My boys: 6 and 4, have broken, snapped, cracked, and wrecked almost every toy they have....

[CharlotteACavatica]

and are currently chucking their new lego trucks they just built all over the garden and wrecking them! - i have come to the conclusion that they are brats (i love em to bits but i have to see the obvious)and they have no respect for there stuff at all! I have shouted and punished and naughty stepped them both half to death and it makes no difference! should i confiscate every toy they have? should i stick them on the naughty step for the next 6 months? should i put a 20pence price tag on them both and flog em on ebay? ( tempting.......)

ANY advice more then welcomed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If they aren't looking after them, tell them there must choose 10 toys each. They get to keep them. The rest go away out of reach. If the start to damage any they have, remove it. If they look after their toys, allow them another one back. And so on.

Ok ime/imo kids who constantly have no respect for toys are children who are brought things on all occasions not just birthdays and christmas (don't know if this is true in your case?).

What i would honestly do is....

1. ban any toy buying except birthday's and christmas until they can look after what they have already got. (and limit toys for b'days and xmas)

1. see if family can have them for a the day so i can sort their room out without them interfering.

1. bin any broken, cracked toys (do not replace them)

1. If after that they don't have much left then it's tough. If they continue to break stuff put it straight in the bin and send them to bed at 6pm.

1. do a sticker chart and if they go a week without breaking something reward them with thier fav tv programme or fav dinner - not money or toys.

OOOHH thanks hulababy and lovemygirls!!! thats good stuff!! and yes your right LMG - they do get alot of toys all the time!! hmmm silly how i never saw it like that really! thanks again though!

But it isn't always the case. As DD is only grandchild on one sign and just one of two ont he other (and there only neice, etc. she does get a fair bit of stuff and other times and always ends up with way too much each birthday/Christmas?easter. However she does take good care of her toys and knows that she has too. So children can have lots of stuff and still know how to look afte rit.

However I do think that as they are not looking after their stuff, any extras do need to stop immediately - at least unti then can start taking care of them.

Put the boys outside to play with some cardboard boxes, a sheet over the washing line to make a tent, and maybe a soft ball. Put all breakable toys away. It is a phase, and they need to burn off some energy.

Get them to build an obstacle course with the boxes, and have races.

you barricade yourself in the house with a cup of tea or a glass of wine. If necessary, hand them sandwiches and drinks of water (in plastic bottles) out through the window.

Let them in at bedtime....

YAY!!! i LOVE that idea 3littlefrogs lol!!!! .....hhmmmm a peaceful cup of tea for the first time in years perhaps (thats if dd who is only 18months has a nap too!) im so knackered! lol

And stick TOY STORY in the DVD - the message might get through that toys have feelings too

Prepare for the washing line to be snapped though, and close all your windows. I thought the dts couldn't get out of hand in the garden, ha! The reached in the kitchen window and grabbed an ornament placed there out of their reach and smashed it. Oh and a few weeks ago, dt2 managed to open a brand new tin of paint (god knows how) and pour it all over the patio. Both he and hte patio were a lovely shade of blue by the time he'd finished!

I find little tikes toys are pretty indestructable, everything else needs supervision. It's heartbreaking the amount they destroy, and wearing them out is the only answer.