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 😕

It was a fun activity for me too, along with ringing neighbours door bell and running 🙈😹

We have daffodils that grow outside the entrance of our estate every year, and every year a woman and her children strip them away over a couple of weeks. I have her on fb and it makes me sad seeing them there looking cheerful for everyone compared to when she posts them half dead in a sad looking vase on her story. I haven’t got the balls to say anything, and I don’t think I’d have the balls to tell the parents here. But I’d post a message on our fb group about it 😂

she’s gone into another person’s garden. Does it not say something that she has not picked the ones from her own garden? Maybe as someone has told her not too, but it’s ok too do it too a neighbour?
you take ages making your garden nice, no it’s not ok.
you do not need to go mad but a word is needed. I’d be pissed if this happened to me!

I don't know what those emojis mean, but I don't find this amusing in the slightest. What a nightmare you must have been to your neighbours as a child. Didn't your parents do anything about your behaviour?

Mother's day isn't until next weekend so that's a stretch.

Since when has it been ok to go into someone else's garden and pick their flowers?

DS1 learned not to pick (most) flowers at 2. He'd picked a tulip and I told him "poor tulip, it only has one flower a year"
Some bulbs hit harsh springs of wintery weather so they don't get their full glory every year.

I've always emphisised that flowers in parks and gardens are beautiful and we leave them there to grow and for everyone to enjoy.

8 is plenty old enough to understand not to take others' flowers (be it in a garden or publicly owned). 8 year olds have pretty well developed basics of social rules... if they were taught along the way...

True, it's not child's fault but unless op tell parents, they won't be able to explain. Though op should say it in a non complaining way.

My five year old has known for a long time that it's not allowed to pick flowers from gardens, it's not a difficult concept to grasp. Dandelions and daisies etc are fine, garden flowers are not. I assume the people who think it's funny/cute don't do much gardening, it's a lot of work

What’s sweet about stealing??

What if the OP is a disabled older person whose only pleasure is looking out of her window and admiring her flowers whilst watching the world go by? Is stealing from her still sweet?

The child needs to be told that taking flowers from other people’s gardens is stealing.

I'm a really keen gardener and would be absolutely raging if someone picked even a single flower from my front garden - the amount of work I put into it, oh my God, I'd be gutted uf someone damaged any of my plants. If it was a child I'd just gently explain you shouldn't do that and point them in the direction of the nearest patch of daisys - if it was an adult doing it... I'd go fucking mental, armageddon. I'd properly go ballistic at them.

Why should she say it in a non-complaining way? It would be wise not to go in all guns blazing, but I think we can assume if an eight-year-old is allowed out unsupervised she probably doesn't have a learning disability and should therefore be able to grasp that you don't pick flowers from other people's gardens. You don't even go into other people's gardens uninvited. So yes, the OP has grounds for complaint, and a reasonable expectation that the parents will make sure this doesn't happen again.

No my father was an irresponsible alcoholic, and mother was a codependent so you are right they didn't teach me anything. Tgey were beyond neglectful. However, I wasn't a nightmare child but during summer vacation when I used to meet my cousins, I would do some naughty things with them and they were fun because that was the only time i could be silly or childlike. I agreed in other posts, it is not sweet like other posters said.
Please stop assuming you can tell a person based on a very little information you learng about them.

I d be fuming some 8 year old stealing out of my garden I don't think it's sweet at all. Can't see how anyone can think it's sweet. It's bloody stealing and what will she nick next. I've had stuff nicked out of my front garden. Believe me there is nothing sweet about it. I often wonder what all the people on here who think it's sweet would do if it was their flowers.

I would buy some daffodil bulbs and take them to the little girl in a gift bag with some earth and a little gardening set. Explain how she can plant them in her own garden and eventually pick them herself-as they belong to her. And you then keep yours as you also grew them in your own garden.
Depends on how well you know the family of course?

Once upon a time not so long ago, this would have filled people with joy to see a child do this, but fast forward to now, that poor little girl deserves locking up and an Asbo. Oh how society has changed!
To even create a thread on this is disgusting, you obviously have literally nothing else in your life to complain about. Lucky Lucky you!

I adore daffodils and have planted them in every house I've ever lived in as an adult

They are the start of spring

I spent years repeating 'flowers are to be left for everyone to enjoy' and 'don't pick them!' to my own children

(we lived in york at the time and for years,I'd walk the kids on the other side of the road to the bar walls/Clifford's tower so their was no temptation for little fingers but wed always stop to admire them)

In the house we lived in before I moved away,we lived in a very 'gentle parenting' area

My daffs had just started to bloom when some random kid would yank them up,bulb and all,stamp on them and walk off

His mother would stand there,proudly smiling and cooing at him (this happened a few times over the time we lived there)

I did try to have a word with her about not allowing her 8/9/10 year old to ruin my garden and all I got back was 'just buy some more!'

Yes,as a single mum with little money,I was meant to buy more and plant them,just for the little fucker to ruin them again

The entitlement is real

I wonder what the same parents would have said if I'd allowed my children to steal the milk off their doorsteps as they where thirsty ,to steal their clothes off the washing line as they liked the clothes or to batter their dog as they 'felt like it'

Can't believe some of these answers. Eight isn't tiny and they've got their own daffodils. She's old enough to know better. The OP is right to politely ask her parents to speak to her and make sure it doesn't happen again.

What on Earth am I reading? "Super sweet" - she's 8, not 3! More than old enough to know not to pick flowers, especially from someone else's garden.

I'm sorry OP. I'd be really sad too. I think mentioning it to her parents is a good idea.

The girl shouldn't have been in thr neighbour's garden let alone causing damage and stealing.

The parents need informing and whilst the dc doesn't need locking up she deserves a thorough bollocking.

She can explain in any way she likes. I don't have to explain you why. You can go with op and complain and get 8 year old in trouble if you like. Stop being so angry with peoole you don't know.

YANBU; it’s absolutely not ok. It’s your garden and your property. Parents - do not let your children do this.

Go and complain to the neighbour and tell the parents that they cannot let their child on to your garden again.

Can you put up a fence and a gate?

It is not "super sweet" to steal flowers from a neighbour's garden. Just like it's not super sweet to pick flowers from a verge or a park or in the wild. It's theft and I would go and speak with the kid's parents as it's not on, even if the child didn't realise.

Years ago I had two of my neighbours' kids playing together reaching over my garden wall picking things and pulling things up. I saw them doing it and went and spoke with both sets of parents. They both knew what they was doing was wrong and came and apologised to me. Didn't happen again.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, it would have filled you with joy to see someone come into your garden, part of your home, and take things that belong to you?

Bloody hell, just listening to the ‘oh how sweet’ and she’s only a little child’ brigade on here is giving me the rage. There’s nothing sweet about a child who is old enough to know better stealing. No wonder there are so many entitled little brats around with such pathetic parenting.

I’m sorry about your daffodils OP, they look so lovely growing in the garden, a real sign that spring is on the way.

Yeah I bet you would do that.