My friends have a son who is quite high energy. He is also our godson. They have been away for a year working on a farm in another country and they came back recently and stayed with us for 2 weeks. Our son is 2 and theirs is almost 4 (they also have a 18 mo daughter.) The thing is that the parents I've noticed don't tend to follow up on the directives they give their son, so he does what he likes (much of which has involved coloring on our couch, chairs, floors and breaking our things!)
Our son started to pick up on some of the behaviors which I had feared, but now that they have left, I think a few quiet days will get us back to normal. They are staying just down the street now for a couple of days and they stopped by (unannounced, even though I had said before that today I was busy all day--I'm a wahm and I was working.) They needed to use our phone (we use a phone card instead of long distance, and the card that usually lasts us 4 months and that I just got the day before their arrival now only has 30 minutes left! They've used our stuff a lot. Wouldn't bug me except that they are "non-consumerist" and don't believe in consuming things, apparently unless they did not pay for them...boy, I'm sounding bitter. this is probably going to be mostly a vent!)
When they stopped by I showed them the huge cathedral of blocks that my son and I had built yesterday. My son is really non-destructive and so a cathedral of blocks will last until I put it away. Their son asked if he could knock it over. His mom said no, it was to look at. We were talking in the other room when I saw their son knock it down. Then he said my son had did it. That they had done it together. My son did not do it, since I saw the thing happen, but was rather shell-shocked about it and just kept saying "uh-oh church!". My friend believed her son that they had done it together and that also he had asked my son if it was ok.
Now, I'm not petty and don't care myself that the blocks were knocked down, but I do not like having my son used. This is not the first lie I've heard their son make up and blame my son for the things he has done. These parents do not believe at all in any form of rearing/discipline. I am gd but do follow up on directives. I don't want this kid around and it's awful because they are my friends and he is my godson. I am not sure how to possibly handle this. When they left, my son shut the door on them and said, "bye-bye." He's as sick of 'em as I am.
It's very sad because I like them but the behavior is maddening. What would you do???
Our son started to pick up on some of the behaviors which I had feared, but now that they have left, I think a few quiet days will get us back to normal. They are staying just down the street now for a couple of days and they stopped by (unannounced, even though I had said before that today I was busy all day--I'm a wahm and I was working.) They needed to use our phone (we use a phone card instead of long distance, and the card that usually lasts us 4 months and that I just got the day before their arrival now only has 30 minutes left! They've used our stuff a lot. Wouldn't bug me except that they are "non-consumerist" and don't believe in consuming things, apparently unless they did not pay for them...boy, I'm sounding bitter. this is probably going to be mostly a vent!)
When they stopped by I showed them the huge cathedral of blocks that my son and I had built yesterday. My son is really non-destructive and so a cathedral of blocks will last until I put it away. Their son asked if he could knock it over. His mom said no, it was to look at. We were talking in the other room when I saw their son knock it down. Then he said my son had did it. That they had done it together. My son did not do it, since I saw the thing happen, but was rather shell-shocked about it and just kept saying "uh-oh church!". My friend believed her son that they had done it together and that also he had asked my son if it was ok.
Now, I'm not petty and don't care myself that the blocks were knocked down, but I do not like having my son used. This is not the first lie I've heard their son make up and blame my son for the things he has done. These parents do not believe at all in any form of rearing/discipline. I am gd but do follow up on directives. I don't want this kid around and it's awful because they are my friends and he is my godson. I am not sure how to possibly handle this. When they left, my son shut the door on them and said, "bye-bye." He's as sick of 'em as I am.
It's very sad because I like them but the behavior is maddening. What would you do???
I found their son's underwear flung into my lavender this afternoon, too. It had bugs in it. Grrr.
If your own kid doesn't break stuff at whim or get to color the furniture, why let someone else's kid? It's perfectly acceptable to speak up.
