Punishments for children

We are staying with my mum and dad in Ireland and its been lovely. Until this morning. They have a car that they don't really use very much and it's been parked up at the back of the house for a while. My 8, 6 and 4 year old were playing on the trampoline and my 2 year old took a little stone onto the trampoline. The other 3 thought it was a good idea to get more stones and start throwing them off. They were throwing them at the greenhouse and the car. All unbeknown to me. Well, my 6 year old picked up a huge stone and threw it and it smashed the back window of the car. They never said a word and apparently they did it yesterday. The eldest mentioned the broken window last night and I just assumed my dad knew it was broken because they don't use it very often. He didn't know. I am absolutely disgusted in them. More so for lying to us.
I have told them they are grounded for a month. And fr Christmas will be giving them money to pay for a new window. What's more annoying is that they don't seem very bothered. And I want them to be sorry. What would you do?

It's difficult isn't it. I'd be horrified if mine did that and didn't say anything. I think what you're doing is right and all that you can do really (apart from locking them in the dungeon for a week with no food (wouldn't it be good if we could that) lol.

I think it's more annoying that they don't really seem to realise how serious this is. My 15 year old has trashed loads of things by booting a footy round the garden and breaking the patio heater and the chairs and the fence etc and never even told us grrrr!!

I think it's important that you stick to what you have said and don't let them forget.

Good luck Hun xx

Yeh I agree so long as you stick with what ever you said they should realise you mean business.

Tommys done similar before and I had to stick by my guns, now he knows if I say something I mean it!
I'd say the not telling you thing was out of fear because they did know it was wrong and are worried what will be done x

Our punishment for our eldest is no electric apart from his light bulb.

This them means no tv, no consoles, pc etc. it might sound quite drastic, but if I take the tv away he's still got pc, consoles to play etc. which then isn't a punishment just an inconvenience to him. We stick to it and it works

We have this all to come, not looking forward to it.

When you say they are grounded, what does that mean for an 8, 6 and 4 year old?

Perhaps part of the reason they aren't bothered is that the punishment doesn't really affect them now. Christmas is too far away to make any impact.

Xxx