Do you make your teen pay for lost items?

[Anonymous]

DD lost her graphing calculator. She’s generally fairly organized and loses something (usually a water bottle) only maybe once a year. We paid for the original one. Should we make her pay for a replacement?

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t make her pay because she’s usually responsible. Tell her if she loses it again she’ll have to pay for it. Make sure she labels the next one.

[Anonymous]

If it's once a year, that's fine. if it's once a week, then they pay.

I, a normally organized and responsible person since popping out of the womb, once went to my first day of day camp at age 8.5 and came home without sneakers despite putting them on and setting off for camp wearing them in the morning. How many hours did I walk around camp without them? Don't know. Where did I leave them? Don't know. My parents, normally strict, controlling and always happy to dole out punishments, just took me to the mall and bought me new sneakers that night. It never happened again.

[Anonymous]

No

[Anonymous]

No

[Anonymous]

I haven't had the need to - but I would if it became a frequent occurrence. Mistakes happen occasionally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD lost her graphing calculator. She’s generally fairly organized and loses something (usually a water bottle) only maybe once a year. We paid for the original one. Should we make her pay for a replacement?

No, because it’s a graphing calculator and they’re expensive and thus it’s just as likely stolen as it is lost.

Buy her another one and put her name in permanent marker on the cover and the back of the calculator itself.

[Anonymous]

Has she checked with her math teacher and the lost and found? If yes, and it's not in either of those 2 places (teacher here and it usually is), I would buy her another and tell he rif she loses it again she will have to pay for another one

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PPs, if she was losing it regularly, yes I'd have her pay for the replacement. One time or very rarely? I'd cover the cost.

[Anonymous]

Buy one on Ebay.

[Anonymous]

I make my 16 year old pay for lost items ALL THE TIME! Lost water bottle? Pay for it. Lost soccer ball? Pay for it. Lost hoodie/jacket? Pay for it. Thing that sucks is he doesn't care. He just says..."take it out of my savings." He has a seasonal job and a nice nest egg. A graphing calculator? That's like $120, right? I might make pay half.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it's once a year, that's fine. if it's once a week, then they pay.

I, a normally organized and responsible person since popping out of the womb, once went to my first day of day camp at age 8.5 and came home without sneakers despite putting them on and setting off for camp wearing them in the morning. How many hours did I walk around camp without them? Don't know. Where did I leave them? Don't know. My parents, normally strict, controlling and always happy to dole out punishments, just took me to the mall and bought me new sneakers that night. It never happened again.

[Anonymous]

No FFS

[Anonymous]

No

[Anonymous]

No, but I think this depends on how you make her handle a budget.

Imo replacing lost things is a budget thing more than a punishment for carelessness or moral failing.

Maybe I would replace it the first time and then say the next one comes out of her budget, or something. But if she didn’t buy it, she needs a warning to put replacing it in her budget.