OT: Pool Rafts destroyed by kids

[flagdaytwins]

I had a party yesterday, had all the neighborhood kids over.

By the end of the party, three raft things (a whale, a loung chair and a little row boat) were busted. I was so exhausted and clueless by the end of the party I didn't say anything as I was busy cleaning up the food and water balloon carnage. I thought we could patch them up. We can't.

When DH came home, he was pissed.....the total damage was $50.

Save face or ask the party goers for a donation to our raft fund?

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Save face.

Whenever we have pool parties, we put away those pool items that we don't want destroyed and bring out the noodles which are virtually indestructible and don't cost much to replace.

 

[JimmyJr'sMom]

Who is watching these kids when they are tearing up your stuff?
Were other parents there? If it's a kid only party- then you are the parent and responsible party.

 

[JennsBabySky]

Personally, I would not ask anyone else to pay for the rafts. They were your rafts and you decided to keep them out for the kids to play with. If a kid was not playing appropriately with the rafts and you continually warned him/her, perhaps at that point I'd look for reimbursement. Most likely, I'd just take the rafts out. I'm assuming you were watching the kids and didn't notice anyone abusing the rafts, if so, that is just normal wear and tear. Personally, I buy my rafts on sale or at the dollar store and consider them a disposable item. When I splurge and buy a nice one (rarely), I hide it and only use it when immediate family is in the pool so that I can make sure that it isn't abused and will last a season.

If you really feel strongly about this, I'd try to return the rafts stating that they had poor worksmanship. I think it is a long shot, but the raft manufacturer should make a product that can stand up to an afternoon of kid play.

 

[Mommee]

I would let it go. If the kids were behaving and they were ruined, it's not their fault. If they weren't behaving, the person in charge of supervising them should've stepped in at that point. Afterwards is kind of late to try to deal with it.

 

[moniot]

Been in that situation before. I wouldn't asked for money or say anything. I would replace them for personal use and for the next party, if you have one, I would just tell everyone that if they want pool toys they will have to bring there own. Make sure you put yours away.

Mark it up as lesson learned.

 

[carj]

It sounds like there were perhaps too many kids, not enough adults, or the kids were too big for those type of floats and were careless. Water balloons are messy and fun and they sort of encourage a "battle" type atmosphere. (I hope I am making sense. What I mean is it sounds like the kids got carried away.)

I think that natural consequences are good and I think that I would just have the replacement floats off limits for parties or large groups. I wouldn't ask for replacement costs unless you saw a child purposely destroy something. If it was just slightly above average kid roughness, I would chalk it up to a lesson learned and move on.

 

[cel_disney]

Let it go...next time when you invite people over, tell them they are free to bring their own floaties but you have a limited supply.

The floats really dont last too long or hold up that well...

 

[3boymthr]

Damage to your stuff is a risk you take anytime you have a party and leave it out. If you don't want it damaged don't leave it out. I've had toys, dishes, chairs, etc. ruined at parties. I left it out I took responsibility for the loss.

Now, if you had put it away and one of the kids found it, got it out and deliberately damaged it that's a different story.

 

[DVCBELLE]

If your goal is to never have anyone else come to your house go ahead and ask for money from the party goers.

It sounds like the floats were damaged through normal play by the kids. I imagine since you had all these kids over there was proper supervision. If the floats were that important then you should have put them away.

If there are things at my house I don't want ruined - I put them up when kids are over playing. But in our house - accidents happen, things break and you move on. I would rather have a house full of kids and friends then a house full of things.

 

[dizkids]

Think how you would feel if the tables were turned and your child guaranteed you they had not even touched the rafts in question...wouldnt you feel a bit like your husband (pissed) if someone asked you for money?

I vote for save face. Lesson learned.

 

[PixieTl]

bummer, been there! next time hide the floats and if your kids ask to bring them out tell them no! go for the noodle option, they are much cheaper!

 

[tinkarooni]

I agree with others....save face. Hide the good stuff next time.....we all live and learn unfortunately.

 

[DawnM]

This.

We were involved in a situation at a home where the owner went BALLISTIC over some small toy missing in her bonus room. She sent an email to all of us blaming us and asking it be brought back IMMEDIATELY because she knew one of us took it.

This was a house we had been at many times and let's just say, we have not been back since.

She sent me a personal email saying, "I know YOUR kids didn't do it" but I still am not going to go back.

Dawn

If your goal is to never have anyone else come to your house go ahead and ask for money from the party goers.

It sounds like the floats were damaged through normal play by the kids. I imagine since you had all these kids over there was proper supervision. If the floats were that important then you should have put them away.

If there are things at my house I don't want ruined - I put them up when kids are over playing. But in our house - accidents happen, things break and you move on. I would rather have a house full of kids and friends then a house full of things.

 

[Justsyd2]

I would let it go. If the kids were behaving and they were ruined, it's not their fault. If they weren't behaving, the person in charge of supervising them should've stepped in at that point. Afterwards is kind of late to try to deal with it.

I completely agree with this post.

 

[lovesmurfs]

When my kids have friends over (party or just impromptu), THEY are responsible for the actions of their friends.

Example: My DS has paid to replace window broken by his friend ("Mom always said, 'Don't play ball in the house'"). It's understood up front, and the chance they take when there are friends over.

 

[crisi]

You simply have to eat it. There is no "making people pay" for a party you decided to have where you didn't put your stuff away and the kids were so poorly supervised in a pool that they broke things and you aren't sure who did it.

Having grown up on a lake and having watched my mother do it, eventually she realized she couldn't - she can't supervise the entire neighborhood. So we could each have ONE friend - unless the kids came with their parents.

 

[TheRatPack]

We had a LOT of neat pool toys and floats when we first moved in to our house that had an in ground pool. After a few pool parties things started getting broken and busted....our lesson, save the expensive floats and pool toys for us, we lock them up in the pool house....buy cheap things for the kids to play with at the party. Even with adult supervision....some of the older kids can get a bit wild. Hitting each other with pool noodles, pulling too hard on the noodle gun trigger and jumping in the pool with the floats underneath them...etc. We have great family and friends but seriously I think that at parties they just get so excited they forget their manners sometimes. We usually are cleaning up paper plates from the yard that were left sitting, wrappers from food...etc. And then again....some of them just don't care because it's not their house, those are usually the ones that invite themselves though LOL

 

[Worfiedoodles]

I agree with the PPs...we have the neighbor kids over in our pool all the time. I would never ask their parents to replace something that was out for everyone to play with -- and I'm sure if I did things would get mighty frosty even in the heat of summer!

I understand why your dh was upset -- it's hard to come home and find things broken -- but is $50 really worth losing the kids' and your friends, especially when you don't know if some things might have actually been broken by your own little darlings?

Maria

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

from my experience, pool toys are not made to last forever. It's your pool and your pool toys -- if you didn't want to take a chance with them being broken, don't leave them out. Maybe put the really special ones away next time. Maybe ask the neighborhood kids to bring their own.

I'd say nothing.