To the assholes who stole my kid's Spiderman...

[PedantMarina]

... if you want the web with suction cups that came with it, please do drop me a line and I'll put it in the post for you.

Free! Postage Paid! Because why the fuck should you pay for the postage so I can reunite the accessory with the beloved figure my DC (4) was playing with mere minutes earlier?!?

What stupid sillies we were - dashing out to a film. You found it on a table at Spur (steak place) at Lakeside last night and decided you needed it more than my heart-broken child.

Mind, just for the record, we're not best pleased with the Spur staff who cleared the table - how they failed to spot a 5" screaming red-and-blue action figure whilst apparently cleaning a table (to a level food hygiene chappies would like to see) I'm not sure, but that's another thing.

But the people whom I'm really addressing here are the colossally selfish gits who (at best, merely colossally stupidly) thought that maybe a Spiderman comes free with a meal in a restaurant completely unaffiliated with Marvel.

Bottom line, it's called Theft by Finding. Hope This Helps.

Would it not be simpler to buy another one?

To be perfectly honest, after reading the thread title, I'm a little disappointed. I was expecting a far more complex injustice than a kid forgetting their toy and going back and it not being there any more.

If the item has been permanently abandoned it is NOT theft.

Absolutely right, but OP has made it clear it wasn't permanently abandoned.

If the item has been permanently abandoned it is NOT theft.

Absolutely right, but OP has made it clear it wasn't permanently abandoned.

You don't seem to accept that, ultimately, you are responsible for the loss.

Only if it wasn't stolen. If it was, the thief is the person who is ultimately responsible.

Ah, I apologise, another one has been bought. Well that's that solved then.

Bit surprised at someone taking their kid to see a 12A for their first film though. What happened to the parental rite of passage of sitting in the silent hell that is Cars 3 and Tinkerbell and the Pirates?

This thread is giving me horrible flashbacks to 9am lectures on legal ethics while at law school. Only there we were debating stuff like the death penalty. Not "Is reasonable assumption of permanent abandonment ever a legitimate defence?".

I particularly like the idea of some minimum wage worker conniving their way into a job at a steakhouse in order to build up their Marvel collection.

The key question for me is-did the OP tip properly?

I work in a supermarket and we have an entire draw of plastic figurines, dummies, socks, sun hats, teddies and comforters. At some point they all get binned (about once a month) as it's really very rare anyone ever comes back to claim them.

We lost DS's pride and joy monkey teddy once. We were going to his Nans and so I thought it was pretty risk free. Pulled up and no bloody monkey. Tore the car apart, sat at MIL's for about 20 minutes trying to calm the sobbing and eventually gave up. Went home and did the best and chirpiest CBeebies presenting happy faces to no avail. Started scouring the internet for a replacement. Went out later in the evening to put the recycling out and the little bleeder had been popped in the hedge in the front garden by some very kind passer by.

O

OP has disappeared! Someone call Spider-Man! He'll know what to do!

Spiderman, Spiderman! Does whatever a Spiderman does!

IM COMING MUMMY

I did steal a small child's toy once I still feel terrible.

I walked ds to nursery, on the way home, just a couple of streets away, I spotted ds's zebra lying on the floor. In great relief I picked it up and went home.

When I went to pick ds up and present him with zebra, I realised that he already had him.

Thinking back, I'd passed a small child and parent on the quiet street just before I found the toy.

I went back and put him on the wall, but he was still there for ages, and I don't think he was ever reclaimed.

I am an evil toy-stealer (ds is now a teen and I still feel the shame).

You got a replacement. No problem.

I'm just glad to hear that your DS is happy again with another Spidey :)

I reckon that staff didn't see it either and it was taken by someone else on another table before it was cleared. Pretty bad either way.

I left a Christmas present under a chair in Starbucks in December (a book in a smiths bag) and remembered about an hour after we'd headed home. It had gone. The staff didn't remember seeing it there so someone had obviously nicked it. I was gutted at the dishonesty of some people but didn't get cross with the staff.

You seem over-invested in this trivial problem OP. As everyone else has said it's highly likely that Spidey went into the bin at the restaurant. Why is it such a big deal to you?

you should have looked after the toy better yourself....... remember...with great power comes great responsibility

How are you so sure it was left in the restaurant? Your Ds could have list it en route to, or in the cinema. If he told you left it in the restaurant , how reliable is that?
Agree with others, lost all sympathy for you when you started getting nasty about the staff in the restaurant. Absolutely hate customers who get bitchy and rude just because things aren't going their way.

Yabu

It might be wise to assess how you deal with stress. I dread to think what you're like when something that is actually important happens.

YABVU. It may have been stolen, probably more likely it got chucked in the bin.
Rather than raginh over it, I think it would be far better if you used this as an opportunity to teach your ds about taking responsibility for his own things and you should have checked too.
Sorry op but you and your ds left it behind. It shouldn't have been stolen or binned but if you hadn't forgotten it then it wouldn't have been.

I worked in restaurants for years. If a customer left something on the table/on a chair/on the floor under the table, where it ended up depended to a large extent on how much of a pain in the arse they'd been while I was serving them.

I thought your first post was overly dramatic because you were still fired up from the alleged theft, but you've managed to maintain the rage for quite some time. Perhaps I just don't understand because I'm so apathetic

You were going to a film, not fleeing for your life. It's still your responsibility to check you and your child have all of your belongings. Regardless of the efficiency of your application whatever that means.

Seriously, I doubt an adult Marvel fan would want a children's toy. There are probably much nicer figurines available for collectors.

I'm glad you were able to replace it :)

I'd rather be apathetic at the situation than getting so unbelievebly riled up over a child's toy.

Parental rules of survival: -

1. Never, EVER take anything that would be upsetting to lose out with you.
2. If you choose to ignore number 1, fuck purses etc, always, ALWAYS take the toys home with you first.
3. If child's toy gets lost accept this happens.
4. Don't take your 4 year old to see a 12a...

Aww, im feeling kinda sorry for the OP. If she'd worded her OP differently the response would have been hugely different - none of this 'kids lose toys, suck it up' nonsense. Like chaos said at the VERY beginning of this thread, people have posted similar threads and hve had hundreds of fellow mumsnetters searching the internet for replacements!

OP glad you have a replacement. There's some really shitty people around.

Oh and did yo0r DS enjoy spiderman? My 4yr old DD has been begging me to take her.

I work in a bar and I have similar rules of how nice you've been depends on whether or not I bother to look for your item. Were you nice to the staff?

I really cannot believe that you are blaming staff for losing this toy! As others have said you really shouldn't take favourite toys out to random places and if you do you need to make sure you know where it is all the time.

Just buy a new one.

oh, for goodness' sake. DD bought DH a Spiderman toy for his birthday, which she instantly took possession of. Later the same day we're in a local house/botanical garden, going round the grounds - when we come to leave Spiderman is no longer in DD's hand, she must have dropped him. DH goes back to where we're pretty sure she must have dropped him - not there. Check with staff in the house - not been handed in.

Do I sound off to the staff, or rant away to myself about the doubtless small child who spotted a Spiderman and put it in his pocket? No, I point out to DD that she needs to be more careful of her toys, particularly when they aren't actually hers to lose. She won't be getting a replacement. She lost it. End of.

She's 4 too. And there's no way on God's earth she'll be going to a Spiderman film this year, or any time soon, even though she's seen him a billion times now on buses. Because she's 4. Old enough to start taking responsibility for her toys. Not old enough for that.