Not to replace the water bottle?

[Woodstocks]

If you saw your child (9 years old) throwing his water bottle repeatedly on the floor until it broke, would you replace it immediately? Or make him wait to get a new nice one for Christmas and use an old not as nice one in the meantime?

The Latter for sure!

Of course he needs to wait.

make do without a doubt

He has to wait. And tell him why.

Yep. Needs to wait.

He wouldn’t even be getting a new one for xmas

I don't know that I'd even get him a nice one for Christmas tbh. At nine he knows better than to deliberately break things!

This! An ugly but sturdy one would be what I was going for.

I would replace it if needed. But with a boring sturdy one. Not a fancy.

I'd probably not replace with plastic. I'd insist on a metal one and charge him for it. E.g. these extra chores are worth 50p each. You want a new bottle you earn it. And if there are any more tantrums you'll be grounded and have to wait an extra wait to buy it.

I wouldn’t replace for Xmas. But that’s just personally down to me as it’s not really a present.. Unless asked for of course! But I would replace with something plain boring & sturdy.

Agreed. He doesn't need another water bottle he has one that's functional albeit not as nice. He wouldn't be getting another one even for Christmas after deliberately breaking his old one.

Well I'd replace immediately because he needs a bottle for school - it's not like a luxury item.

The conversation we had would depend on what is meant by throwing repeatedly on the floor though. Throwing it AT the floor on purpose, trying to break it is very different to if he was just bottle flipping which is thoughtless but not 'bad'.

I wouldn’t be replacing it now or at Christmas tbh, he has a functional one. He can save up pocket money, doing chores etc if he wants a nicer one, it would be a good lesson in learning the worth of the one he broke.

what was the explanation he gave for why he broke it?

Not a chance I’d be replacing it. Not even at Christmas. He can have basic ones until he learns to respect his things

He has a water bottle he doesn't need one for school, he can use the old one.

It wasn’t a tantrum. He was just outside letting it drop in the patio stones repeatedly to see what would happen. He was “bored” that’s the only explanation I got.

I wouldn't replace it straightaway. Any sort of natural consequence: taped up one or crappy old one or he can buy a new one out of pocket money. I wouldn't promise for Xmas either. I'd you'll maybe think about one but because you can't be sure he won't deliberately break it, he'll have to show you he can look after his things.

He can wait or honestly I’d make him use his pocket money (if he gets it), or Christmas/ birthday money. He might just see it as an extra gift if it’s for Christmas.

This is a good point actually

I would use an old one and then just buy another standard water bottle when the need arose. I wouldn’t buy a gift-level bottle for a child

I would not buy him a new one at all. If you have spare ones available to use why would you buy him a new one after he deliberately broke the one he had? Especially after he told you he kept dropping it to see what would happen because he was bored, is being bored an excuse to break things?

He needs to wait. My own DS uses his water bottle as a football. He's broken several doing that so now he has a scratched up old one.

Definitely use the other one.