Destroying a sandcastle

[Courtandspark66]

I don't know if I am being unreasonable or irrational or both.

We found a lovely quiet beach and my husband and son built this incredibly elaborate sandcastle. Then, when they finished, they went for a walk.

A young woman and her friend then came along the beach in a dune buggy and to my horror they ploughed right through it. Wheel tracks all across the middle. I actually got the impression that they did it completely on purpose because they changed course as they approached where at first they looked like they'd pass some way away from it.

I realize that the beach is for everyone and there is nothing around that says you can't drive buggys on it. But actually I felt really cross and aggrieved and had to vent somewhere about it. Why would someone just destroy something like that? My son in particular was really disappointed.

Do I just need to get a life?

I love this!

Some people will destroy abandoned sandcastles to make sure there's no litter inside them (eg where a child has covered a bucket in sand and then left it - the bucket will be washed out to sea and potentially kill wildlife), but it doesn't sound like that's what happened here. They just sound like horrible people.

I thought this was going to be about another child destroying a sandcastle, in which case a bit rubbish for your DS but one of those things (we have a 14 month old in our life who think she's Wreck It Ralph and all beach trips are spent steering her away from other people's creations).

Grown adults though? Bizarre behaviour of them and YANBU to be a bit miffed.

Did it look like it had been abandoned? Odd thing for adults to do regardless

This happened to us a few years ago. My son and I had built a sandcastle, and a whole town around it, and then it started to rain so we went to sit in a shelter just off the beach - a matter of feet away. A family came along, and despite having the whole beach (which is miles long) to sit on, they pointed at our sandcastle, tramped through it and proceeded to sit there. My son was in bits, he was only 7. I shouted that it was our sandcastle and was rudely, if accurately, told that I didn't own the beach and I'd left the sand so they could do whatever the fuck they liked. While that was indeed true, they had gone out of their way to sit there, ignored me when I pointed it out and were bloody rude about it. I've never been back to that beach, I get so angry just thinking about it.

It's not somehting I would do but ever since I was a child, abandoned sandcastles do seem to be fair game and there to be destroyed for fun
.

Unfortunately, dealing with sand castle destruction is yet another life lesson kids have to suffer the selfishness of others. People who let their dogs run through or pee on them, even when they are obviously still be played with is another huge bugbear for me.

I live near beaches. The council employ litter pickers that go on the beach and destroy castles.

It's amazing how many dirty scumbags use a castle as a front for burying/hiding their litter so they don't have to take it home.

Omg it’s sand ! That belongs to no one and you were not near it. It is positive though that you realise how daft it is to feel aggrieved.
Grown up’s act silly sometimes too. Sand brings out the child in people, hence your dh built the sand castle in the first place.

Tis the nature of sandcastles. They got enjoyment building it then left. Someone else got pleasure trashing it. If your DC was still playing with it, then I'd be pissed off, but they'd finished and gone. It's all about the fleeting nature of life innit.

If you didn’t make it, you don’t get to break it. Basic rule in our house.

Yanbu. I don’t understand people who enjoy intentionally destroying something, especially when it’s pretty likely a child will have spent time building it.

Well, first of all, nobody's crying. Secondly, it's actually not like a kid's snowman melting at all. It's actually equivalent to some adults deliberately kicking a kid's snowman down, which is very different.* If the OP was upset that the sandcastle had been washed away by the tide, that would be equivalent to being sad about a snowman melting, but she isn't. She's annoyed that some complete cunts saw a nice thing a kid had made and deliberately wrecked it for fun.

YANBU at all, OP! Like you say, obviously the beach is for everyone, but people really don't need to be giant dickheads about it. I'd actually be annoyed by that even if it was someone else's sandcastle, let alone mine.

*Actually I've just remembered that when I was little I built a really good snowman and a teenager from down our street kicked it down. My brother, who was the same age as the horrible kid, chased him down the road, clouted him and knocked him on his arse. Shame that wasn't an option for you, OP...

Sand brings out the child in people, hence your dh built the sand castle in the first place.

He built it because it was a nice thing to do with his own child.

It’s a sandcastle.

It was built and then left.

it got knocked over as no one was next to it.

If you leave the sandcastle then it’s fair game to bash down.

It's a mean thing to do. Not the end of the world, obviously, but nasty.

My husband and I love watching the sea come in around a sandcastle. We sometimes make one of our own - even though we are a middle-aged childfree couple 😄

Sometimes I think the ‘knock it down’ mentality is hardwired from when we were toddlers building and knocking down towers of bricks. Only the more thoughtful among up stop to question it as we grow up.

Sorry about the sandcastle, yanbu to be upset.

It is a Nasty thing to do. Some people are prats.

We used to bury dad in the sand which he didn’t mind. Then we’d go off to the sea or to get an ice cream.

Hopefully these beach buggy idiots don’t drive over every mound of sand they see.

I’ve not come across beaches where it’s okay to drive where people are. A recipe for disaster surely?

I’ve not voted as it depends on whether it looks like it was left or not.

If it had towels or a bucket near it or someone was sat right there then it’s a shitty thing to do.

But if it looked like it was built and left (which most people do) then it’s absolutely fine as the tide will destroy it anyway.

I remember proudly building my first snowman in this country when I was about 8 (moved here from a hot country with no snow) and cried for hours when a group of teenagers kicked him over during the night. Traumatised!

The tide might have only just gone out so the sandcastle could have had hours left to stand. If it was a decent design, others might have appreciated seeing it. I don't get the mentality of just destroying it for the sake of destroying it.

Next time, if there are pebbles about, use a 'core' of pebbles for the sand castle. Then if someone kicks it or stamps on it they will find a little bit of resistance... 😇

What a bizarre thing to be upset about.

Surely DH and DS would have had fun rebuilding it?

Tide will take it by the end of the day anyway.

I really don't see the issue here. Your family had fun building it. You had finished playing so you left. Someone else had fun knocking it over. Everyone had a fun time at the beach.

Off topic but this description of your daughter is so funny, it really charmed me.