What Would Make Him Do This???

[Janet]

This morning I needed to go to the bathroom. Well instead of going to mine, I just used the boys bathroom. A little graphic here but, while sitting I saw a line in the linoleum. I reached down and there was a cut about 8-10 inches long.

I talked to my son and he finally confessed he did it.....with a pocket knife!!! Can you believe that?? I asked him why and he said he didn't know. I said he had to have a reason...why did he slice it with a pocket knife. He still "didn't know."

I am so angry right now. It's not very noticeable, because of the pattern in the linoleum, but what would make a 15 year old boy do something like that?

He's with his Dad right now, they had some errands and I needed time to cool down. I've decided he is grounded from playing video games until I feel ready to let him play them again. I also will make him pay at least half to have it replaced when the time comes. I don't have the money to just go get new linoleum whenever I feel like it. I am just so angry!!!!! He is a wonderful son...never did anything like this before....I don't get it...but he better come up with some kind of reason or he'll never get his game system back.

[BabyNicole]

Maybe he was venting his frustrations? Sometimes kids do do stupid things and not know why. You should probably take away the pocket knife too. Good luck!

[DianaB]

I'd definitely take away the pocketknife too. Who knows why boys do some of the things they do? Sometimes it really doesn't make sense. You might set a jar out and have him start putting money in it ahead of time to help pay for the linoleum. That way his punishment starts now not in the future.

Such as why does a 17 yr. old boy decide to stand on a motorcycle seat when it's going 55 mph down the highway? My son TRIED this one!! He fell off and ended up having surgery on his elbow and spent 4 days in the hospital. I think that he was showing off, but who knows? It made no sense to me!

[Janet]

The whole bad thing is....these boys grow up to be MEN!!!! The stunts they pull is outrageous....His video games have been taken away and I told him that whatever money he receives, half of it comes to me for new linoleum. It doesn't show much now, so it's not like I have to hurry and replace it. I did tell him that the next time he does anything destructive to this house or it's contents..the game system will be out of the house instead of stuck in a closet.

[Lindsey]

Originally Posted by DianaB

Such as why does a 17 yr. old boy decide to stand on a motorcycle seat when it's going 55 mph down the highway? My son TRIED this one!! He fell off and ended up having surgery on his elbow and spent 4 days in the hospital. I think that he was showing off, but who knows? It made no sense to me!

My boyfriend does this all the time, he and his friends go out to this highway and stunt their bikes for hours. He has crashed 3 times (none while stunting, and none his fault), but he still goes and does dangerous stuff all the time. I refuse to even go watch now if he's going to stunt. I hate hearing horror stories about bike accidents!

[khardy57]

Has he recently gotten the knife? I know when my sons were younger, if they got something like they had to try it out immediately. (Just made a bad choice on locations, didn't he)

[DianaB]

My cousin when he was really little got a pocketknife from his dad. My grandparents were watching him for the day and he decided to carve on a little tree that Grandpa had planted in the front yard. When Grandpa found out what he had done he told Mark that he'd better pray that the tree lived or he was in BIG trouble. Later Grandpa found him beside the tree praying. That was about 25years ago and the tree is still there!!!

[Tink]

I agree it's a gender thing. My son has damaged the damnedest things in the most senseless ways! He used a fork to scratch a huge "Z" on the door of a brand new microwave... he threw a screwdriver through a wall... he drilled dozens of screws into a brand new wall. His response each time was "I don't know why!"

My girls never did stuff like that. It just never crossed their minds.