To make DS go on a litter pick?

[Megatron]

I cannot abide litter. It drives me nuts and it's a real bugbear of mine so my children have always been taught that they put litter in a bin or the stick it in their pocket until they find a bin or bring it home etc.

DS is 8 and I have caught him 3 times in the last week chucking a piece of rubbish on the ground outside. A couple of sweetie papers, match attack wrapper etc and I am really cross with him. Obviously I made him pick them up and put them in the bin but he didn't seem to care very much.

There is a litter pick in our village every couple of months where volunteers go round and tidy the place up. Would IBU to make him do this next week? I'll obviously go with him but I think it would be a great idea as it may make him see how much mess these little bits of rubbish make. DH thinks it won't make any difference.

I think it's a brilliant idea. Maybe not presented as a punishment as such, but he will be in the company of other people who hate litter and will realise it's not just you nagging him. Also, he will most likely be praised to the hilt by the other adults, so will feel smug and special (in a good way!), maybe changing his attitude a little.

I would definitely make him do it!

Does he like animals? A little bit of education, maybe on the litter pick, about what litter does to wildlife would be in order.

Because he thinks it's OK to drop litter then yes, definately.

I can't stand it either and have risked getting shit from telling a teenager to pick up her crap and picked up four carrier bags of rubbish from a cut through on the way to school, you can hardly tell I did anything

A great idea and it can't hurt., even if it doesn't make a difference.

I just want him to see that he can make a difference in his own wee community by doing it, and educate him a bit more about how important it is (to me anyway! ). It's not a 'punishment' really.

Definitely take him!!

Your DH may or may not be right - but so what if it doesn't make him change his ways, he's still picked up a bag of litter and improved the environment. If you catch him again after that, take him to the park/out in your street and make him pick up litter until he has a supermarket bag full of it... he'll eventually soon get the message!!

It may or may not make him change his litter habits, but at least it will drive home that you really disapprove strongly!

YANBU

And anyway, you CAUGHT him 3 times. Which means he has probably actually DONE it many more. So you can tell DH that really he's picking up his own litter, and why should someone else do that?

YANBU. It may make him think about why he shouldn't do it - one little bit of wrapper probably seems harmless to him, but just wait till he see the bags and bags of rubbish it adds up to if "everyone" is doing it.

We live just off a rural road that runs between a small city and several villages. The verges along the road are a mess of fast food wrappers and bags - the entrance to our driveway is obviously the exact distance from the fast food places in the city to be eaten, wrappers balled and thrown out the car window. It makes me to have to pick up discarded food, wrappers and bottles out of my drive and out of my hedge several times a week!

So Selfish.

YANBU, that's a really good idea.