To think that children should not be left unsupervised with chemicals?

[PandoraHadABox]

DS (14yrs) was in an after-school detention for admitting to adding to classroom graffiti. Fully agreed that it was wrong and he needed to be punished. Collected him after detention and he complained of having a headache and feeling dizzy. Turns out that teacher gave him a bottle of acetone and methylated spirits and a cloth, no gloves, and was told to clean the graffiti. The fumes were strong so DS had the sense to open the windows. Teacher left him for over half an hour on his own to get on with it. Made sure DS had fresh air and lots of water and he felt better later the next day. I personally think that he should not have been given the chemicals to use, let alone unsupervised. What do you think?

He's fourteen not four.... Those chemicals are very typical and normal 'household' items (one of them is nail varnish remover isn't it?! Would've thought a 14yr old could cope with the responsibility of that!? The other, paint thinner/brush cleaner - also innocuous enough with sensible usage from a 14yr old, I was using it when helping decorate as a teen and knew not to inhale too closely.... Think he is trying it on for sympathy after being naughty, maybe hoping to redress the situation?! Maybe he had a sniff or two he shouldn't have.....

For god's sake don't complain you'll look like one of 'those' parents!

I wouldn't leave a 4 year old with a bottle of acetone. But 14? No big deal. He'll know not to graffiti again because he'll not want to repeat it.

14 yo left alone with nail polish remover shock horror!

Gloves not required to handle them.

Not volatile enough to cause dangerous fumes.

Methinks your teen is trading you

ffs "teasing you"

He's come out to you and headed straight for the sympathy vote so he doesn't get told off.

The teacher shouldn't have to take half an hour out of their day to supervise a 14 year old cleaning up their vandalism with normal cleaning products.

What do you think?

That it was a suitable punishment for the crime and maybe he won't be vandalising school property again.

Also, unless the graffiti was massive a small dab on a cloth wouldn't even touch his hands (& in any case I since wear gloves when I'm using my nail varnish remover! ) and should've only taken about 5-10mins to clean surely?

Definitely starting to think he decided to have a few experimental sniffs and then regretted it.....

Your whole tone (teacher neglectfully left DS unsupervised, teacher didn't have as much 'sense' as DS re windows) is making you out to be a bit of a pushover and on your songs side when you should be really bloody cross with him. Bet it's all 'are you OK darling how are you feeling now I'll have a word with awful Mr *' in your house and the misdemeanour has been forgotten... Very smart of DS!!

Acetone is essentially nail varnish remover and meths is for cleaning paint brushes. Are you saying you wouldn't let a 14 year old remove their own nail polish or clean a paint brush without someone holding their hand?

These are ordinary household products that people use every day and a 14 year old is not a toddler who needs childproof kids on things.

Your kid was pissed off about being punished and wanted to make a fuss, that's all. Very normal teenage behaviour. When I was that age my friends and I had to scrub graffiti off wooden desks with scouring powder and we all whined that it made our hands sore, but we were actually just moaning because we resented the punishment.

Maybe the school also has a track record of permitting unsupervised access to di-hydrogen monoxide?

I should thinks it's safe to leave a 14 year old with them. It's nail polish remover and white spirit, not exactly high risk suff
I remember having to clean the art classes every Friday as my tutor was the art teacher, Used white spirit by the gallon, still alive and going strong 14 years later

The fumes were strong so DS had the sense to open the windows.

Maybe he should have had the sense not to graffiti in the first place?

Yes he should have had gloves BUT more than old enough to handle those chemicals, and the punishment suited what he did.

Maybe the school also has a track record of permitting unsupervised access to di-hydrogen monoxide?

Crying 😂

My teens would have been told 'serve you right' they wouid also be made to apologise to the dept head if not done so already and would have a sharp bolloking from us.

Don't be that parent.

I have a 15 year old boy and i would be pleased the punishment fit the crime.

If he hadn't graffitied then he wouldn't have had to clean it up, why should the school staff do it?
He's definitely having you on for sympathy

Maybe the school also has a track record of permitting unsupervised access to di-hydrogen monoxide?

How lucky you were able to collect him from school, making a special trip to pick him up.
Poor lamb.

Sorry, OP, I reckon the others are right. He is being a drama queen and playing the martyr. He may well, in his hard done by frame of mind, worked himself into a psychosomatic headache - they don't smell nice - but he is fine, Shrug and have nothing to do with it. 'The fumes were so strong', for heaven's sake. It is a smell, not a 'fume'. These are not substances that the school would put in a fume cabinet in the chemistry lab.

Quite old school discipline, but I like it!

My DB used to do models and paint tiny warhammer figures and was allowed turps and stuff when we fot in after school (parents at work) until he spilled turps in his room and tried to cover up the smell wih half a bottle of mum's best perfume. Those were the days!

'Fumes' Christ you really fell for that one OP.. so he vandalises school property and ends up getting fawned over and waited on by mummy to 'recover' from the dreadful nasty punishment of cleaning his own destructive behaviour..

So if he felt better later the next day, does that mean he had a day off school?

Good lesson to your son as otherwise the cleaners would have had the headache now for a act of vandalism that he committed.

It is fine to use both of those with no gloves, we use them in the lab. Windows open good idea though.

Interesting how you are focussed on this, the graffiti paint contains a lot more toxic particles, and since it is delivered in a fine spray the heavy metals can move to the lungs and stay there. Forever.
Maybe that is the bit to be concerned.

OP your son has totally played you - come on! I wouldn't supervise a 14 year old to paint their nails or clean a paintbrush, no, and that is what those chemicals are for.

And he may wish to ponder on why someone else, a school caretaker for e.g, should be subject to such a dreadful job with hazardous 'fumes' to clear up his mess.

It is, I daresay, a horrible enough job. So who does he (and you?) think should have done it instead?

Hey Fenella! [waves]