And the worst mother award goes to....

[Viper]

Today some kids up the road were playing with water guns. My kids started playing too. But they don't have water guns so they were filling up bukets and bottles with water.

 

Me being a miserable old cow went out and shouted at them for wasting water and they know the water situation etc.

 

They then went round the corner and filled their bukets up at a friends house. Am I the only person to try and prevent water wastage in this country or do you think I am over reacting? Only today we had a letter warning us about the problems. Why arn't other people taking it seriously?

[justamom]

Totally with you on this one Viper, you'r not over reacting at all.... My kids wanted to do the same and i said no way we have a water shortage and its just not righ my neighourbours allowed it to happen and i called my kids in (what a meanie).

 

I have lived in a drought (in South Africa) and let me tell you it was not fun.....

 

Water is precious but kids dont really understand the importance of it but atleast you are doing your bit to help out!!!

[littlenemo]

I think I would go for a compromise rather than an outright ban, perhaps say 1 bucket of water each and when that's gone no more and explain that everyone has to be careful with water at the moment and even think up some ways to make it last longer - bottles with fine nozzles rather than buckets, etc

 

there is a ban because people think it is more important to wash their cars and water their pristine lawns than think about the drought, not because of a few water pistols (which for our kids can provide much needed entertainment and play and social experience).

 

I also think that asking them to think about conserving their own small water supply will teach them more than making an outright ban.

 

Z

[Viper]

Nemo, that is such a good idea. The thing is I felt so embarrassed that my kids were throwing water about like, well, water. IYKWIM. It's hard to try and explain to kids that something they have taken for granted is now a very important commodity that has to be treated like gold.

 

The reason I don't buy the water guns is because they use water and because they are weapons. They go one step further than toy guns. They contain ammunition, all be it harmless. The boys up the road use their guns to attack innocent kids without any way of retaliating. I think it's one step away from getting a real gun and shooting an innocent person. you can see the boys getting really aggressive. Yesterday it went so far that one of them hit my DD3 across the back with a huge gun and DD2 had to intervene almost ending in a punch up. It just seems to go to their heads.

[Zemanski]

I totally agree with the gun thing, bottles water balloons and jiff lemons are much more creative anyway

 

Z

[phasmid]

plant spray bottles are fun and they can adjust the spray from fine to tight depending on how far they want it to fire.

[marshmallow]

Mine aren't allowed waterguns either, I felt a right meanie at first and caved in and got them some small ones, but then put them in the cupboard where they have been ever since! Apart from anything else they hate water in there faces, plus I don't want to encourage the use of guns.

[lisann]

yes I can see both sides to this kids are only kids once but yes the water shortage is a problem.I would agree with limiting the water allowence rather than baning it outright.You can buy these tank thingys that fit on the kids back and they have a hand trigger not a gun this way it is a visual aid to let them see how much water they have got and how much is left etc... Think I saw then in Argos.

 

Lisa x