This is Why I Can Not Have Nice Things!

And if they are smart, at some point in the not distant future, they will both realize you abide all this because you love

them, but in the mean time, you are human if you smolder a little ... a lot. Time for a nice bowl of your favorite blend.

Wait till you have to teach them to drive. My 15 year old just plowed into a SUV. When I told her to hit the brakes, she stomped the gas. I was setting on the hood smoking a bowl of C&D Virginia Gentleman when the cop drove up.
And, all in all even with insurance it cost me $1200 out of pocket, and this killed my ten year accident free benefits. Now, my rate goes up $1800 a year along with it going up for having another young driver.
Smoke a bowl, Cheers. I feel for you guys. But, if it's not one thing, it's another.

Also, my daughters have never had a laptop, tablet, nor phone that the screen was left unbroken for more than a week. The last phones they got at Christmas. As soon as they unwrapped them, I told them to go ahead and take them outside and smash them. It's going to happen sooner or later. :wink:
They're like little money pits. But, gotta love them. It's the law. Ha ha!!

Wait til he tells you he's going to major in philosophy in college. Just pile up the $150K and set it on fire. Children are the gifts that keep on taking. You'll get through this,; it's a long road.

When I was in elementary school I accidentally threw away my retainer with a school lunch. I felt so bad about it. I was more upset with myself than my parents were with me.
It helps to keep a retainer case with you and to just pop it inside the case whenever you take it out. That would be a good thing for him in the future.
In any case, best of luck in finding it, Buster.

Wait til he tells you he's going to major in philosophy in college.

Click to expand...

Interestingly, the one philosophy major that I know is making more money in IT than I am... Perhaps I should have gone that route after all instead of the history degree.
I hear you on the retainer - I lost one myself, but I was a senior in college at that point so replacement was entirely on me. Good luck in establishing better habits for the kid - I now place everything I'll need in the morning (phone, wallet, keys, ID badge, glasses) on my nightstand so that I can find it easily and know immediately if anything's missing or out of place.

I feel for you my friend .My girl is 19 now and still raids my wallet as if it were her own .She ran over debris in the HWY and had to get four new tires and a tow . On the bright side she told me ,it was that or hit the new 740 BMW in the next lane . Quick on her feet ,she is .

Buster! Thank you for submitting a thread of such merit. As much as I love blue vanilla milkshakes with hunks of my favorite peanut butter, this is the meat and potatoes of life. Please read what I have to offer as a friend looking to empathize and share some perspective. I am father to a son about to be nine and a daughter, 12. I love them dearly and they have tried my patience from far back as the womb.
As parents we get so angry and frustrated at our own children because their actions have serious ramifications on our adult world but we must also remember that these youngsters are not a part of that world. They operate under different rules and more importantly understandings.
Let me provide an example. I think a lot of parent's here might think twice before giving an eight year old a $300+ smart phone to own and be solely responsible for. Yes the 8 year has no need for the telephone function but the apps and access to Netflix as well as the educational web could justify the child making good use of it. Yet despite this we still wouldn’t make the device their own responsibility because we know it would not be take care of. It’s just a matter of time towards the inevitable.
So why is the expectations regarding a retainer any different? Because it is for their health and they should appreciate its purpose? Children have no concept of health especially in the long term. Because Mommy and Daddy spoke really seriously about how important this was? A child would never find trouble if us parents were so effective with our communication and influence.
Lastly, how many times do adults drop the ball and lose or damage important items? As adults we are negligently damaging our vehicles, losing precious items, and cracking smart phone screens. Are we not to be held to a higher standard than our children? Of course the adult faces the ramifications of their own negligence or mishap, whereas your son won’t have to cough up the money to replace his retainer. With that said however, am I a good husband if I really give my spouse an ear-full if she needs to replace an iPhone after drenching it in her morning latte?
So how does one convey to a child the importance of their actions? I guess get real mad, yell, make threats, and lay guilt trips. Then wait for the next time the child will mess up because, afterall, they are kids.
Man, life is hard. Shit happens and then you die. I do feel for you, your wife, and your boy. I probably haven’t helped but do know so many of us have been right there with ya.
j/B

Come to think of it, I'm just back today from having my wife fitted with a second dental "flipper" which got

lost in the shuffle. We'd located it on many occasions, but this time we wonder if one of our cats carried it

away, as he is a bit of a pack rat. Sometimes he returns things, like the key to the buffet, by putting them in

my shoe, but not this time. So I wrote a check and hope for the best. It could have been pipe money, but

hey, three Christmas pipes, I'm not complaining.

Several years ago my wife mistook her hearing aid for a cashew and chomped on it. Funny at the time but $6,000 later less so. Believe me, I cried more than she did.

Don't be too harsh he's only a kid.

Its things like this they should discuss in sex education classes at school. Sure, give them the birds and bees talk but also hit them with the real life consequences. Have parents come in and provide examples. Just a thought.

Buster kids screw up, but Adults screw up too, we just don't tell the kids. Your boy is probably so nervous and sorry he doesn't know what to do. Go talk to him, be glad he's home and not in some Alley snorting or shooting up.

We can expect for sure that 8 year old children will lose stuff. We can expect that adults will lose stuff. Stuff is stuff and people are important. I agree, he is a kid, don't be too harsh.

Kids with broken electronics is a pet peeve of mine. I work with livestock and heavy machinery and the first scratch I ever put on a screen was intentional (I started stuffing my phone random places in the truck because it was so old I didn't care).

The kid's 8yo lighten up on guilt trips.

This too shall pass . . . My daughter is now 40. How we made it, I don't know. My wife still can hardly be in a car with my daughter at the wheel.
You have my complete sympathy.