So, last weekend before last we had some little visitors come over to the house for a few hours. After they left my son discovered his Pokemon game had disappeared from his Gameboy. After making them clean their rooms, look under their beds, behind their dressers, and in their toy boxes, I had to at least consider the possibility the missing game and the children's visit might be related.
My oldest boy - the one whose game had come up missing - talked to the oldest of the three boys that been to visit on Saturday. The child told my son his brothers had taken the game. That he had seen them playing it and passing it back and forth.
So I called their Grandma, who they live with, and asked if she look into the situation. A few minutes later a little voice comes on the line and tells me they had taken the game outside and must have left it by the swingset. Okay. Not good. It's winter! It's been raining and snowing.
And I feel like an ass for implying the kids might have taken it without permission.
Fastforward a week....yesterday my son came home from school with the Pokemon game in hand. The oldest boy had taken it from his brothers and returned it my son. Of course, this makes me very happy. Losing a $30 game had rubbed me the wrong way.
Now the question is...do I mention the return to the Grandparents of the three children? I would really like to reward the oldest boy for making sure my son got his game back. I was thinking a small monetary amount would work, maybe $5 or so, just something to say "thank you and you did the right thing". I also feel that the Grandparents should know that the other two lied to them and to us when we called last week when it first went missing. I know I'd want to know if it were my children.
The boys in question are young. First Grade and Kindergarten, I'm thinking. Young enought that they might not have known better.
What are your thoughts? Should I leave well enough alone? The game was returned, so in the end it all turned out.
My oldest boy - the one whose game had come up missing - talked to the oldest of the three boys that been to visit on Saturday. The child told my son his brothers had taken the game. That he had seen them playing it and passing it back and forth.
So I called their Grandma, who they live with, and asked if she look into the situation. A few minutes later a little voice comes on the line and tells me they had taken the game outside and must have left it by the swingset. Okay. Not good. It's winter! It's been raining and snowing.
And I feel like an ass for implying the kids might have taken it without permission.
Fastforward a week....yesterday my son came home from school with the Pokemon game in hand. The oldest boy had taken it from his brothers and returned it my son. Of course, this makes me very happy. Losing a $30 game had rubbed me the wrong way.
Now the question is...do I mention the return to the Grandparents of the three children? I would really like to reward the oldest boy for making sure my son got his game back. I was thinking a small monetary amount would work, maybe $5 or so, just something to say "thank you and you did the right thing". I also feel that the Grandparents should know that the other two lied to them and to us when we called last week when it first went missing. I know I'd want to know if it were my children.
The boys in question are young. First Grade and Kindergarten, I'm thinking. Young enought that they might not have known better.
What are your thoughts? Should I leave well enough alone? The game was returned, so in the end it all turned out.
Tell the grandparents. They deserve to know that their "children" are lying to them. Maybe if we nip the lying in the bud they won't do it once they reach teenager years. One can dream anyway.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Danielle that you should tell the grandparents. The reward part is harder. I don't know if I'd be comfortable with someone giving my son money for something he should have done in the first place. I would think thank you would be good enough, but you might ask the grandparents if they would mind you giving the boy money.
ReplyDeleteI think asking about the small "reward" is a good idea, too. It would also allow me to bring the matter up on a positive note.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree that the grandparents need to be informed that the 2 young ones lied about the game. I agree with you on giving the "reward", it would be a positive note on the situation. I would ask the grandparents to make sure they are OK with the oldest getting the "reward".
ReplyDeleteKrista, I think your response and the previous comments are all in line and the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, my wife's engagement ring went missing during Thanksgiving. The only people at the house were family, so you can imagine we were simultaneously heartbroken and dubious. Not wanting to cause a rift in my wife's family (only my sister attended from my side), I was reticent to bring up my suspicions that a specific niece was to blame. Long story short, it was a year later (we hadn't said anything, by the way, just refused to host another family gathering) my mother-in-law called my wife and said, "I think I saw __ wearing your ring." My wife, not one to strategize an approach, raced to meet the girl. To her shock, she was indeed wearing the engagement ring. The teenage thief said her "boyfriend" gave it to her. He got it from a department store. My wife actually coaxed the girl to give it up for inspection. Sure enough, it was her ring: same setting (ordered special) and same malformed post holding the diamond setting.
It was a relief to get it back, but it ended badly for us. We never hosted another family event and had to make sure to hold on to our belongings when visiting others. For us confrontation was pointless. The girl's mother - herself an inlaw to the family - refused to accept our story.
I'm so glad - and heart-warmed - to hear your story included a little hero. If I'm not posting this too late -- yes! Reward him!