Car scratched up - caught him red-handed, but what next?
 

For the second time in as many months one of our cars has been vandalised.

The first time, my wife's Focus was scratched all down one side. Got that fixed under NCB protection, so it didn't cost anything. This time its my car's turn. I have a Passat Variant which isn't a year old yet and its been scratched all down both sides - in a single continuous stroke on each side. Not a panel was missed. :cry:

I caught the culprit just finishing off the leading edge of the bonnet and I'm totally fuming about it. Unfortunately I can't call the police as the 'evil vandal' in question is our own 3 year old son :eek:. And to make matters worse I was nearby all the time he was doing it. I sold a weber bbq this evening on the Dutch equivalent of e-bay, and busy helping the buyer load it in his car. Saw my lad walking around close to the Passat a couple of times, but didn't notice the stone in his hand as he did so until it was too late. :(

The car is a lease car provided by my employer. The lease car company is owned by my employer and the insurance company is also theirs. I think I have 3rd party liability cover on my house policy - which is also from my employer. Think I can get out of this relatively unscathed. :)

Question is what punishment for the boy? Don't think the ' naughty step' is going to be enough this time! :lol1:

Ideas?

you could break his fingers ??????













joking joking please do not do that !!!!!!
i have a 3 year old also little bloody terrors eh !!

Before the PC crowd get here... I suggest using that stone to cave his....

mmm.. bit extreme ....

Maybe take him on holiday to ... :) infraction if I finish that ...

take someone from him he loves... tell him scratching the car is hurting mummy or daddy cause it's their car and tell him he will lose .. teddy ... doll whatever.. something he loves ... don't bin it.. but keep it from him for a while so he understands the hurt ..

Cut his hands off and have him adopted, it's the only way! :thumb:

Scratch all is matchbox cars. LOL. Try a little 1200-1600 paper on the scratch and a machine to polish will bearly notice it.

A friends of mine ask me to wind her 3 month old baby son the other week.

I thought that was a bit harsh so I just gave him a dead leg. ;)

Company car ?

Who cares...

Mine, "Why you little....."

Not LOL !

DunxC

Get his favourite toy car, take a scalpel and slash down the side of it ........ should sort it! ;)

No, of course no harm will come to him.

When I'm angry with him I let him guess the degree of anger. It goes from "slightly cross" for messy eating through "angry" for not listening and then on to "super furious" for when he clouts his little brother with any hard object. "mega super furious" hasn't been hit yet. This was just "furious" and after he had guessed rightly I shouted at him once that he must not scratch cars and he then immediately burst into tears. And then I felt bad of course. :(


I think I'll take a hammer to his "Roary the Racing Car". That'll learn him!! :lol1:

Explain the value of the damage he's done, and as a consequence Mummy & Daddy won't be able to afford his birthday or Xmas pressies this year, or maybe the family holiday.


And use a compass to scratch 'T W A T' into his forehead to serve as a lasting reminder ;)

made my face laugh :lol1:

:Suspiciou made my arm laugh

You gonna practise what you preach in the coming years then CB ?

LOL

DunxC

P.S. Scratch HIS first car in a few years time....

Oh yes ! A bit of tough love never hurt anyone :smug:

Maybe not with a compass though, I think permanent marker which will fade in a few weeks will convey the message :lol1:

:lol1:

My dad used to always tell me, when I got a house he was gonna come round and rip the wall paper, chip the paint and mess it up :lol1:

He comes round and cuts the grass now and then ... the ******* :Suspiciou

Clip round the ear and sent to bed with no supper, like the old days, would sort it - with the added bonus that he would never do it again....



Of course we are not allowed to do that anymore. Oh well, just have to live with it then... :(

:D

i was going to suggest the same thing :lol1: or threaten him with "wait until your mother gets home..."

windyboy

A good KeelHauling should teach him

Thanks for the tips. :thumb: And the cracking "wind the baby" joke. :lol1:

The missus got home an hour ago and wasn't best-pleased that her car was almost certainly 'done' by him too. And to think we were toying with the idea of putting in cctv bullet cams to catch someone in the act. Interested to see if he has the guts to own up to his previous acts when confronted.

The next step is pretty much decided now. After talking it through with my better half, I'm going to take him into the garage with 3 toy cars of his choice and then wreck the most-worn one in front of him - with the warning that the other one's will get it too if he ever does anything like that again. I'll do it after we come back from swimming tomorrow and report back here.

Before swimming, and then NO SWIMMING !!!!! The tears will tell you if he's learned a lesson ;)

Yeah, but I like going swimming with him. There's no other way a bloke of 40+ can legitimately have multiple goes on the 80 metre waterslide. Or leer at yummy mummys :)

You are contractually obliged to lear at yummy-mummy's :D and why not make use of the slide, I would :lol1:

Two things - you get angry or 'slightly cross' for messy eating? FFS - He's 3. He can't help it..... Then you are going to toast his favorite car in the garage. Can I suggest that you let messy eating go until he is about 6, and for now, tell him that scoring your car makes you sad. This little chap worships you and his Mum. If you want to teach him the benefit of revenge, go ahead and wreck his toy. If you want to teach him the value of respect, make sure you tell him how sad you and Mum are as a result of the damage. But remember, when he hits 13, do you want him to think revenge or respect?

FB I hear what you are saying and it does sound fundamentally right and perhaps something to try when he's older. He is bi-lingual and (appears) intelligent in most respects, but is also 'quite a busy child' and simply talking to him just doesn't stick. In one ear and out the other mostly. I want to help him to appreciate that such 'exteme' negative and disrespectful behaviour is unwanted and has consequences with something he will remember, but without damaging him in any way. I plan to demonstrate this with a toy that would get thrown away pretty soon, rather than anything that is actually dear to him right now. Even I'm not that mean.

Suresh.... I've been through the heap. A sad Mum or Dad who would have to stop being your friend if it happens again seems to work far better than kicking the sh1t out of the little scrotes.

If talking to him 'doesn't stick' you are not talking loudly enough :D

Stick him in a cellar with his Austrian cousins :(

If he'd made a mess you'd make him clear it up. . . right? Well, why not give him some wet and dry, bottle of t-cut, rotary buffer and tell him to sort it out lol













:nono:

Been on before but reminded me of this:

http://www.hankscorpio.net/forumpics/monkeys.jpg