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Original poster

To ask for a suitable punishment for my children

191 replies

Workquestion11 · 09/08/2023 19:33

Most nights we take our youngest and our dog for a walk.
Never occurred to me to lock the back door (don't come for me, I know I know)

Just found out that my two children aged 5 and 6 have been opening our side gate and helping themselves to chocolate, money, juice anything pretty much

I'm so pissed off I don't know how to calm down

OP posts:
Maireas · 09/08/2023 19:41

Right. So every evening you leave your little children in the neighbour's garden, unsupervised?

DaisyAndDonaldDuck · 09/08/2023 19:41

pamplemoussemousse · 09/08/2023 19:40

Not sure I'd do either to a 5 and 6 year old having snacks from their own kitchen Confused whilst apparently left alone in the neighbours garden...

Show quote history

No, neither would I. I was just talking in general terms.

FoodFann · 09/08/2023 19:42

You’re leaving 5 yo children at home alone. A bit of missing choccy is the least of your worries.

As MNers would say… ‘give your head a wobble!’

LylaLee · 09/08/2023 19:42

LylaLee · 09/08/2023 19:38

Are they slipping out the house and going to the corner shop?

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Cross posted but I still don't understand.

The children are being watched by the neighbours while you walk the dog. And while in the neighbour's garden, your children open an interconnected garden gate, go back into your empty house. They know you are out walking the dog, so they take the opportunity to steal sweets and to steal money from your kitchen?

Is this what you mean?

Letitgonowgr · 09/08/2023 19:42

Workquestion11 · 09/08/2023 19:37

Okay sorry
So my children are usually playing in the neighbours garden
They are coming in the side gate, opening the back door and helping themselves to any food in the kitchen

You go out and take the dog for a walk leaving your kids in the garden next door? They let themselves in your house and take food etc.. well in that case does it not worry you what other harm they could come to?!

Crispyperifries · 09/08/2023 19:42

Hopefully the neighbours are watching your kids while you are walking the dog?

Seems a very over the top reaction to this, are you really strict with food/sweets/juice?

pamplemoussemousse · 09/08/2023 19:43

@DaisyAndDonaldDuck oh I know, my reply was more pointed towards the op that thinks it's perfectly fine to lock her kids out of the house while she goes for dog walks!

EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 09/08/2023 19:43

If you've fucked off out and left your very young children to roam then anything they do is entirely on you and they don't deserve punishment for anything resulting from your own negligence

PollyThePixie · 09/08/2023 19:43

They don’t have to be punished. It’s a non event.

MangshorJhol · 09/08/2023 19:43

Ok but is no one keeping an eye on them?

I know people on MN are big on kids not having access to food without permission. It’s not how we work. We don’t have a lot of junk food around but they can eat if they want to. They mostly snack on fruit. In the holidays sometimes on biscuits and popcorn. To be fair they usually ask and unless it’s close to a main meal I am fine with it.

GoodChat · 09/08/2023 19:43

The children don't play at the neighbours anymore as they're unsupervised and they accompany you on the dog walk in future.

Maireas · 09/08/2023 19:43

LylaLee · 09/08/2023 19:42

Cross posted but I still don't understand.

The children are being watched by the neighbours while you walk the dog. And while in the neighbour's garden, your children open an interconnected garden gate, go back into your empty house. They know you are out walking the dog, so they take the opportunity to steal sweets and to steal money from your kitchen?

Is this what you mean?

Show quote history

That's what I understood.

ThePianists · 09/08/2023 19:43

It’s not the children that need punishing. You have been negligent.

itsgettingweird · 09/08/2023 19:43

You are leaving your 5 and 6 to unsupervised enough to do this unnoticed.

Im sure sure you're looking at the right culprit here

ShiteRider · 09/08/2023 19:43

I think that show’s initiative. I’d be quite amused by it rather than angry to be honest.

Hufflepods · 09/08/2023 19:44

LylaLee · 09/08/2023 19:42

Cross posted but I still don't understand.

The children are being watched by the neighbours while you walk the dog. And while in the neighbour's garden, your children open an interconnected garden gate, go back into your empty house. They know you are out walking the dog, so they take the opportunity to steal sweets and to steal money from your kitchen?

Is this what you mean?

Show quote history

I don’t think they are being “watched” I think they are just being left. So they happened to be in neighbours garden at the time, but neighbour isn’t babysitting them and they are free to do what they like. They are going back into their own home to eat snacks and OP is seemingly fuming that she hadn’t locked the door to stop them!

Oatycookies · 09/08/2023 19:44

Maybe they’re secretly annoyed you head off every evening for an hour or whatever to walk the dog without them lol

Smartiepants79 · 09/08/2023 19:44

This ‘childcare’ arrangement doesn’t seem to be working!
Is the neighbour supposed to be responsible for watching them? They’re too little to be left alone for any length of time. They seem to have been left unsupervised for long enough to leave the garden, go into another house and hunt for snacks and nobody noticed? I think you’re lucky that the worst that has happened is a few missing treats.

drinkuptheezider · 09/08/2023 19:44

I'm waiting for a 'my neighbour leaves her kids in my garden while she walks the dog' thread 😅

Crunchiethatfridayfeeling · 09/08/2023 19:45

I think you need to double check with your neighbour about the supervision she's providing.
If they're leaving the garden they could go anywhere.

I don't think punishments are in order I think you're pointing your anger in the wrong direction, don't focus on the snacks being taken focus on the danger your young children are being left in by you and possibly your neighbour (depending on level of supervision agreed with her)

CalistoNoSolo · 09/08/2023 19:45

This is another bot thread. Click bait title, limited info in the first post, subsequent posts drip feed... So boring.

Maireas · 09/08/2023 19:45

Also, a 5 and 6 year old sneaking around - in all honesty taking money and sweets is not the most dangerous thing they can do in a kitchen.

MrsTerryPratchett · 09/08/2023 19:45

drinkuptheezider · 09/08/2023 19:44

I'm waiting for a 'my neighbour leaves her kids in my garden while she walks the dog' thread 😅

Yes please!

itsgettingweird · 09/08/2023 19:46

Perhaps they are stealing it to pay the neighbour back for babysitting them?!

Don't get me wrong I don't think they are right for what they are doing but they are doing it because they are 5 and left unsupervised.

pamplemoussemousse · 09/08/2023 19:46

I mean if I was the neighbour and the kids said they were hungry or thirsty I'd let them go to their own house and take a snack or juice, rather than feed/water them myself as my CF neighbour pootles around the block with her dog...