to get pissed off when parents let their kids pick flowers?

[fuzzypicklehead]

A mum I know posted a photo of her DC (aged 6) clutching a big bunch of daffodils, captioned "look what DC picked for me at the park! Isn't that sweet?" Sure it's great that he wanted to give his mum flowers, but pulling them out of a public flower bed?

Similar situation with another child when leaving the school grounds just before Easter--she asked her mum if she could pick a daffodil and was told yes. Cue my kids in a sulk the whole way home because I wouldn't let them pluck flowers too.

AIBU to think that flowers in public places are for everyone to enjoy and not for a few selfish people to nab for themselves? Perhaps your child is only picking a few, but if every child who walks by grabs a couple of flowers then they'll be finished by the end of the day. If you want fresh flowers , go and buy them. If your kids want to pull them up, then grow your own bastard flowers so your kids can pull their bloody heads off. Or maybe just tell your PFB "no, you can't pick those flowers because they don't belong to you."


It's been a long day. Need

[fuzzypicklehead]

DH took the DD's up to the same park to play today, and the flower picky fucker child was there. With a couple of trampled daffodils. DD2 asked if she could pick one and DH told her no.

Cue both bossy boots girls turning on the kid and giving hell. "You're not allowed to pick flowers! Now they will die!"

It all ended happily, apparently, with much running around, screaming and chasing, and nobody got beaten up.

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

They're not there for everyone to enjoy once some badly brought up child of useless parents has pulled them up, now, are they?

[AmIthatSpringy]

FFS AmberSocks

Not just greedy and self-centred, but incredibly rude too.

I'll stick with my miserable, child hating life thanks, if people with attitudes like you are the alternative.

[tazzle]

And that's no exaggeration or scaremongering... when I was a lass it was not uunusual to see wild poppies in fields....now I would stop the car and take photos if I saw such a thing its rare. I know of ONE such field in my county

[tazzle]

If everyone picked just one flower of each kind they saw in each place they visited and each week say when previous flowers dead Amber....just how long do you think wild flowers would survive. In this country so many species are on the edge of extinction.

Thank goodness not everyone is as selfish as you and the others ..who won't leave nature to be enjoyed by all. How long will it take till there are just no wild flowers at all.

[AlexReidsLonelyBraincell]

AmberSockspuppet that was not nice.

[Sailormercury]

LRD is not a prick. That was totaly uncalled for.

[fortyplus]

AmberSocks you are being rude and ignorant

[exoticfruits]

When I go to foreign countries I leave the flowers alone for all to enjoy. I went to Madeira where wonderful flowers grow everywhere-lilies growing wild etc. I didn't see anyone picking them. There were a lot for sale in the flower market where locals were buying them.
Same in the Alps and the alpine meadows-they are left alone. I have never seen lazy, selfish parents letting children spoil it for others.

[nametakenagain]

You are being rude Ambersocks. Advocating petty theft, and rude

[pigsDOfly]

We may indeed be child hating, grim etc. etc. AmberSock, but hell are you rude.

LRDtheFeministDragon made a perfectly reasonable point in a perfectly polite way and you call her a prick? Wow.

I'd hate to live in your child friendly, happy, etc. etc. country if everyone there is as rude as you.

[exoticfruits]

I would have thought it was just a question of teaching children, from an early age, to share and think of others. Picking the flowers is selfish and deprives everyone else. Lots of people go out planting bulbs -they are doing it for everyone otherwise they would just stick to their own garden.
In my area school children have got involved in planting wild flower meadows-they understand it is for everyone to enjoy and for the butterflies etc-I think that they would be very upset that an adult can't simply explain to a toddler that they shouldn't pick the flowers. It is easy enough.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

How's it different?

Stealing is stealing. Obviously a socking great bench would make it more obvious you were stealing, but you must know daffs aren't actually free. Someone actually has to buy all those bulbs and plant them.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

They don't belong to everyone.

Do you also take the park bench home if you fancy it? Or would you accept that's possibly, erm, stealing?

It really pisses me off. Why would you be so selfish as to spoil things for everyone else?

[AmberSocks]

if they belong to everyone then everyone an pick them.not that everyone will pick them.i dont mind if people want to pick flowers,i dont see how that is selfish,its not just my kids,its everyone.

[pigsDOfly]

Yes AmberSocks we're all miserable child haters here in damp miserable Britain.

However, most of us do like to teach our children that taking things that don't belong to them is actually stealing and we can't just take what we like. Sometimes we have to respect the fact that some things are there for the whole community to enjoy. Not just for the selfish few.

[nametakenagain]

Oh honestly, AmberSocks, teaching children that some things are to be shared and not for them to take for themselves is not miserable, grim or un child friendly. It is caring, sharing, respectful, bonding, and encourages a sense of community.

[AmIthatSpringy]

Sorry, that was in response to the unhelfpful post from Amber Socks

[AmIthatSpringy]

Yes, that'll be it. We must be miserable, or not child friendly to not condone selfish gits picking flowers that are meant for everyone.

I'm not English, BTW and I don't live in England, but guess I must live in a "dreary" place too

[StellaNova]

I must not pick the public flowers
They are not mine but they are ours

As the future utopia child told Anthea or whatever her name was in The Story of the Amulet.

[sue52]

I think you have a longer flowering season in Spain than we do in Northern Europe. Here it is quite brief and the flowers we have, we like to see growing not picked by a child whose parents are lax and indulgent.

[AmberSocks]

i spain and italy,where me and dh are originally from,you just dont get this,kids are allowed to pick flowers,you even walk past peoples houses and they stop ad give them to them,gardeners in public places stop and give my children flowers all the time(in spain) not just my kids either its a normal thing.

I am guessing english people are just miserable,or england is just a very dreary grim place.or both.and its not child friendly here either.

[coughingbean]

Agreeing with the poster who mentioned it was actually illegal to pick wildflowers.
It is in the Countryside and Wildlife act.

[pigsDOfly]

Oh damn, you're right Dominodonkey, wish I'd thought of that.

I'll just have to hang around there this year and hope I see them again..