2 tvs broke this year – aibu not to replace

[sunshinedaises]

My ds has just broken our tv for the 2nd time this year. First time we did an insurance claim and the excess is £250. This time I’m tempted not to even replace. We don’t have the spare money and do I even want to when he could just break it again? Am I gonna be the one punished as I use TV to occupy them when I need to get things done? Anyone else live without a TV?

How old is he and how is he breaking them?

We haven’t had a TV for a decade. It seems to have been fine.

How old is he? And how did he break them?

I think context matters here - My son broke ours when he was 2 because he fell over with a toy in his hand so it was an accident and we did replace it, however my sisters son with ADHD broke several of her TVs by purposely throwing things at them so she stopped replacing them

He is 2.5 and he did it on purpose. He also is constantly touching it with different objects and throwing things at it despite me telling him not to 100 times

Thought you were going to say he's 14!! You need to be firmer with him. Remove him from things he touches that he knows not to. Can you put the TV on the wall? Or up higher?

By all means, don't replace if you don't want too but I couldn't be without one!

He may have "done it on purpose " but he's 2! I assumed you were going to say he's 5+.

He has no concept of what a tv is worth and probably troubles it to get attention.

But yeah, don't replace it until you know he's old enough to leave it be

I'm not sure how much a 2 year old can break a tv on purpose- he wouldn't be able to fully grasp the concept of it being broken forever and then costing money to replace etc. At 2 he's just exploring the world around him and cause and effect. Maybe wait until he's out of that phase though to replace it. The natural consequence of not having a tv for a while will probably help him understand and learn not to do that.

I thought you were going to say he was school age or older. At 2.5 he has no idea of cause and effect and is just learning. He has no idea that breaking it will cost you money etc. Its not on purpose as that implies malice.

Does he break it when it is on or when it is off also?

I wouldn't replace it until he has been taught not to touch things he shouldn't. DS4 sometimes will touch the TV to point something out. But very swiftly it goes off and isn't put back on.
We regularly go weeks with no TV for the kids (TV is a earned privilege in our house). They find other things to do and keep themselves occupied eventually.

At 2.5, it's completely your fault. It shouldn't be within reach. It should be hung up on the wall way out of reach so nothing heavy enough could be picked up and thrown at it to actually break it.

And re living without a TV, my DS has NEVER seen it turned on. Never. We watch it after he goes to bed. Probably your punishment for using screens with a 2 year old.

Good grief he’s 2. Can you put it on the wall or barricade it in so he can’t break it again?

You need to move it or sort something out so it doesn’t happen again. No toys downstairs or something. At 2.5 years old and breaking 2 TVs, that’s not his fault. It’s obviously too easy for him. He’s still a baby pretty much. You’ve written it like he’s a teenager with full control of himself. They barely know right from wrong at that age!

Firstly I wouldn't replace it immediately.

Live without for a little while so the consequences are felt and to allow you to save up for a new one!

Secondly you need to work out how to prevent this happening again.

I wouldn't replace it. I find my DC will watch TV for hours if allowed, but if I refuse to put it on DC is actually better than I give them credit for in finding stuff to do.

But I don't watch much TV myself.

I'd probably do without one until he's past the throwing stage tbh.

Maybe get a little portable that can be put away and used when he's asleep.

Is this a joke? A 2.5 year old doesn’t break anything on purpose. You are responsible for watching them. You can either replace and put it on the wall out of reach or not get one. But I suggest you pay more attention to them.

Is this a joke? A 2.5 year old doesn’t break anything on purpose. You are responsible for watching them. You can either replace and put it on the wall out of reach or not get one. But I suggest you pay more attention to them.

Agreed. I'm horrified at reading this. Your toddler does not understand the consequences of his actions.

Yep you need to supervise him better, you don't really "tell" a toddler, you physically help them. Try "we don't throw things" calmly and then remove any object from his hands that he looks like he might throw. He'll grab something else so you repeat "I won't let you throw that, because we don't throw things" then remove again. Keep repeating. You can't sit there and say "don't throw that" then sit and wait for him to throw it, then be mad - they dont understand. They need watching all the time and you need to calmly enforce boundaries yourself, rather than standing back and telling.
If you get another tv, he will clearly break it. Personally I'd buy another tv and parent my child so as they're not constantly throwing things in the house- by not getting a tv, you're treating the symptom, not the cause. When you go out and about presmably he does the same, so you will need to get on top of it.

2.5YRS old, little more than a baby, this was not intentional, this is your lack of supervisions you are clearly not watching him well enough !

We get so much input with how to manage babies but then so little when they get bigger. 2.5 is too young for discipline, OP, he's too little. They don't get start to get any sort of impulse control until they're at least a couple of years older. It's a terrible time when they have a lot of physical capability and no common sense. Massive design flaw! For now you've just got to put stuff he can't be trusted with out of his reach or protect it.

100% on you, OP. A 2 year old does not understand consequences. Honestly thought this was going to be about a child that's much older. My son is 8 and I've only recently taken the tv off the wall. There is no way at 2, 3, or even 4 he would have understood.

He may have done it in a temper, but he will not have done it deliberately because he is too young to understand that it would be permanantly broken.
Could you try without it for a while? If you decide to replace it then you need one that you can fix high up on the wall.

I think you have answered your own question - if you are using the TV to occupy them, it means you are not supervising and that it why this has happened twice. Once would be enough for me to ensure that he was not left alone to be able to do it again. If you are a family that tend to watch Christmas movies and stuff together then I can see what you might get one for December, but you can buy secondhand off Gumtree or FB Marketplace, and get a bracket to fix it high on the wall out of his reach.

You're being too passive about this.

Two TVs?!?!

How has your kid been able to break 2 tv's!? We have had countless children through our home, our own children, minded children and foster kiddies and have never had a tv broken by any of them.