Monday, April 10, 2006

Parenting advice

Ok, say your 5 year old took a library book outside and forgot it out there.

Your 10 and 6 year olds SAW that it was out there and did nothing.

You had no idea this happened until more than 24 hours after the fact. Your husband was working in the yard WHILE the 5 year old had the book out there, but didn't notice.

It is now soaked in rain and ruined and will need to be replaced.

Do you make your 5 year old help pay for it since she IS THE ONE who took it outside in the first place??

Do you have your 10 and 6 year olds contribute to the payment since they KNEW it was there, saw all the rain and waited hours and hours to mention it to you???

Does it have anything at all to do with anyone except the child who took it out there??



Or are the other kids partially responsible because they KNEW it was there and did nothing at all. Walked into the house as the rain started pouring down and waited until THE NEXT EVENING to casually mention, "Oh, did you know Princess left a library book about bugs out there yesterday morning??? I bet it's pretty wet, eh???" For all I know they partook of the book whilst out of doors. Sure, she took it out in the first place. BUT COME ON!! If you know it is there, either remind her to bring it in, bring it in yourself or tell me SOONER.

KIDS! There has to be a teaching moment here.

Really seriously wondering what anyone thinks the course of action should be.

2 comments:

clairesgarden said...

try shouting, try ranting and raving, ha, I've tried them all! then go and pay the library fine yourself probably!!!! I am just so pleased they like to read, I love reading, it gives you imeasurable different worlds to escape into, sometimes thats good.

Melissa Ayotte said...

Hi Lowa. I am a homeschooling Mom of two from the Midwest. I happened upon your blog because I can't sleep. It is nice to read another homeschool blogger. This would be an excellent teachable moment about the legal system. You could go over aiding and abetting (sp?) and how in the court of law, if you see a crime being committed, there are instances where a person can be charged for not reacting (as in when it costs a life) and there are instances when that would not be the case. Then as a family maybe you could decide what your family law would be in this case. Of course you don't want to turn them into a bunch of tattle tales but you do ideally want them to think beyond how things effect them individually and help each other and cooperate for the greater good of the family. You could also maybe get at it from the angle of money. It took money out of the family account to pay for that book so this week we are not going out to eat or something along those lines so that everybody feels the burden of their inaction.