the cognitive reasoning to get there yet.

OrCourseYABUYouShouldBeAnnoyedAtYourselfTiggaxx

plupervert · 20/05/2011 09:22

Sorry, I think you are actually probably annoyed with yourself. None of us can afford to be complacent about "what they can't do", because they learn new things all the time, and they try new things all the time. I've lost two phones to coffee dunking, and luckily cheap, non-functional phones are an option for me (whereas you may need e-mail on the move or whatever else you use your expensive phone for).

I agree with Tee2072 about the three-feet rule. Luckily, we have lots of bookshelves anyway, but we would have been buying bookcases like mad if not, as they are brilliant for getting extra horizontal space which is our of Their reach. Please ensure the shelves are stable, though, by fixing them to the wall if need be.

TrinityIsAShreddingFatRhino · 20/05/2011 09:22

well if you have a 5 year old too its even more silly to be so angry with your 20 month old

maybe your 5 year old is like my first child, dd1 never just randomly werote all over the walls or tried her best to touch, bang, pull apart anything that wasn't 'hers' and therefore very interesting....

but sure;y on your second child you should know about UP and be prepared for the crazy and unexpected

even if your 20 month old used to NEVER go near your phone
you can probably bet your bottom dollar that one day he;ll feel like flushing it down the loo

its kid law

UP dude UP
that is the secret Grin

plupervert · 20/05/2011 09:23

Oops, lots of cross-posts!

I laughed at "piece of goofy shit to be investigated and smashed to a zillion bits." Grin

TrinityIsAShreddingFatRhino · 20/05/2011 09:23

I also beleive that actually you are pissed off with yourself

and yes you are himan, I have lost things to the kids from forgetting to put them UP or away

and I feel for you losgin your phone
I would cry, honestly

shesparkles · 20/05/2011 09:23

Sorry but YABU, you should be annoyed at yourself, not your ds just like I was when I drowned my 3 week old phone

WeirdAcronymNotKnown · 20/05/2011 09:24

Mistakes happen. You've learnt a valuable, but expensive, lesson.

Like others we have a few safe places where stuff is put out of reach.

I have to ask though - were you alone in the house with him? Was he unsupervised while you showered? Because I really wouldn't be happy with that - not at 20 months. Given that a large percentage of childhood accidents happen at home, I'd say it's quite risky. I'd shower while he was asleep.

BendyBob · 20/05/2011 09:25

My dt's snapped a piece off our brand new tv when they were about that age. It was only a bit of 'trim' covering some buttons and was nearly impossible to replace and cost a fortune Hmm

Not that I hold a grudge or anything

TrinityIsAShreddingFatRhino · 20/05/2011 09:29

why did you replace it bendy?

Original poster
GoFullForce · 20/05/2011 09:33

Im not pissed off with ds, Im annoyed at him, but more pissed off with myself for not blooming opening my eyes on time!.

OP posts:
GrownUpNow · 20/05/2011 09:33

I'd be annoyed at myself for leaving it where he could reach it. At twenty months old, they wouldn't know any better. Being angry at them is shifting responsibility for the accident.

I recommend a stair gate on their bedroom door for getting washed. I put them into their childproofed room while I am occupied elsewhere and these sorts of things are less likely to happen.

Original poster
GoFullForce · 20/05/2011 09:34

yes he was alone, he has free roam upstairs, there is nothing upstairs that could hurt him.

OP posts:
stickytoffeepud · 20/05/2011 09:34

its your fault for making sure it wasnt within his reach

hopefully there is no bleach, drugs or whatnot you will also be annoyed at him for being curious about

BendyBob · 20/05/2011 09:35

Well it was brand new (dh's new toy) and was quite noticable on the front. We got a new bit and stuck it invisibly as best we could so they couldn't so it again.

They were little rascals though at getting hold of things and used to work as a team climbing on each other to get even higher.