How have your children got up to 'monkey business'? Share with Ape for the chance to win a £300 voucher

[LucyBMumsnet]

This sponsored discussion is now closed. Thank you to everyone who posted their stories below."

Children often choose their moments wisely and cause mischief as soon as you turn your back. It’s only once they’ve already buttered the carpet or themselves head-to-toe in Sudocrem that you realise they’re up to monkey business. Ape have cut the monkey business - making snacks with plant based ingredients and natural flavours - and would like to hear the stories of the times your children have got up to mischief.

Here’s what Ape has to say: “We know there are times when your kids have caused a little chaos. However, you have to admit that their antics make for great entertainment. They’re the moments that turn into memories which you look back at and laugh about. Ape snacks contain no monkey business, but we do want to hear about the good kind of monkey business your cheeky children get up to.

Perhaps they gave themselves a haircut or decided to decorate the house with streams of precious loo roll? Maybe you caught them red-handed stealing from the snacks cupboard? (We don’t blame them when there are tasty treats around!). Whatever the monkey business is, we can’t wait to hear what stories you have to share!”

What’s the most mischievous thing your child has done? Perhaps they used felt tips to draw on brilliant white walls or tucked into your birthday cake when no one was looking? How did you cope with the situation? Did it require a big clean up job or was there a lot of explaining that needed to be done? Is it something you laugh about in hindsight?

Whatever mayhem your child has caused, let us know on the thread below and you will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky Mumsnetter will win a £300 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

My daughter used to drop when we crossed a road. Like a rag doll! So we'd be walking. Hand in hand. And boom. She'd just drop. Was awful!

Drawing on the walls and blaming the hamster - couldn't understand how I knew it was her / why I didn't believe it was the hamster

Cutting about 4 inches off one side of her hair... Or rather the baby did that... When she was old enough to know better, and see why that wouldn't be very convincing!

My son used to have a great tell of shouting "I don't know!" If i asked him whether he was being good

It was as if he couldnt lie and say he was being good. But also wasnt able to be completely honest about it.

It was pretty handy to be honest and i could dash in to whatever room he was in to resolve the problem. It was normally sneaking breakfast cereal or emptying all of the toy boxes.

This monkey got his sister to do him some tattoos this weekend just gone. They used my waterproof liquid eyeliner and so it’s still wearing off..

My Dd made a mixture with her friends in her kitchen which included amongst other things kids paint, pva glue and real cereal from her 'shop'. It looked so so gross especially as I am pregnant.

She then promptly reminded me that I had told her, when she was younger, that I used to make mixtures with my sister when I was her age! If that's not a cheeky monkey 🙈 🙊 🙉 then I don't know what is!

(Obviously this was before lockdown)

My son had a thing about flushing the toilet all the time and watching the water go down, Then I started missing little things in my home until I walked in my bathroom and my ring stand was at the bottom of my loo it was to big to go down. Now I know where all my things went down the loo.

My son's school friend came for tea, the child's mum came early to pick him up so I gave her coffee while she waited.
I always felt slightly intimidated and dowdy when I saw her as she is a stylist to the stars and always looks so perfectly immaculate and trendy. Unknown to me son and his friend had decided to play dressing up, I found out when they trooped into the room to show us their outfits..both were head to toe in my grubby old underwear: greyish bras, baggy old knickers... oh the shame!

Got our house painted professionally for the first time ever - it looked gorgeous! But unfortunately the smooth, gleaming walls proved too much of a temptation for our 6 year old who took fabric paints that she'd been given as a birthday present and drew and enormous 'monster' on the biggest wall.
It still hasn't come off properly despite numerous scrubs and two extra coats of paint that we added...

When DD was about 2 years old we left her brother (then 14) babysitting for about an hour while we went shopping. As we got home, we pulled into the drive and there, on our bedroom windowsill, stark naked, was DD, "painting pretty" on the glass with my entire make up collection!
DS was oblivious, just pleased she was "playing nicely in her room"....

My 2 yr old DD put her doll down the toilet to give it a wash after she had coloured it in with crayon. She then tried to flush the toilet several times that the bowl started to fill up.
I didn’t enjoy having to un-wedge the doll

So many, so, so many.

One of the most memorable was when we'd just had a new cream carpet fitted (what were we thinking?!) and the kids got hold of a jar of chocolate spread. All over the carpet, up the curtains and over them, head to toe.

Another memorable one was my son deciding to wade into the swamp at a local theme park and getting covered in thick black mud.

My daughter has cut her hair a couple of times.

Such fun!

The infamous tampon as a mouse...

When my eldest was potty training she took herself into a corner of the toy playhouse and did a poo. Stomped her feet in it and walked through the conservatory and living room. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry

Ds (then 4) decided to play dot to dot on his twin sisters chickenpox. With purple sharpie. He then wandered out of his bedroom, along the hallway, down the stairs and into the bathroom, still holding the sharpie, leaving a line just at his eye line the whole way. On his way back, he wrote his name on the wall on the other side of the stairs, then crossed it out and wrote his youngest sisters name instead.
I'd painted the top hall, landing, stairs and bottom hall the weekend beforehand.
When I asked him who'd done it, he took me to where he'd written his sisters name, and told me it was her. Impressive if it was, she was 18 months old, and still in her cot.
The sharpie marks are still there, despite me having tried everything, including painting over them. And it took about a fortnight to come off dds skin.

Same ds as above.
We have huge big windowsills, and the front of the house opens straight onto the pavement and the main road.
Last summer, I'd bathed all 3 youngest dc, and had got ds out and sent him through to the living room wrapped in his towel while I finished rinsing the girls hair. Told him to start getting dried and I'd be through in a minute.
Could hear him giggling, but thought nothing of it, until I heard him shout "Jim, Jim, look at my penis!" (Jim is our neighbour).
Quickly grabbed the girls out the bath and shot through to the living room, to find ds totally naked, standing on the windowsill, waving merrily at the neighbour. And the passing funeral procession
Window was open too, so everyone could hear him. And see him.
The daughter of the lady who's funeral it was phoned me later to say it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen, and gave everyone something to talk about at the wake. That would be half of the village then!

When my son was 4, he decided to put the plug in the bathroom sink and let the taps run. Before we knew what had happened, we got a call from the landlord saying that the neighbour below was complaining about water coming through their ceiling! He had totally flooded the bathroom!

Redecorating the dining room - thanks DD1!

Mine got hold of the talcum powder after I'd put her to bed. Everywhere, on every inch of the carpet, bed, mirror in her hair & all over her face & body. Oh no...

when my dd was at nursery I was told she had a lovely day. She made a picture using felt tips. As I got her ready for a bath I noticed she had coloured in her shins with felt tip too!

While potty training - my son would love the praise he got for successfully doing a wee in the potty! He would stand above it proudly while we grinned & clapped.. One time I was stood washing up in the kitchen, when he wanders in holding my slipper & grinning. 'Did a wee mummy' - I grinned back & said 'Yay, well done!! Can you show me?' & made to follow him to the potty.. he doesn't move, but holds out the slipper 'in slipper Mummy!' - yes, he had indeed urinated inside my slipper. I have no idea what possessed him to do this but he seemed so pleased about it & I was so surprised it was hard to be cross!!!

My daughter walked into a clothes shop with us when she was about 3. She walked towards the window display, with me close behind. She went to touch the mannequin, with me saying no don’t touch. Only she did and the mannequin tumbled, and created a domino effect with the other 4 mannequins! I was mortified. And as I tried to help, the mannequins fell apart.

I can laugh about it now.

By four year old tipped a full bottle of expensive bath oil into my bath to make it "nice for me". That took a lot of cleaning

My nephew decided to try a new football trick with a toilet roll after we had spent ages trying to get some at the start of lockdown.