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Original poster

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! once again DD (nearly 6 FGS) has drawn on the sofa and on my bed headboard. What shall I do?

179 replies

LittleBella · 10/01/2008 22:10

I really, really want this to stop. She is nearly bloody six. When she was 3, it was my fault because I shouldn't have left pens around. Now she is almost 6 and knows it is a rule that she doesn't draw on the furniture, I don't think it is my fault any more. Well maybe it is, but other people's kids of this age don't, so how can I stop her doing it? Don't tell me to keep pens out of her way, I can't have that level of organisation and control freakery. What shall I say to her? Should I have a sanction? And how do I get biro out of leather and suede?!

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CarGirl · 10/01/2008 22:17

Wehn dd (4) drew on my cat on purpose she had a time out and that was the end of colouring/cutting/ticking for her for the day. If she does anything like that in a years time I may throttle her.........

Hulababy · 10/01/2008 22:19

What happens when she does it? What do you say/do?

She definitely needs a sanction, as at 5yo she should no better.

TellusMater · 10/01/2008 22:20

Yes, you should definitely have a sanction. I was pretty angry with my 3 year old when she drew on the wall.

Original poster
LittleBella · 10/01/2008 22:29

Hula - she hasn't done it for ages, but have usually ranted and raved ineffectively about it for a bit. Then possibly had some kind of sanction like no TV for an hour, followed by raging tantrum and anger from DD, making up with hug but sanction still in place.

I really don't know what to do anymore. I know it sounds trivial, but I don't want my furniture to look more shit than it has to and she is 5, not 3!

OP posts:
HonoriaGlossop · 10/01/2008 22:30

I'd get her to come to the shops to get advice on what to use to get the stains out, and i'd get her to help you clean the stains. I think the boring-ness of that might be a bit of a deterrent the next time she has a pen in her hand and a twinkle in her eye

i think this sort of sanction works really well because it's so related to the incident and is actually teaching her something.

Staceym21AtLast · 10/01/2008 22:38

i would say cloth with warm water and washing up liquid and get her scrubbing (on the leather not the suede!!)

when my dd was abotu 2.3 she drew on my wall. i made her clean it with a magic eraser thingy and took her pens away for the rest of the day.

she hasnt done anything like it since.

hopefully m aking her clean it up might make her think more about it!

superloopy · 10/01/2008 22:46

My DD decorated our leather sofa with pen a few months ago and i got it all off easily with methylated spirits (sp?). Our sofa is chocolate brown and the ink was in a very obvious spot. I was very plaesed to get it clean. Test in a hidden spot first maybe. Not sure about suede cleaning tho'. Good luck!!

FluffyMummy123 · 10/01/2008 22:48

Message withdrawn

foxinsocks · 10/01/2008 22:49

arrgh was about to say that before cod muscled in

it really cannot be that hard to put the pens away/out of her reach

FluffyMummy123 · 10/01/2008 22:49

Message withdrawn

gigglewitch · 10/01/2008 22:52

  1. hide all the pens,pencils and crayons (i do) till children have all reached a minimum of 16yrs of age

  2. get mr muscle multi-task...it even got crayon (lots!) off my cream sofa-bed. [bought when i was free, single and childless, obv]

Good luck

foxinsocks · 10/01/2008 22:53

tis the best way to do it (remove the pens)

it's fun otherwise (colouring where you're not supposed to) - you want to do it to see what it looks like. I can see the attraction.

Twiggypiggy · 10/01/2008 22:54

You would think that at 6 she would have grown out of it but at 8 my ds is still going strong.

Some of the things he does is ubelievable yet to just about everyone on this planet he is the most adorable, gorgeous, butter would not melt little boy who just likes to get up to mischief.

I do not leave scissors lying around so he can cut the venetian blinds and the stitching on my new grrrrr leather sofa. I do not leave paint lying around in the garage so he can pour it into our petrol lawnmower, I did not give him permission to help himself to our next door neighbours freezer which is kept in the garage (for an ice lolly), I do not keep nail varnish on view so that he can put it on then decide maybe he shouldn't have done it and wipe his fingers on my lovely duvet cover. The list goes on - so you have my sympathy.

Sorry, rant over.

fairyfly · 10/01/2008 22:54

Hmmm my kids have taken to drawing on everything with what they like to call a super charged spy master pen. You know those ones that you can only see under a light? It keeps them amused for hours. Perhaps you should get her one. Saying that if i ever got ultra violet lights fitted it could say fuck all over the place without me knowing. Best not encourage her.

gigglewitch · 10/01/2008 22:59

PS can u give her a job - hopefully which she doesn't enjoy, maybe tidying something in her room, or ha ha finding all the pens and pencils in the house and putting them in a particular place of your choice? my DC are brainwashed with a "we only ever write on paper" mantra from, erm, pretty much birth and a jar of pens is kept on the breakfast bar in the kitchen (worktop and floor both reasonably indestructible) together with an assortment of notebooks and scrap paper. that's the "writing zone" and they can get at it whenever they feel the urge, but can't move it [more brainwashing i'm afraid]
Is this any use to you?

foxinsocks · 10/01/2008 23:00

have you thought about getting him stuff he can build Twiggy?

I was a bit like that as a child (although him wiping his hands on the duvet cover was v unwise!) but once I learned how to build houses out of cards and that sort of thing, I was much better .

lol at the spy pens

foxinsocks · 10/01/2008 23:01

I think they all do it though, at some stage (can see crayon on the doors from where I'm sitting from goodness knows how long ago!)

Twiggypiggy · 10/01/2008 23:05

Fox - I think the trouble is with him he is very bright and whatever we do it is not enough he gets bored very easily.

He has lots of building stuff and he does play with it. Always thinking of ways to hook his big lorries together with string etc.

At three he asked for stabilisers to be taken off his bike - did not have a problem on two wheels at all.

Swimming lessons - no probs - was not going to wear arm bands for long - took the teacher by surprise that one did. He sort of started the lesson with two and came out of the same lesson with none.

Started guitar lessons last week - (his older brother has been doing it since last June) he seemed to have picked up more in one lesson than DS1 has in months.

Scramble · 10/01/2008 23:05

DD age 8 has always been bad for drawing on things, she just can't seem to help herself and is mortified when found out, its just doodles I suppose and she does it absent mindedly. Nice little stick figure on her sheet last week . I tend to not let her have pens etc in her room. I had let her so she could write her diary. Not now.

kindersurprise · 10/01/2008 23:07

My 3yo just wrote on the wall this week. Pretty good drawing for his age actually. Not that I told him that

I like the idea of making them clean it up themselves. Might test the removal sponge thingy first though to make sure it won't make it worse.

gigglewitch · 10/01/2008 23:09

just re-read the thread and lol...sorry

oooh twig i've got one of those they learn everything tooo tooooooo fast and then look for mischief. As mine is only 4 i got him a huuuugge box of lego for christmas, wheels and all kinds of stuff in it, and it is keeping him entertained 'inventing' so far. Three weeks - tis going good

if there a bigger-kid equivalent, d'ya think? something with many possibilities to keep his little old brain on the go without causing mischief? (and if you find it let me know cos i will need it in coming years...)

kindersurprise · 10/01/2008 23:09

oops, and meant to add that she is almost 6 so totally unacceptable behaviour. Does she show any remorse afterwards?

catgirl
Your DD drew on your cat?

Twiggypiggy · 10/01/2008 23:14

kinder - mine never shows any remorse.

kindersurprise · 10/01/2008 23:18

There was a thread about children like this a good while ago. Some of the things they got up to were quite hair raising.

How is he when you go somewhere else, Twiggy? Can he control himself when you visit friends?

Twiggypiggy · 10/01/2008 23:27

Yes and no - if he can be the centre of attention then everything is hunky dory. We went out for drinks to a friends house between xmas and new year - there was friends DS who is same age as my DS1 (nearly 11) and another friend there with her DS who is 9. To get himself "heard" he has to mess about. If they are say taking it in turns to do something - he has to be first all the time.

If my DS1 has a friend in to play DS2 has to get in the middle. He has lots of friends his own age but sees the older children as friends who he would rather play with.

He can go to anyones house for tea and be on best behaviour etc. Nothing but good reports about him.

Like my mum says he has been in this world before with some of the stuff he comes out with.