So, after my "How should we handle this?" thread DD has lost a part off her bike

[FabBakerGirlIsBack]

And doesn't seem unduly worried.

I have told her if she doesn't find it I will not be buying her another bike. She got this one at the beginning of August.

She is 6.

What was the How Should we handle this thread?

On this topic.

It happens. My son lost a part of his bike, ie. the mudguard. We walked over the route and found part of it, but could not find the nut and bolt.

We bought a new nut and bolt and fixed the bike fairly cheaply. I did not get angry with my son as he did not diliberately break his bike.

Frankly I would rather the bike got used than sat in the shed absolutely pristine.

Its no different to the time I was reverse parallel parking our car and a large tree decided to jump into the road. Or my husband managed to write off his BMW by crashing into to a concrete piller at 5 mph.

What has she done to the bike? Surely its repairable. Accidents happen and its better to take a sympathetic point of view.

I would be sympathetic if they didn't break things constantly and not care that things have been broken. They really don't give a toss and just tell me to buy another.

It isn't about keeping it pristine, it is about it being safe to ride.

If they are breaking things constantly then you need to think why. Children need to be taught how to keep their toys/ belongings safe. For example being strict about children putting toys away when they are finished. I find it helps to organise toys into different storgage boxes rather than throwing everything into a large toy box.

What precisely has she done to her bike? I find it unbelievable that she has managed to write off her bike at the age of six. Most children's bikes are pretty robust. Prehaps this is the time to teach her some bike maintenance.

which part?