He’s 5. Yes he should respect boundaries, but your DH is the one who should have supervised and stopped him from opening and playing with it. In my view a 5 year old should not be unsupervised long enough for all this to unfold. So I would tell him what he did is wrong, but no further. |
Disagree with this completely. He is 5, not 2. He should have the impulse control to not take toys that are forbidden. |
He had enough impulse control not to get it out while Mom was home ![]() |
OP, you keep a "secret" stash of toys for potential future birthday parties that your DC knows about?
There are all kinds of problems with that. |
Teens know this to when it comes to drugs, drinking, or sex. The knowing is a different part of the brain than the doing (impulse control). Op, I get why this annoyed you but this is a very minor infraction. Kids will know where you have your secret stash of whatever. Either don’t have them, or keep perspective when it gets broken into. It’s legos not whiskey. |
No, he didn't just break the rules he went out of his way to deceive his father. Actions have consequences and bad actions have bad consequences. He has learned that lesson today.
Also, who are these people standing over a 5 yo every minute so that this "couldn't happen?" Y'all need lives. |
This. |
+100. PP is making excuses for a child that chose to do something he knew was wrong. Sick is no excuse. He's crying because he got caught. The toy was put away in a location he knew he was not supposed to access. The child chose to disobey. He chose to fail. I m so tired of the "set up to fail" excuse. |
Ha. I think you are not aware of children's development levels. A cabinet right above the refrigerator is hardly an out of sight place. Kids at 5 are often still sneaking cookies from a cookie jar or from the pantry. This was an incredibly tempting thing put in a cabinet that he sees every day. My husband doesn't have the willpower to not get cookies out of the pantry when they are there. How many ADULTS are dieting and still cheat a little? This is no different from that. |
I would have been very upset. Sick is not an excuse. I would donate the toy and have him pick two or three of his current toys to donate as well.
I’m not strict on everything but lying gets big consequences. |
I would take it away and another consequence but part of it is your husband's fault for not paying attention. Next time put it away. |
Thinking the little guy had this planned when he knew mom would be out. He could have the toy down and out in the time it takes Dad to go to the washroom. |
Well, if he supposedly hid the lego box behind the curtain, wouldn't he have been secretive about the Lego set too? Instead, he brings it out for dad's help with it. And wouldn't he have known Mom would've arrived home too? |
Yeah, next time he'll be smarter and hide his transgressions better. |
No bc only the box reveals that it is a new set he wasn’t supposed to have. The bricks themselves wouldn’t give him away. Agree that this requires action and he can’t keep the legos. |