What's the worst thing your kids have done to make you want to break down?

[Burnt0utMum]

I'm working from home and kids are off for Easter holidays. Ages 6 and 5. I'm working downstairs and they were quiet for a while upstairs. I went upstairs to check on them and they had locked themselves in the bathroom. I told them to let me in but they refused to open the door. Eventually they opened it and they've used every single product in the bathroom. Soap and water everywhere to the point it's leaked through to the dining room ceiling (which is brand new plasterboard and skim only painted 2 days ago). My new make up that I hadn't opened yet and Lush gift set from my sister that I hadn't used yet have been opened and emptied. I've dried the floor and just had to walk away because I'm just so upset. They know they weren't supposed to touch any products in there and they know they shouldn't have done it but it's done now. I don't even know what punishment to give because I just feel so spent with trying to work while that's going on. DH will be moving the lock out of their reach when he gets home later and I've said they're not allowed their ipads or any of their Easter chocolate. Feeling like a failure. Please tell me I'm not alone having kids causing so much trouble!

@thebillyotea

It's unfair on you to work and have to care for two kids at that age alone on your own.

seriously, from which planet do posters like this come from exactly?!?

I can only assume they are suffering from living-under-a-rock-itis...what with the big lurgy and all.

So Billyotea, do you think I am wrong to say this is unfair on her? On her, not of her. Always love to hear perspectives of others.

Apologies you are so triggered ladies

8yo DS has ASD sooo.... more stuff than I can even remember. He's very destructive.

@Mumkins42

So Billyotea, do you think I am wrong to say this is unfair on her? On her, not of her. Always love to hear perspectives of others.

it's not about fair or not fair.. Have you somehow missed the pandemic and the school closures meaning most working parents had to WFH, supervise (and homeschool) their kids at the same time?

What do you think we have all been doing in the last year if we were not critical workers?

What is it with Sudocreme?! Mine smeared it all over the sofas a couple of times but fortunately we only have leather furniture since having kids (which meant the reflux years were just about bearable) and it was easy to wipe off and actually gave it a bit of a clean.

So Billy, this is relevant because when we clearly see the real reason for our reaction to something we may be less likely to take it out on others in the wrong way; e.g the kids. It absolutely is unfair that OP is lumbered with all that. It's unfair, that is a fact. Maybe she is in no position to change it. Maybe she is. Hopefully we will all be out of this situation soon enough. Hugs to you, you've clearly, like the rest of us, had a gutful of the pandemic and the lockdown.

That’s just awful OP, my heart goes out to you. I’m lucky that my teenagers have been brilliant while I’ve been WFH.

However, when younger between them have:
Scratched love hearts into newly panted bannisters, scribbled with biro on a cream leather sofa, picked at a loose thread on the arm of another leather sofa and gradually created a massive hole, while fighting each other have pulled more handles off doors than I care to remember and now three of them have no door handles to their bedrooms (they can still get in and out though), DS1 kicked the front wall in range and it crumbled which then led to us having to take the lot dow for safety, DS2 flooded the bathroom twice (so that water was pudding through the kitchen ceiling), DD threw her Nintendo DS in a range through the TV and permanently broke both, DD dropped blusher onto her fairly new light grey carpet, DS1 karate kicked the back gate while showing off to mates and now we have a bent latch. I’m sure there are more that my brain has protected me from...

Mine once started goose-stepping with two fingers under his nose whilst queuing with me in Boots the Chemist, having watched the 'don't mention the war' episode of Fawlty Towers.

Another Boots incident was when I saw someone I knew, the mother of one of his classmates, and we spoke for a couple of minutes (it really was only a couple); he let off a big smelly fart and grinned from ear to ear. The other mum and I talked as though we hadn't noticed - but it couldn't not be noticed.

There must be something about Boots.....

@jessstan2

Mine once started goose-stepping with two fingers under his nose whilst queuing with me in Boots the Chemist, having watched the 'don't mention the war' episode of Fawlty Towers.

Another Boots incident was when I saw someone I knew, the mother of one of his classmates, and we spoke for a couple of minutes (it really was only a couple); he let off a big smelly fart and grinned from ear to ear. The other mum and I talked as though we hadn't noticed - but it couldn't not be noticed.

There must be something about Boots.....

Hilarious, I love him already!

We had some building work done, the builders got it done eventually but they took their time. One of my children let them in one morning and in front of them said “See, mum, the builders DID turn up!”

So many!
But a couple of standouts.

DS aged about 3ish, turned round in the queue at Holland and Barrett and fucking bit the guy in front really hard on the thigh!
It was mortifying!
I was apologising profusely but the guy was really lovely about it.
TBF the guy had thighs like redwood tree trunks, encased in skin tight jeans and they did kind of look like they'd be nice to bite!!

Around the same age, in a shopping centre.
Suddenly without any warning, threw himself to the floor, started SCREAMING at the top of his voice....
"WHERE'S DADDY, I WANT MY DADDY!!"
(Daddy had been at work all day, so wasn't even there!)
Bad enough, but as I'm trying to coax him up, he upped his game and started bellowing "WHO ARE YOU??!! I DON'T KNOW YOU!! WHERE'S MY DADDY??" and running away from me!
I thought I was going to be tackled to the floor by security for kidnapping FFS.

@Travellingtricksters

We had some building work done, the builders got it done eventually but they took their time. One of my children let them in one morning and in front of them said “See, mum, the builders DID turn up!”

That reminds me of bus trip we took from MIL's village into town.

There was an adorable little girl with her childminder sitting nearby.

Mummy had a friend called Dave. Dave was a builder.

Daddy says that even if he is Mummy's friend from school, he's not having Dodgy Dave do their kitchen because he's seen the state of the other houses that Dodgy Dave's done in the village.

Dodgy Dave lives two doors down from them, so his other name is Dodgy Dave From Two Doors Down. Mummy says that Dodgy Dave wouldn't do that to them because they were at school together and she goes to school with Dodgy Dave's little boy, Daniel.

All this was said with a broad Dartmoor accent.

'Your Mummy's friend did our bathroom'

'Oh no! Has it leaked yet? Daddy says everything Dodgy Dave's ever done has leaked or fallen apart within a fortnight!'

'I'm not sure that your Daddy should be calling him that silly name in front of you, really'

Everybody calls him Dodgy Dave, except for Mummy, who [does impression of rolling eyes and sighing] says 'will you stop calling him Dodgy Dave, please? He's my friend!' and Daddy got annoyed and said it was better than his other name, which is [whispered] Dickhead Dave.

Dodgy Dave is the Big I Am in the village. He builds all the new houses and is a Pillar of the Community. He also happens to be the son of the poor childminder.

Oh and the time he decided, after being potty trained for months and months, to randomly poo all round the house in secret places, in the corner, by the side of my bed, behind the curtains etc

He'd always come and tell me at least, but I basically spent ages every other day playing a particularly grim version of an Easter egg hunt.

Oh and he got hold of the clippers and shaved a bald patch in his head.

I’m very lucky that mine has never done anything naughty really but I was hoooooorible when i was a kid.

I suppose these nightmare kids do eventually grow up and turn into the kind of specimens who write sanctimonious, smug mumsnet posts to ram home the message that kids shouldn’t do such terrible things and of course their own kids would never do that because they are such great parents.

My child is only 3 weeks old so is of course perfect angel child thanks to my great parenting. But I was a shit. Cut holes in my grandmother’s home-made dresses because she wouldn’t let me roam the streets of London alone, aged 7. Lit a fire at school because I had matches in my pocket, aged 8. By 10 I was just weird. By 14 very vulnerable to predatory older men. Surprisingly functional by 22.

@thebillyotea

There's really nothing that can touch absolute love.

what exactly are you smoking?

Absolutely brilliant reply 👏👏👏

@Mumkins42

So Billy, this is relevant because when we clearly see the real reason for our reaction to something we may be less likely to take it out on others in the wrong way; e.g the kids. It absolutely is unfair that OP is lumbered with all that. It's unfair, that is a fact. Maybe she is in no position to change it. Maybe she is. Hopefully we will all be out of this situation soon enough. Hugs to you, you've clearly, like the rest of us, had a gutful of the pandemic and the lockdown.

Does it take a lot of work to perfect that patronising tone?

At 15 he got drunk in the Rovers (in school uniform), on a school trip to Granada Studios; was extremely sick on coach home, Newton and Ridleys all over the floor.

At 31, a reformed character (as far as I know......).

Flooded the bedroom when i heard water dripping from ceiling.
Made a potion with very expensive beauty products.
If kids are quiet dont just sit back and enjoy the peace.

@LemonInPlay Oh my DD1 did similar. Had only started P1 a few weeks earlier and you had to go up to the door and the teacher would then tell your child they could go.

Teacher - There's your mummy, you can go.

DD1 - That's not my mummy.

Teacher - Yes, that's your mummy.

DD1 - That's not my mummy, I don't know her. That's a stranger.

This continued for a few minutes. The teacher had met me, several times. I was kind of just standing there with my face getting redder and redder, I had the younger DC in their buggy and eventually I just walked up and took her hand and said let's go. I cried most of the way home, felt awful thinking I must be a completely shit mum if DD is denying my existence but when her dad asked her why she said it, she said "I thought it was funny".

If you're affected by any of the things discussed on this thread, please take a look at our Mental Health resources. You can also go to the Samaritans website or email them on [email protected]. Support from other Mumsnetters is great and we really hope you will be able to take some comfort from your fellow posters, but as other MNers will tell you, it's really a good idea to seek RL help and support as well.

I did that when I was a kid! We could never afford shampoo and conditioner and bubble bath and always used soap and fairy liquid for shampoo and bubbles. When my mum finally stocked the bathroom with all these lovely bubbly goodies and left me in the bath for a bit I emptied every single bottle into the bath. It was great fun but I’m sure my mum felt just like you did!

When DD1 was 3 she decided to climb out her second story window, not sure what her plan was once she got out there (not much of a forward planner is DD1)
So there she is hang on to the inside of the window sill by her fingertips,
So my mam is in the bedroom looking for her, can hear mumbling but no sign of DD1, as she's leaving the bedroom the net curtains blow and she spots her little fingers holding on.
I was walking up the road after collecting DS1 from school and at first I thought DD1 was (again) throwing toys out her window.
Mam managed to grab her and haul her back in, DD1 proceeded to tell everyone for weeks how nanny scrapped her legs.
We put straps/chains on the windows, if the house had of went on fire we were dead but at least she couldn't try and run away from home via the upstairs window!!!!!
DS1 when 4 painted our newly painted hall/landing wallpaper with my large, very large collection of nail varnish.........he got through a lot before we realised. Couldn't fix the hall/landing so had to pay to get it all done again :(
Gave up buying nail varnish or make up for about 10yrs.....my kids got more use out of them than i ever did.
DS2 (5) has killed, (yes killed not broke, he killed them) 2 tv's in 5mths
First excuse when he threw an old unworking mobile "I was aiming for DD3" .........oh well that's alright then

My DS is 3 and is a bit on the crazy size. Silence terrifies me! The worst thing he did was break our TV by hitting it with his fire engine (he was almost 2). It was just before Christmas too, I cried. I sent DH to Argos on the way home to get a new one, and spent the next few months putting him in time out if he so much as touched the screen with his finger because we couldn’t bloody afford another one!!