So, my almost 7 year old (7 on May 9) decided it would be a good idea to destroy Army property (he decided to smash and destroy the concrete drain catches on the ground on the property of a couple houses in New Hillside). So in order to teach him a lesson....he needs to work for the $ to repair the damages...so if you have a yard that needs to be cleaned up...please let me know....He will be doing yard work to earn the money to pay for the damages to our house as well as our neighbors.... 

Good for you!! I'm glad there are still parents out there that teach their kids responsibility :) I wish I had some yard work! 

Nothing bad against you as a parent but this is why all kids need to be watched when playing outside or anything. I remember playing outside when I was that age by myself but with the people out there these days and the so many children going missing, I would never let my kids at that age play without supervision.

But it is good that you are making him work off the costs. If I didn't move off post I would have let him come do some gardening, hahaha. 

I can normally trust my son to make good decisions...which is why I allow him to play IN FRONT of our house...and only in front of our house....trust me...he is grounded for this.... 

Ah, lol...one of those....I'm glad I still have a while (3 & 4) and they've been destructive since they knew how to play with toys so I know what I'm getting into when they get older....so no unsupervised playing for them!! hahahaha 

Im sorry, but where were you when your 7 year old did this??? A 7 year old should not be without adult supervision. period. 

Initially i thought the same but being that he was in your yard i dont see a problem. My red flag comes from feeling that this is a bit too destructive for a child this young. Does he hang out with older kids? Also, i would offer his pooping scooping services! 

I just wonder how he damaged concrete...what in the world was he playing with lol. 

Hard lesson mom.
Lots of examination to do. Good luck. Hopefully you are able to drive this one to the heart with him. 

Poop scooping sounds about right, lol. 

Im sorry, but where were you when your 7 year old did this??? A 7 year old should not be without adult supervision. period. 

Missing Him, give her a break. Maybe she had to use the bathroom. My kids play outside in my backyard unsupervised when I need to get things done around the house, otherwise, nothing would get done. Yogi's Mommy is a personal friend, and I know for a fact that the woman needs some off-time that she is not receiving. Her husband just left for deployment, not to mention the array of sickness that has been in and out of her home immediately thereafter. The LAST thing she needs is someone trying to imply that she is a bad mom for not witnessing when her son does one bad thing. If I had a dollar for every time my kid got into crap when I turned my back.....

She's stepping up and taking responsibility for it. What more do you want from her? 

I just wonder how he damaged concrete...what in the world was he playing with lol. 

They can easily be picked up. He probably picked them up and dropped them to break them or something. 

Yeah no kidding Maui! :) 

Missing Him, give her a break. Maybe she had to use the bathroom. My kids play outside in my backyard unsupervised when I need to get things done around the house, otherwise, nothing would get done.

And this is gonna come from someone who has NO idea who Yogis mommy is......really? I agree with Maui girl. I seriously doubt that all of us are under the same roof in the same room with all of our children every second of every day. I'd dare to say not a single one of us does it! It's impossible, whether you have 1 or 6 kids, do YOU wash your dishes or shower or do whatever with all your kids sitting around you? Stuff happens. If she said her kid was down the street when this happened, then by all means lets start the stone throwing. But in her yard? It can happen to anyone. My son broke someone's window from my own backyard(long story hahaha) It's a kid. I know I'd die if people judged me by my kid's stupid actions which they each have a long list of ! 

I have flower beds that need weeding and a backyard that has poop to be scooped. And mowed...but I think 7 is a little young for mowing.

Last weekend I was in my living room feeding #4 when #2 and #3 found of a tube of pink lip gloss. They did some lovely caveman style painting on the walls in #1's bedroom. Stuff happens. You can't keep them all in your site 24/7. 

I think Missing Him, and myself, might have misunderstood when she said "a couple of houses in new hillside"...sounded like he was not in his own front yard... 

I do agree with your method of teaching him responsibility...my stepson decided to open his window and mangle his screen...made him clean all the bathrooms to teach him a lesson. 

Boy, you sure read a lot into my post!! I never implied she was a bad mom. I asked a simple question. Like Misty said, the OP did say it happened to a few houses, there for he was not in front of their house! 

good for you! more kids need chores and discipline.

for those of you that think 7 is too young to be alone in his own yard, i see kids much younger wandering the streets alone.

my daughter (5) decided she will help out around the house to earn money for a toy she wants, because she knows if its not her birthday things arent handed to her. i think its cute she wants a 'job.' 

Lol ooh...when I seen destroyed concrete all I can think of is a kid with a sledge hammer haha...I haven't seen the drain things around here. I'm used to the ones back home where to destroy those he would have literally had to have a sledge hammer or jackhammer haha. Knowing its something that can be picked up now makes a lot more sense. 

Im sorry, but where were you when your 7 year old did this??? A 7 year old should not be without adult supervision. period. 
Um actually - it is perfectly okay for my 7 year old to be outside IN MY YARD IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE....I was inside, in the living room....folding laundry. I have called the MP's and asked on several occasions....and it is also in the handbook that is it perfectly ok as long as I am within ear shot of him! 

My red flag comes from feeling that this is a bit too destructive for a child this young. Does he hang out with older kids? Also, i would offer his pooping scooping services! 


He has ADHD, so yes...he is a bit destructive.... and yes it was him and two other children 

I just wonder how he damaged concrete...what in the world was he playing with lol. 

They were throwing big rocks at the pieces of concrete. 

Missing Him, give her a break. Maybe she had to use the bathroom. My kids play outside in my backyard unsupervised when I need to get things done around the house, otherwise, nothing would get done. Yogi's Mommy is a personal friend, and I know for a fact that the woman needs some off-time that she is not receiving. Her husband just left for deployment, not to mention the array of sickness that has been in and out of her home immediately thereafter. The LAST thing she needs is someone trying to imply that she is a bad mom for not witnessing when her son does one bad thing. If I had a dollar for every time my kid got into crap when I turned my back.....

She's stepping up and taking responsibility for it. What more do you want from her? 



Thank you Maui- I appreciate your having my back. 

And this is gonna come from someone who has NO idea who Yogis mommy is......really? I agree with Maui girl. I seriously doubt that all of us are under the same roof in the same room with all of our children every second of every day. I'd dare to say not a single one of us does it! It's impossible, whether you have 1 or 6 kids, do YOU wash your dishes or shower or do whatever with all your kids sitting around you? Stuff happens. If she said her kid was down the street when this happened, then by all means lets start the stone throwing. But in her yard? It can happen to anyone. My son broke someone's window from my own backyard(long story hahaha) It's a kid. I know I'd die if people judged me by my kid's stupid actions which they each have a long list of ! 


Thank you Sandra! 

I think Missing Him, and myself, might have misunderstood when she said "a couple of houses in new hillside"...sounded like he was not in his own front yard... 

My house...and the house DIRECTLY ACROSS from me....whose children he plays with on a daily basis...if he is not in my yard, he asks permission to go over to their house....which I watch him cross the street...her and i are good friends....we carpool....we watch each others kids.....I apologize that I was not up my kids butt every second of the day....when I was his age....I was allowed to play outside unsupervised and was told to come in when the street lights came on --- when did we all become such over protective parents? It was in front of my house....not down the street....i dont even let him go to the park 5 houses down without me..... 

for those of you that think 7 is too young to be alone in his own yard, i see kids much younger wandering the streets alone.

EXACTLY - for instance...neighbors 2 houses down has 4 kids....1 of which is 2 yrs, another is 3....I have had to call the MP's, CPS and escort these children home more than once....they wander the street....they are 1/2 naked....and NO ONE DOES ANYTHING!!!! My 7 year old in his yard is perfectly safe! 

This is what it is supposed to look like.....



This is what they now look like.....


 

Not gonna lie- my siblings and I got a kick out of smashing cinder blocks to bits lol. It was fun. But they were my dads, in our yard, and as long as we didn't smash each other to bits along with it, no one cared. Not outrageously shocking behavior, but it's good that you're teaching him that his actions were wrong. 

Boy, you sure read a lot into my post!! I never implied she was a bad mom. I asked a simple question. Like Misty said, the OP did say it happened to a few houses, there for he was not in front of their house! 

I read what was written, the way it was written. There was deliberate tone inflicted in your choice of wording, punctuation and grammar. Extra question marks. Starting a sentence off with "I'm sorry, but...". Any sentence that starts off with that is an obvious finger-pointer. It came off as sassy and judgmental. I'm not trying to be a pain in the butt, I promise. I'm just telling you what I, and what I'm pretty sure everyone else here, heard in their heads when they read it.

Shoot, when I was 7, my parents had me at home, alone, babysitting my baby sister when they'd run to the store or run errands.