to cancel the whole thing

[ICanHearYou]

So, I have bought myself and the children tickets to legoland, two adult and 2 child tickets at a cost of over £100.

Since buying them, I have managed to purchase another set of tickets from Facebook for £20, these are valid on the 9th July.

Earlier on I put my bag on the sofa to get something, my son (nearly 4) tried to take my purse out of my bag, I told him very clearly not to do that and to leave mummy's purse alone.

I took a phone call, changed the babies nappy and looked round, son had gone upstairs, I followed him and he has emptied my purse, pushed 2x£10 and the £100 lego tickets inbetween the floor boards somewhere, he won't show me exactly where he just said he 'put them in the floor'

I am absolutely LIVID with him, he KNEW not to play with my purse and he did it anyway, he has RUINED an expensive day out for the whole family.

The thing is, we have these other legoland tickets, we have booked days off work to go and take them but I dont want to take him now because I think it sends the wrong message.

AIBU to give the tickets away to a friend who will be really grateful of them?

What other consequences are available/have you issued?

He's 3 years old... surely I don't need to say anything else?

There's no point cutting off your nose to spite your face.

A child does something they're not supposed to...

Put them in a safer place OP.

Errr....he is three. If you decide to punish him it needs tobe pretty instantainious. His isnt going to understand that in two weeks time you wont be going somewhere because of his actions.

I think legoland is on the 9th July - that is a long way off for a little boy to get that he did something "wrong", and for him to link today to missing an event still so far away . I think he is just to young to get that this bit of paper was important ....
Me, i would let it go ....

I understand your frustration but he is far too young to understand the consequences of what he's done.

I'd take him. He's 3. He won't remember he was meant to be going and will be happy playing with a stick that day instead so it's not really a punishment! He would however remember a great day out.

If he were older I think I'd be stricter.....

Just take up a floorboard or 6 and retrieve the things he posted!

If you calm down and invite him to help un-post them so you can all go to Legoland, he might remember where. And floorboards aren't that hard to sort out.

And next time, don't leave your bag where he can get at it. He shouldn't have, but he is 3... and he did!

You're blaming him for your carelessness. You knew he was getting into your bag but instead of moving it you didn't.

He is only 3 and won't appreciate that some bits of paper are more valuable than others.

Did you buy the tickets online? Would Legoland be able to issue replacements? It can't be the first time someone has lost their tickets, surely.

hes only little.

take a couple of floor boards up and find the money and tickets.

Yes, YABU. He's three. You shouldn't have left your handbag out, in all honesty. He didn't do it to be malicious. He was being naughty. Cancelling the trip would not be an appropriate punishment, he's not going to make the connection anyway.

You need to calm down, give him whatever your normal punishment would be - like a three minute time out, and then find the tickets.

Also, look around, 'in' the floor might be 'on' the floor, and it may not upstairs, he might have dropped the tickets on the floor somewhere else.

Tell him he can't watch tv today because he took important things out of mummy's bag when you told him not to, and put your bag on a shelf.

He has no idea what those bits of paper represent and ceetainly won't equate them with a day out in a fortnight's time, so I'd just let it go and kick the wall when he's not watching

YABU

YABU.

He is three. You are the adult. You don't leave things that you don't want inserted into the DVD player/bin/dog within reach of a three year old.

If you want to punish him, it needs to be an 'instant' punishment such time out, dealt at the time of the bad behaviour. Three year olds won't be able to comprehend why they are being punished a few weeks down the line.

Ha ha dog :)

YABU, it's a live and learn situation I think, your very interesting bag of stuff was left within easy reach of a 3 year old, it was inevitable.
The tickets should be easy to replace if you contact them and ask them to cancel the originals and send you some replacements.
Find an old handbag, fill it with interesting things and leave that at his height just for him.
Get him to help you find everything that he lost rather than playing with a toy or watching TV for a short while and talk to him about leaving mummies things alone.

Hes only three op, dont you think livid and ruined the day are way over the top.

He's put thing down the floorboards before... Little sod!

I'll get replacements if I can...

At this age, an immediate consequence (mummy cross, put on naughty step/sent to his room/no TV/no treat) is most effective.

He won't understand in a few weeks time why you won't go and that it is a consequence of his own actions. Even if you explain over and over again.

So as a punishment it is ineffective, I think. Unless you don't want to go anyway, then it's a good excuse!

Lift up the floor boards, take the stuff out then nail them back down.

How frustrating, I feel your pain, but agree with others that canceling a day out in a few Weeks won't be an effective punishment. I would however punish him robustly today. At nearly 4 and having done it before he needs to learn consequences.