Please provide me with an appropriate response

[LynetteScavo]

....because atm my chin is on the floor.

I've just been up to DS1's bedroom and discovered he has taken scissors to all his trousers and cut holes in the knees because it's "cool".

God give me strength.

So how do I play this one? I'm not made of money. And they so do not look cool because they are cut, not ripped.

How old is he? If older than 6/7 I would make him wear them til he grows out of them; he is old enough to understand consequences of his actions.

As a sidenote...I had a talk with my DSs (6&8) about where money comes from, how long it takes to earn each £, and try to get them to decide for themselves if an item is 'worth' the money when we go shopping. They seem more considerate of our posessions now.

Good luck!

How old is he LS?

In addition to understanding consequences of his actions, I would point out that you don't do things to excess. If he had cut up one pair and then realised his mistake (when his freinds rip the piss out of him) then that would be OK because we all make mistakes and bad calls. But to put all in eggs in one basket, to cut all his trousers is silly.

Deep sigh. It's all part of life's learning. No-one died. Tell him to spend his pocket money down the charity shop.

He's 11!! Plenty old enough to know exactly what he was doing.

I shall not be buying new jeans, but I will have to get new school trousers. He wasn't even wearing them at the time, so the cuts aren't anywhere near his knees. Idiot.

That's stupidity on an impressive scale . I'd make him wear them - school ones included - at least for a week or so.

Silly boy, but you have to see the funny side that the cuts aren't at knee level

Can you make him do jobs to pay for the school trousers? he'll grow out of the other ones soon enough.

I wouldn't buy any more, even school trousers. If he feels silly at school he can buy more trousers out of his money.

Or patch them all with great big seriously uncool geography teacher style corduroy patches (apologies to any stylish geography teacher Mumsnetters).

I would make him wear them too. At his age he should be nicely embarrassed and won't do it again.

Well, he's happily gone out in his cut jeans.

He wouldn't care what other people thought of his school trousers...he doesn't do embarrassed, but he would love all the attention he'd get.

I would take the money out of his account to pay for the school trousers, but I've already emptied it to pay for his glasses which he snaps when in a rage.(After he has chosen £40 ones rather than free ones, and completely understands the consequences)

I've decide3d to take him shopping with me this afternoon for some school trousers (they were very short anyway) and I think that will be his punishment, as he hates going to shops.

I'll let his dad have a rant at him when he finds out, as nothing annoys DH more than wanton destruction.

I thought I had this parenting lark sussed, then he goes and gets creative with his clothing. At least it wasn't his brothers hair this time.

That's both hysterical and unfuriating

Definitely make him wear the ones that still fit, even if he's not immediately embarassed he soon might get sick of all the comments.

Sometimes kids do the most amazingly ridiculous things, bless them.

infuriating

lynette At least it wasn't his brothers hair this time.

Is this what your 'unfuriating' comment referred to, wrinkly?

Could you turn the, um, ventilated school trousers into shorts?

(I feel your pain. My 11yo DS recently decided to use a penknife to get some fluff out from underneath his toenail. Blood everywhere...)

purits LOL

Do you find it's often the most academically "bright" children that do the stupidest lack of common sense things? My youngest brother is a genius. But he has nearly put us all into early graves for the shenanigans he has got up to.