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Kids keep Losing Their DS's

1K views 32 replies 26 participants last post by  webjefita 
#1 ·
Ok, this is frustrating me to no end and I don't know what to do. DS scrimped and saved to buy himself a Nintendo DS. DD really wanted one too and though she was kind of young, she tended to be more responsible with it than DS was so we sold stuff and pinched pennies to buy her one too. Now they (mostly DS) keep losing them around the house. I don't let them bring them anywhere unless I am with them to see where they are. I try to get them to only play in certain places and put them in the same places every time.

I feel like I'm driving myself crazy keeping track of them. At first it was just the sticks but I bought a ton online for next to nothing so it it's not a big deal. Then they lost a system and I literally tore the house apart. It fell into a rip in the chair and it was such a relief to find it. They've lost them many times since and now they have lost one again and I have literally tore apart every nook and cranny to find it with no luck. I feel sick as they cost so much and we can't afford to lose them. They are just no where to be found!

What can I do to help them be more responsible with them? It's making me crazy!!
 
#2 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by bwylde View Post
Ok, this is frustrating me to no end and I don't know what to do. DS scrimped and saved to buy himself a Nintendo DS. DD really wanted one too and though she was kind of young, she tended to be more responsible with it than DS was so we sold stuff and pinched pennies to buy her one too. Now they (mostly DS) keep losing them around the house. I don't let them bring them anywhere unless I am with them to see where they are. I try to get them to only play in certain places and put them in the same places every time.

I feel like I'm driving myself crazy keeping track of them. At first it was just the sticks but I bought a ton online for next to nothing so it it's not a big deal. Then they lost a system and I literally tore the house apart. It fell into a rip in the chair and it was such a relief to find it. They've lost them many times since and now they have lost one again and I have literally tore apart every nook and cranny to find it with no luck. I feel sick as they cost so much and we can't afford to lose them. They are just no where to be found!

What can I do to help them be more responsible with them? It's making me crazy!!
I suspect having to find the systems themselves when they get lost would go a long way toward making the kids more responsible with them.
 
#3 ·
This is in no way intended to be snarky but why would they keep up with them when they know mom will. They have no reason to be responsible. Let them suffer the consequences of losing it for a while even if you really know where they are.
 
#4 ·
Yep, the natural consequence of not being responsible with them is that, while they're lost, they aren't available to play with. I'd just offer a sympathetic, "Oh, that's too bad -- hope you find it soon!" and continue on with whatever I was doing.
 
#5 ·
I wouldn't even try and keep track of them


I don't for DD's gameboy, or games. Same with her ipod. She has learned to take good care of it and charge it when needed --I think partly because I've left it up to her to be responsible for it, and because it's something she treasures.

The problem is when the younger kids get into stuff that's not their's. Like, when DD is at school I try and keep them out of her room, or away from her important things if they don't have her permission to use them. Other than that, it's on her.
 
#6 ·
We went through the same thing with ds1's (8) Gameboy. He's lost several games (bought used, not such a huge deal to us) and a friend of his stole one (which we got back) but he's learned that if he loses a game we're not going to help him find it.
We have a specific spot it goes into now so that he won't lose anything, he's been really good about making sure it gets back there, but if it doesn't make it back we don't remind him.
He wanted a DS for Christmas, but he got a hold of mine one morning while we were sleeping and lost it, the stick, and one of my games. IMO, he's not responsible enough to have one, yet... maybe in a few years.
 
#7 ·
I agree with the others. Let it go. If they lose them, they can find them. It's really their responsibility. You can afford to lose them, you just can't afford to replace them, and I'd let the kids know that ahead of time. I told my dd that when she got hers - I will never be able to replace this, so be gentle with it and don't lose it. And together we came up with a home for it, and I got something to keep it in so it doesn't get broken. We've had the ds since a trip three years ago, so she was quite young but she still has it. And it isn't because she's ultra responsible either, I'm afraid. She has lost it for a few weeks at a time a couple of times but she found it after desperate searches, and she's more careful now.
 
#8 ·
DS misplaced his once. He spent 6 weeks thinking it was lost, until I accidently found it under a big chair in the living room. The phrase you need is "Your things are your responsiblity. Good luck finding it." and then WALK AWAY. You have no need to search or tear your hair out. Its not like a medical device that they have to have, they will live without it until it turns up. Stop searching for them.
 
#9 ·
Well, this loss ended up being DH's fault as he locked it in the glove compartment of the car (I mean, what the heck?? They haven't even been in the car since last week and they were playing it yesterday). I think they will now be confined to the living room and car on trips. But in regards to leaving finding it up to then, what about when it fell in the unseen rip in the chair; they never would have found that. It was a stretch for me to find it so for that reason I don't mind helping them as we look together. So I'm not going to tell them I know where it is as they are happily reading and maybe I'll put them up for a few days.
 
#10 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by limabean View Post
Yep, the natural consequence of not being responsible with them is that, while they're lost, they aren't available to play with. I'd just offer a sympathetic, "Oh, that's too bad -- hope you find it soon!" and continue on with whatever I was doing.
Yep. Having said that, we keep all the games, sticks, DS, cords, whatever else there is, in a basket. They always go back in there so they're easy to find. If my son loses his, its his responsibility to find.
 
#11 ·
I love natural consequences, and I think PP's are spot-on! If they are old enough to be playing portable videogames and losing them, they are old enough to be searching for them when they go missing.

In the case where it fell into a rip in the chair, that might be a special circumstance, but believe me it would have been up to the child to search high and low for it before I got involved!

I think when you do give them back to the kids, make a point to clear things up like a PP did: "Heads up kids, these are your responsibility now. If they go missing, they are yours to find." Help them make "homes" for their DS's where they and all of their accessories can be stored, and make it clear that they are to be returned there whenever they are not being played with.

As long as they know you'll keep magically returning them when they are lost, there is simply no incentive to be responsible with them.
 
#12 ·
One thing we've done that helps is that we have a "station" in the living room where there is a ziplock with all the game and 2 chargers plugged in. Before bedtime one of the things they do is plug in their systems so they're ready for the next day (and I totally get you on the younger one being a bit more responsible!). Some nights it may take 15 min to find them, but we've learned they're more likely to remember where they've been with them if it's in the same day. If they really seem to lose them (can't find them for 1-2 days) then we'll tear the house apart looking for them. Our sofa's have about a 3" clearance under them on hardwood floors, and it's very possibly for the systems (and every.freaking.thing.else!) to end up under there without being noticed. So far since we started this, it's been working pretty well (along with the comment "It's not my responsibility to keep track of your things").

K.
 
#13 ·
I agree with PPs in that maybe if they had cases for their DSs that kept the system and all the games in one place, maybe it would be harder to misplace. When I had a gameboy - oh so long ago - I remember having some kind of bag that I kept it in.

Also, my mom's favorite phrase was always "last time I used it, I took care of it." Aside from your DH putting it in the glovebox, they need to keep track of their stuff.
 
#14 ·
Do they have the all inclusive holders? We bought dd1 a holder thats shaped like a bowling ball bag at Target and it had spots for console, games, power cord, xtra stylus'. Normally, I would say let em lose their stuff, but the DS console is SO expensive, so I say "if I find one piece lying around, not in the bag, its mine" guess what, she hasnt lost a piece since we got her the bag!!!
 
#16 ·
They have an alarm you can set. Could you set it to go off at the same time every day so they could listen for it then if it's lost?

Luckily my kids keep track of theirs pretty well. If they lose it then it's just gone until they find it again but I don't go to any special effort to find it. I can't really get upset at them about it because I do similiar things. I'm constantly misplacing the tv remote, my car keys, my wallet, cell phone, etc.
 
#17 ·
I'd get the little case or something for them to keep it in when it's not in use. Then if they lose it, remind them that it's not my job to keep track of their things.

At least that's what I keep telling DH when he loses something. He's doing better once I gave him a basket to keep keys and things in.
 
#18 ·
They do have cases but they often get misplaced too; I didn't know about the alarm but that would be useful. I realize I didn't mention that they look for them first, then I help them look then I will look and usually they don't get found 'til the third looking around as that's when they are in the weird places. We have a small apartment that I am in the process of seriously decluttering and I am concerned they will accidently end up in the boxes or bags of donations that are going out.

I talked to the kids last night and they liked the idea of having a basket just for those items (we do it for just about everything else, don't know why I didn't think of it sooner). Thanks for the ideas and suggestions.
 
#19 ·
My three younger kids each have their own DS. I made it clear to them that the DS's are their responsibility and if they are lost, they will not be replaced.
 
#20 ·
At four and six, they may not be ready to keep track of an expensive toy like that.

It seems like lately, all of our neighbors have gotten their kids (aged 7-10) cell phones. But what happens is that the kids keep losing or breaking them and the parents keep buying new ones. They just aren't ready for the responsibility.
 
#21 ·
There should be a "docking station," where they recharge them. If they are not at the docking station at bedtime, they loose the privilege of having them for a few days.

That's what I'd do.

eta: IMO, 4 and 6 is not old enough to handle the responsibility of finding them when they are lost because they are expensive and it IS a big deal to loose them. I think the "natural consequence" would work for older kids, but not a 4 yo.

I understand the OP tearing the house apart to find them, I'd do the same. I just wouldn't trust a 4 yo to find it!
 
#22 ·
I am a "their stuff their problem" kind of girl. and if they were constantly losing their stuff or too young to really get it and constantly asking for help finding it, if I did help them they would have to earn it back from me (after all finders keepers . . . ) or buy it back from me (money is a big motivator for my kids so saying you can have it back for $2 would really make the value of it click). I mean sure they may have never found it in the couch cushion but for crying out loud if they had put it where it goes it wouldn't have been there. or losing the privileged of using it for a couple days would also work. I understand them not wanting to be lost but also if you just keep finding them and giving them back then why should they care?
 
#25 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by phathui5 View Post
It seems like lately, all of our neighbors have gotten their kids (aged 7-10) cell phones. But what happens is that the kids keep losing or breaking them and the parents keep buying new ones. They just aren't ready for the responsibility.
I remember kids in high school whose parents would replace their cars when they crashed them. Even as a teen, I didn't think that was "cool" parenting -- I thought it was disgusting.

OP, it sounds like you have some good strategies in place now -- I bet between the alarm and the basket, the problem will be mostly solved!
 
#26 ·
I like the PP ideas but I know I will be one of those moms running around looking for misplaced objects. One puppy dog look from my son and I know I will cave.

I do I think if they cant keep track of it they are too young. Period.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwylde View Post
DS scrimped and saved to buy himself a Nintendo DS. DD really wanted one too and though she was kind of young, she tended to be more responsible with it than DS was so we sold stuff and pinched pennies to buy her one too.
I dont want to hijack your thread, but I think this is where you are going to run into problems. So your son saved all his hard earned money but you just bought your daughter one just cause. I had a little brother and I can tell you this will not fly once they catch on.
 
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