To be annoyed about her collecting the stones?

[forestblade]

I thought there was an unwritten rule that if you found a stone someone had painted you would pick it up and hide it somewhere else for someone else to find on their walk etc.

My SM now has a collection of painted stones she's found and leaves on her doorstep. I was round the other day and noticed the collection had grown somewhat and was quite surprised and then annoyed. She doesn't paint stones and leave them for others herself, just collects everyone elses!

AIBU??

It’s hardly stealing her jewelry is it! Lighten up!!

It’s hardly stealing her jewelry is it! Lighten up!!

Lighten up - in a post about Burglar Bill!

Why can’t the OP lighten up and accept that keeping a few stones is hardly Buster Edwards territory?

Yep, they’re litter and they’re annoying. Your SM is doing a good job in cleaning up the countryside.

It’s hardly stealing her jewelry is it! Lighten up!

Is it light to take some stones from the doorstep of a step mother because you don't want her to have them? It just seems petty and fucked up to me rather than a light frothy thing to do.

How is someone meant to know about an unwritten rule? Weird.

There are painted rock groups on FB for my town, and they all say to keep or rehide.

I have painted a few with nice messages on, with the Samaritans number on the back.

Saying that, a lady in my local FB group paints about 200 stones every summer with children's names on. If you want to see a bunfight, then this is it. Lots of parents with tantruming children who could not find "their" rock. I have no idea why the lady still does it each year.

It's fine if she keeps them, no one has to join in with this if they don't want to or don't know about it. Once the stone is painted and left where it can be found, in a public place, people are free to take them.
It would only be wrong if she took them out of a private garden or place.
You can't force people to play your game or do what you do.

We’ve stopped taking part in this. One time we had just hidden a load on the local park and someone had posted they’d also left some there so we decided to look as we left pits. We then came across a woman with about 30 piled onto her buggy. All the ones we had hidden plus some other we were looking for to rehide. I did make a comment about how she was being selfish as loads were out looking but she had taken them all and didn’t care. My kids shamed her into giving her a couple but she stormed off on a big huff.

I think if you take part in this is nice to keep some but to go around taking them all and hoarding them some really in the spirit of the game.

There’s a few different rules about the painted stones, but in general they are meant to bring happiness to the finder. It sounds like they bring her happiness why be mad at her for that!

I totally thought this was just a lockdown thing.

This was a big thing in lockdown, we used to enjoy finding them out on walks. It’s a shame to think of them being gathered for the enjoyment of just one person.

My dad did this too!! I had to explain the system.

i must confess i quite liked seeing cheery rainbows and messages on little wooden tags(painted by children) in the trees on my lockdown walks through the woods. but really acrylic paint isn’t great to leave in the environment, and even moving stones causes unwanted environmental consequences, and that’s without painting them. i think they are just litter really.

Step-mother, I think.

What fresh hell is this? People leaving painted stones around the place seems like a labour-intensive way of being a litter lout. Why do people think its ok to start all these various new trends of imposing their tat on their surroundings?

Good on the OP's friend for picking them up.

Groan 😮‍💨

Aww sounds like it’s bringing her joy and i’d say that is the main purpose. She could leave them again and then children (like mine) could find them and they’d be lost in their cesspit bedroom until the end of time. At least she has them on show 😁

I used to paint stones and wrote on them, keep it rehide.

Not to sound too braggy but some of mine were really good, I did some amazing Disney villains and Alice in wonderland ones as well. Amongst simple ones. I didn’t expect those to be hid again. As I think if I had found them I would have kept them too!

Is it really worth worrying about?

Watch out she'll be adding gnomes soon and those hideous windmills.

She clearly appreciates and treasures them and displays them on her doorstep. I don’t see the harm.

Painted rocks are ugly AF, no exceptions. More people should be removing them instead of rehiding. If they want to go one further and clean them up before returning them in their natural state, so much the better.

My sister did this with just 1 stone at a local country park. Neither of us understood the rule of' take one leave one. ' It caught her eye and made her smile. She has it on display in her back garden so at least it's on display to all who are out in her garden at any time.

IncognitoMam · 09/04/2024 00:17

What's an SM?

Stone Misappropriator

Either persuade her to join or do it on her behalf then.
It sounds like the aim of the group is to spread joy she's happy brilliant.....do you paint any? maybe you could get her painting with you.