Neighbour’s kid picked my daffodils

[Lucylooloo2]

Just that really, had lots of notifications of movement on the doorbell camera and lo and behold a kid (8ish years old) from a few houses down with a bunch of daffodils in her hand.

Checked mine in my front garden when I got home and Every. Single. One. has been taken.

I’m just really sad tbh. Know there are much bigger problems in the world but they were a little spark of joy for me 😕

When my father (82) was 8, he wouldn’t have dared picked flowers from anyone’s garden. Not his parents, nor his neighbours. Nor would I, I’m 54. My children wouldn’t have, they’re 28 & 30 and my little grandson, 15mths, will be taught the same.

I don’t know how old you are, or where you live, that children stealing from others “filled people with joy”, but it never has anywhere I’ve lived.

Glad you're going to talk to their parents. Even if it doesn't go well, it should hopefully prevent their child from picking your tulips next...

I also have daffodil theives but in the form of woodlice. The little buggers eat all my flowers. Dd is obsessed with woodlice and encourages them into the garden so not much I can do about it. I even planted lots of chilli plants thinking they would leave those alone but they ate the lot.

As someone whose garden is full of daffodils right now, I feel for you. It’s not sweet, it’s not cute, it’s theft. Wouldn’t give a crap about any sentimental bullshit around Mother’s Day, I’d be round there wanting an apology and my flowers back on the basis of if I can’t see them in my garden, then I’ll see them in vases in my house.

Picking flowers from someone’s garden is actually theft, with a side helping of trespass.

I get this is a child, but I would absolutely write a note to parent stating that while it may seem cute, what their child has done has upset you because they have taken ALL your flowers, without permission after coming onto your property. Suggest that next year (because if you do not address it this year you’ve implied permission for them to repeat it next year) can they come and ask permission and, perhaps, you may permit them to pick a few. This way you are not coming across as a snotty neighbour but offering a path to teaching them how they should have behaved. You can reserve the right to decline permission next year, but you also have it within your power to give a little. If the parent has any morals, they’ll be a bit mortified. In their shoes I’d buy you a plant and insist my child writes a letter of apology to go with it.

I’d also plant a few more bulbs for next year to ensure you have masses and masses of daffs!

I can't remember but I did have a toy pram.. so maybe 5??

How old was the child? Anything under 10 would surely have a parent with them? If it was a 5 year old, on their own, there's bigger issues around the child

wow, wait a whole year for the little thief to strike again? This is why we can't have nice things.

OP - i'd go to the house and explain what happened and tell the parents to instruct the child to a) apologise to you and b) stop thieving

pick them

I'd do this too.
No need to start a feud with the neighbours, sounds like the child was acting in childish ignorance not out of malice.

I said it's not worth getting upset over, not that she shouldn't be upset. I personally wouldnt waste my time being upset and try to move on from it. I might be annoyed and go round and ask them to not do this anymore, yes.

My judgement is probably not great though so you might be right to question my opinion. I am writing from prison as I am currently serving a long stretch for a gold heist. I moved on from flowers pretty quickly and it escalated to me being an international master thief. My downfall was my trademark of leaving tulips at the scene. The police eventually traced it back to that day when I picked them from the neighbour and that's how I was caught.

I’m sure I remember a post from ages ago. The OP had inherited a house but when she inherited it it was already rented out to an old lady who couldn’t manage it. She was worried about the state of the house and wanted to evict the woman and sell the house. One poster told her in all seriousness to give the renter the house! Like we can all afford to give houses worth hundreds of thousands of pounds away to total strangers. Typical Mumsnet.

I have an eight-year-old currently, and I'd be absolutely furious with her if she did this
I don't think she would because I've spent six years making sure she knows which flowers you can pick and which flowers you can't pick, so I'd be flabbergasted as well as furious, tbh
Definitely go and have a word with the parents. "Sweet", my arse

Yeah this. I also have an 8 year old. I’ve been telling her since she was a toddler that it’s not ok to go into peoples gardens/pick flowers so she would absolutely know fine well this was wrong.

No wonder the schools are in the mess they are, with some of the attitudes on here. “Super sweet” ffs. Kids need to learn. You don’t do them any favours by not teaching them.

no. OP needs to go to the parents, explain what has happened. Ask if they would prefer her dig up their daffs to put in her garden to replace them, or if they are going to pony up so OP can get replacements.

All you MNetters who think 8 year olds are cute for stealing: Do your jobs. Tell your feral children not to steal. FGS what on earth is wrong with you?

I doubt it was done out of meanness, she’s a young girl who probably thought she’d pick them for her mum. It’s the innocent, but thoughtless, sort of thing I could have done at that age. The correct thing would be for the mum to speak to her daughter and an apology for the OP.

It’s slightly worrying that some people seem to be saying how sweet it is. At 8 years a child should know it is wrong to pick flowers from a garden..especially all of them. I would mention ittoher mum.

how do you encourage wood lice into the garden? Just out of interest. I have images of her “pspspspsps”ing at a woodlouse to get it to come into her garden 😂

Indeed. I'm wondering if the OP had a flower shop with daffs outside if some posters would think it acceptable for the child to take some. And if so where do they draw the line, the corner shop? Superdrug? Tiffany & co?

No, don't do this, OP. Do not suggest you might give them permission to pick some of your flowers as THEY HAVE THEIR OWN FLOWERS THE CHILD LEFT UNTOUCHED IN THEIR OWN FRONT GARDEN! So the child clearly knew she wasn't allowed to pick them, but merrily picked someone else's.

Why are people saying that it is sweet/innocent for an eight year old to pick flowers from someone else's garden? It is not - by this age children are perfectly aware of right and wrong and should be punished accordingly. I wrote earlier about my four year old brother doing the same thing with his little friend. That was innocent, especially as they gave the flowers to the lady who had planted them. It was made very clear to them that it must never happen again.

This was my point too. If a child of 8 doesn't have the common sense level to know not to go around damaging property, then they don't have the common sense level to be out alone unsupervised. She could stroll into the wrong garden and end up in a very serious situation. God knows there are plenty of predators out there now, i can't imagine having this level of ignorance of my child's behaviour that I was unaware of her entering random gardens with no sense.

All these people saying this is sweet by the child, what is wrong with you??

It’s about diplomacy… if she goes in hard, labelling the child a thief (which they are) it will undermine neighbourly relations and lead to other issues, possibly reprisals. OP does not actually HAVE to give permission next year - she is asking that said child is polite enough to come to her door and ASK for that permission (at which point she is perfectly at liberty to say NO). I thought that was perfectly clear in my PP.

PS Is that enough capital letters for you?

If the child decides to start picking wild daffs then hopefully their parents have deep pockets.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2026680/picking-daffodils-flowers-5-000-fine

I agree with those who have pointed out that the kid probably doesn’t realise how inappropriate it was. Definitely worth speaking to her parent - you don’t have to do it in an angry way, more that you’d like the kid to understand that it’s not the same as picking dandelions for example.
I would be gutted and annoyed as well though OP, so sending sympathy! x