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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU snowmen vandalism?

60 replies

hooochycoo · 03/03/2018 20:32

hmm.... what does mumsnet jury think.

Is it ok or not to destroy snowmen/snow sculptures? are they fair game in the park and public space? but safe in gardens? What's the snowetiquette here?

OP posts:
scrappydappydoo · 03/03/2018 21:16

Yanbu there is no need for it. Last big snow we had a few years ago I got unreasonably annoyed when our neighbours 'stole' our snow from our front garden to make a snowman which meant my DC couldn't make one Sad

Snowmageddon · 03/03/2018 21:23

Sorry for what happened to you, OP. If your feelings make you a bit of a dick, then I'll join you in dick corner. I see people letting their kids chase ducks, scream at pigeons and similar as well. I don't get any of it.

slightlyglittermaned · 03/03/2018 21:25

I am Shock that people will actually walk into someone else's garden to smash up a kid's snowman. How horrible is that?

mynameisLuca · 03/03/2018 21:26

You've got to be a right dick to smash up a snowman.

imdunkelnistgutmunkeln · 03/03/2018 21:32

A few years ago our neighbour made this snow sculpture. Some local teenagers destroyed it Angry

AIBU snowmen vandalism?
StickyPopcorn · 03/03/2018 21:35

Some dick around her has been smashing up CARS which have been abandoned in the snow.

It takes a special kind of prick to do that

Original poster
hooochycoo · 03/03/2018 21:38

there's a metaphor in this somewhere.

In that is it better to teach your kids not to bother making snowmen because they'll just get smashed up

or

to make a new snowman everyday regardless, even though you know it'll be smashed up

OP posts:
Niceandwarmandhot · 03/03/2018 21:42

I thought you meant building them in the first place!

No, it's not nice. But there will always be some dick who thinks his/her pleasure in smashing stuff is important. See the number of local councils who won't replace flowers or hanging baskets; graffiti; vandalism of phone boxes/benches etc etc.

Bumdishcloths · 03/03/2018 21:43

This sort of shit makes me cross, like when kids are allowed to terrorise birds or stamp on insects Angry gives me the rage! Years ago when I was a kid, the council planted a load of saplings on our estate- and over the next week or so every single one was systematically snapped and destroyed by some local twatty teenagers. Even then I was livid, and I can only have been about 6.

Gingaaarghpussy · 03/03/2018 21:45

I live directly across from a public space and as i have no garden, the last time we had enough snow, i took my ds over there and taught him how to build a snow man. It didn't even last 24 hours.
I was more pissed off than my ds, but we did go back and make some more large snowballs.

BlurryFace · 03/03/2018 22:23

Well I think it's not really a big deal if it's in public space and the snowman's builders have left. Myself and DS1 loved stomping our own snowmen to death, it's quite satisfying.

LittleMe03 · 03/03/2018 22:59

nd over the next week or so every single one was systematically snapped and destroyed by some local twatty teenagers.

Did you see that it was 'teenagers' who destroyed them?

Talkingfrog · 03/03/2018 23:06

Someone bear me had the snowman the children had built taken from the front garden. Hat and scarf went too. Before Christmas someone (maybe the same person) was stealing Christmas lights. Couldn't have resold them as they cut the power wire.
Doesn't make any sense to me.
Dd was upset at the thought her sandcastle would get washed away, but we explained why and she accepted it.
She knows the snowman she built will melt eventually but looked out of the window and said goodnight to him before bed. She would be very upset if someone destroyed him on purpose when he is in the garden.

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 03/03/2018 23:28

I don’t see the problem in a public space. It was safe to assume you had left the park and weren’t coming back, so I don’t see a problem with it being taken down.

I definitely think YWBU to make the kids rebuild it, and the mums were right to think you precious. It wasn’t a treasured possession that got destroyed, it was a snowman that will melt anyway, and you had left the park.

Fair enough if you want to build it yourself, but you had no right to make other children rebuild it too.

embarrassingquestions · 03/03/2018 23:45

I built a snowman in a communal back yard once and was cheered on by the neighbours. I was really proud of it. I used a pair of thin old holey tights as a scarf...

Went inside to admire my efforts and watched a neighbour come and steal the tights!!!

I didn't get it... she wasn't going to get any use out of them. Least she left the snowman

A day later I watched his murder Sad

2rebecca · 03/03/2018 23:56

If I made one in a public place I'd expect it to get destroyed although would be disappointed and angry if my kids destroyed a snowman.
I usually just build them in the back garden.

Aridane · 04/03/2018 00:38

Oh dear, Imthink YABU (but only one other poster seems to agree)

windchimesabotage · 04/03/2018 00:43

I think after you leave then snowmen do usually get destroyed in public parks. If I saw children doing it however I would say something.Id never let me son destroy anyone elses snowman or sandcastle. Hes only 3 though so hes not out on his own ever yet. Might be harder with older children who would egg each other on into doing it.

Totally unacceptable to destroy a snowman that is in the process of being built tho also not okay to go onto private property and destroy a snowman.

73kittycat73 · 04/03/2018 01:13

When I was young it snowed and I lined our garden pathway with 'snowcastles' (Basically filled my sandcastle with snow instead of sand. Then gave them stone eyes and mouths.) . The bin men came and apparently took great fun in knocking them all down. My mum just let them. Pah.

MsMarple · 04/03/2018 01:34

I think it's horrible to destroy them. We built a snow family on the grass outside my Grandma's house, kids were really excited and they looked fab. Hadn't been in the house for more than a couple of hours and they'd been kicked to pieces Sad
I really don't understand why anyone would smash up a snowman that children had spent time and effort building. Just nasty.

NoFucksImAQueen · 04/03/2018 02:01

It's part of a bigger issue isn't it? No respect for people's things which then leads to older kids who cause damage to other things while everyone tuts.
I see sandcastles as different because it's usually small children that knock them down in a harmless way. It's not the same as a 7/8/9 year + destroying a snowman that has taken lots of time to make

Tangfastics · 04/03/2018 02:52

I think that wilfull destruction is a pretty nasty personality trait full stop.

And I don't care if anyone thinks that makes me a dick!

Minisoksmakehardwork · 04/03/2018 03:06

Yanbu. My kids were out on the green building snowmen, snowfas, mounds of snow etc. I don't even want them destroying each other's work let alone a complete strangers.

As for snowmen on private property, they are an absolute no go. Its lack of care and consideration for another person's property.

BouleBaker · 04/03/2018 03:13

Of course it’s nasty to destroy something that someone else has taken time and effort to make.
If you want to stomp on a snowman, at least build your own first.

Sunflowersforever · 04/03/2018 03:23

This is why I won't live opposite a park. Too much viewing of underside of society. Same as kids who twirl swings around the top bar. Makes me rage Angry