Monday 17 December 2012

Kids that put you in a sticky situation

It was predicted to be a scorcher today, so I made plans to catch up with some long-time friends + their kiddos over at Wynnum where they could enjoy frolicking around in the water. After their swim we found a nice, shady spot to sit and enjoyed a picnic in the park.


After lunch, while I was organising one of the other kids, my eldest boy went over to the covered picnic area nearby and started swinging from the timber handrail which surrounded the timber structure. Little did he realise, but someone had left their mobile phone perched on top of one of the posts - he accidentally bumped it and it fell to the ground - this was the result:




When I returned to the group after I was washing down one of the little ones, I encountered a woman giving my friend a serve about her not supervising HER child and how he had broken her mobile phone. At first I felt absolutely awful, and I was about to offer her some money to have it repaired. I was also about to explain that my boy has ASD, and is known to be clumsy, and it wasn't his fault, etc, etc. But then I thought how foolish it was to leave a mobile phone in a spot were there was every likelihood of it being damaged or even stolen. Is it my boy's fault that he didn't see the phone sitting on top of a rail that he thought was a perfect place to hang from? Should I have been more vigilant in regards to his supervision?  Should I have offered her money to fix it? What is the correct phone mobile phone etiquette in this situation?

As a mother of four, I am always very careful about where I leave my things both at home and while we are out and about. It's bloody hard work going to the park with four kiddos, especially one that's surrounded by water. I have enough on my plate looking after the safety of my children and my own belongings, let alone those of others.

Yes, my kids goof around sometimes and do silly things without thinking. But hey, they're only kids...



4 comments:

  1. I am with you...she should have been more careful with something as precious as a mobile phone...that is what pockets are for!
    And they are just kids! It is not like he intentionally meant to break her phone.
    I probably would have offered money but it would have totally been a half hearted, I am only doing this to be polite and you had better not actually take me up on it offer.
    Hope you enjoyed the rest of the day!

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  2. i personally would have been more incline to offer to pay for the screen to be replaced if the lady didn't make a big deal about it - pointing fingers and causing a scene never ends well...

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  3. While I understand her distress at her broken phone, it is, in my view totally the owners responsibility to leave the phone in a safe place where it won't get damaged. Your son did nothing wrong other than enjoy himself and she should have exercised better self control... Those Iphones and their screens!!!

    Helen

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  4. Absolutely her fault with no obligation on your behalf.

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