I would be VERY upset. But it’s a teachable moment. Teachable for the young child to learn about personal property and automotive finishes among other things- but teachable for me as a parent for allowing a young child access to both that I do not want destroyed and the means to destroy it. Rule 1: teach kids not to touch things that aren’t theirs. Rule 2: kids will break all rules and are more destructive than all natural disasters combined. They cannot be trusted to exist near anything you don’t want to lose until they are about 35, and even then it’s a risk.
Everything is just something isn’t it? But I suppose there is no reason to wear deodorant since it’s just an unpleasant smell. No reason to wash or iron clothes. It’s just to cover and keep warm, so surely you wear a potato sack or whatever you might cobble together out of scraps and garbage to work? Perhaps there are reasons relating to taking care of oneself and ones things, and that delicate line between self expression and the perceptions of others that come into play?
Now- it’s not just a car or some abstract concept. It’s also money. Money to fix it, or money you lose in value from the damage. Paint isn’t just for looks either- it protects metal from corrosion. Makes a car last longer. In the case of some, like myself- it’s more valuable than just money- time. Since I painted my current car and several others I owned that’s many hours of work put into it. So it is “just a car” and if a meteor falls on it, bad day but nothing to cry over. But having your kid deface your car isn’t something you shrug and just move on from. And yes I’d be upset because I’d have already taught them the lesson.
Good time to teach a lesson. Tell my daughter I appreciate the message, affirm my own love for her, and then explain how there are better ways to communicate. That this kind of behavior might come from the right place, but has some negative effects.
Then we have a family project to work on.
Then we have a family project to work on.