Punishment enough already. They learned their lesson
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Make them pay for the slime. If you got them more then just the phones take a gift and make them return it to the store and pay you back. It sounds like they need a reality check that for 1 responsibly is huge! And going over how illegal it is and how they could go to jail for theft. I always made it abundantly clear to my daughter. Sheâs never opened anything in the store without my permission or tried to take anything.
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Get over it itâs kids doing kid things thay didnât still it thay was playing with it.like u never sprade things to smell tham
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I know Iâm gonna catch shit for this, but when I was growing up, my Momma would have paid for the item, and I would have gotten my ass whipped.
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It sounds like you handled it very well. Aside from chores, Iâm not sure additional punishment is needed.
I DO think k they are WAY too young for phones. Porn addiction is very real, and there are so many predators out there.
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For everyone saying they shouldnt have a phone really ??? You dont even know why!!! my 3 year old has one but itâs a old phone he uses it for youtube can he call anyone no so stop judging as for punishment I think yall did well also for ppl justing parents for letting them wonder stop acting like saints you dont have your eye on ur kids 24/7we all make mistakes were human
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I think what you have already done fits the crime. Just be sure to make them understand that you will not tolerate this behavior. I worked retail and you would not believe the parents that believe nothing is wrong with their kids opening and playing with toys or anything. Thank you for showing your kids they right message
This group is stupid. Use your own judgement. Geez. Something is wrong medically call a doctor. They act bad. Punish them. Itâs not rocket science people. Oh and Merry Christmas. Bye!
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I agree Michelle âŚas parents we often over react out of our own embarrassment âŚ
No phones in the first place,totally ridiculous at that age,they have all ready displayed how irresponsible and poor lack of judgement they have
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To each their own, BUT my opinion is this⌠they are 7 and 10? This should be a lesson for the PARENTS. I would assume full responsibility if it was me then TALK to the kids, let them know it was wrong, why it was wrong, and how to act next time in a store.
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Coming from personal experience children do not understand money. Meaning they donât understand someone works hard for money and that it isnât just there. They probably canât comprehend that they caused you all to spend that much money. I think your punishment is just as well as educating them on why what they did was wrong.
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Just make them do chores and maybe write an apology letter and deliver it to the store in person and be done with it. Donât hang it over their heads or take Christmas away. They knew they were wrong and and a bad choice. Once they apologize and pay you back it should done
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Take the phones back. Take every single toy/gift back. They can have the slime they opened at the store and thatâs it. Iâd be royally pissed at my kids if they did something stupid like that. Theyâre old enough to know better but they did it anyway. No they donât get to get rewards for terrible behavior. Maybe later next year they can have a phone but theyâre not old enough if they go thru a store and open products they havenât purchased nor plan to purchase.
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If theyâre quiet and a little scared while scolding them and they answer questions when asked. If they reiterate where they did wrong, etc. Then youâve done your part. Taking away devices, and giving chores is exactly what I do. My 12 year old is very well behaved because of it.
You did good momma, donât beat yourself up. This is the age they start to push their boundaries. Keep laying down the law and guide them. They will understand slowly.
Youâve given them the punishment. Talk to them explain why itâs wrong. Maby have them apologize to the store manager.
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Be wary of over punishing? This sounds silly but its a real deal we as parents get so mad we punish, keep punishing and keep punishing. Thisâll affect your kids and they will lose sight of their goal, good behavior. I like to give a consequence or two, and have a serious talk. Good luck! Sounds like normal behavior.
You shouldnt ever leave kids in a store by themselves lol really?
Though the 10 yr old knows better. I would make the 7 and 10 yr old pay for them by making them clean something for a couple days like leaves etc
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Wait why does a 7 and 10yr old have a phone? Better be one of those you call phones full of candy
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I think you are doing great. Sometimes no matter how hard we try, kids do stupid things. The fact you havenât killed them is not lost on them. My suggestion is to have Christmas, then the cell phones get put away for a month. At that point, ask them what they plan to do with examples of possibilities. If they give good answers they learned their lesson. If not, more in house arrest.
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They could be talking to predators and youâre worried about $10 of slime? Wow.
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Your husband is right and you pretty much answered your own question 
Tale the phones back and get age appropriate gifts. I wouldnt give my kids phones for Christmas at that age even with excellent behaviour đ¤Ś
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Why in the world would a 10 and 7 year old be getting a phone to begin with. Thatâs the first major issue in this scenario. The second thing is, theyâre kids. Kids make mistakes, just like adults do. Help them learn from their mistakes instead of inflicting punitive punishment. Discipline is about teaching kids how to behave. Discipline is much more effective than punitive punishment.
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I would take their presents back OR donate them to a shelter for children who have little to nothing. I would also take back their phones.
It can be a huge learning experience and you can remind them that had they been a bit older, they would be spending Christmas in jail, alone, no phones, no toys, nothing but a orange jumpsuit and a cell.
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I think your husband is right. I would put the phones away for birthdays or another holiday when they show more respect. And just give them little gifts for christmas. 10 years old should no better. 7 yes and no, it depends on the maturity level.
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Iâd say let them apologize to the employee they ignored. They are kids, they were told why itâs wrong.
I think this would be good for them. Then let you all enjoy your Christmas.
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I would keep the phones those ages should not have one. I think inwould take some time to cool down, but your children have no idea YOU bought gifts in their mind SANTA done all of that. Calmly sit down and explain why they should not wonder off alone and how opening packages in the store IS considered theft. If there was more than what your kids opened torn open then they probably didnât see why it was or is wrong. Teach them but dont break them keep santa scheduled chances are they havenât been awful and embarrassing the entire year. She spoke up and told the truth she took responsibility even though you paid for it , my nephew would have died before admitting his own wrong even if he was caught red handed . This time of year is so stressful we sometimes over react . God bless merry christmas best of luck !
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Okay okay okay this is funny. Theyre children and they were in the store and didnât take any unpaid merchandise out so therefore you are incorrect. It is not theft. Vandalism or destruction of property maybe, but not theft. Secondly they brought a bundle of 10 containers of slime to the front and asked which ones they opened? So that tells me all 10 must have been opened and they didnt bother to repackage them before returning them to the shelves so that tells me that other children have opened the slime as well and they were not forced to pay for the items. If the employee witnessed them playing with the slime then the employee should have taken the only container that they were caught with to the front. Whatever store you went to they are highly uneducated in retail and need to find a different job title because that is definitly NOT how you handle the situation, and you as parents need to take it down a notch they didnt steal shit they were just being kids playing. You shouldnt have let them roam alone then 
Maybe have them write an apology letter to the store. They can hand deliver it. Sometimes writing down things helps.
You did good. Children will push their boundaries. Remember to breathe
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A 7 & 10 year old with phones???
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Wow a lot of mom shaming going on, if you want your kids to have phones then get them phones. These days most kids have them. My son got one at 7 and heâs 10 now with the same phone. Heâs been very responsible and I like it for when Iâm not with him I can call him directly. Anyways, do what you feel appropriate. Itâs hard that it happened right before a major holiday. I would prank them if it were me. Get them a lump of coal wrapped pretty in a box with a heartfelt note from Santa about how they acted. Telling them theyâre on the naughty list, and I would record their response. After the laughter subsided, my laughter, and the kids stop freaking out, bring out the real gifts, but only after an apology. Lol good luck and Godspeed mom
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A math project to determine how much that financial loss can affect people for a small business.
You already punished them, dammmm lady⌠and the 4 month old what did she do?
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I very much like how u are not dismissing this as they are just kids. My girls are 7 & 8 and if they did this i would take away technology from them for a while and the chores which gave them their extra money i would not be paying them for and no allowance for however long till i feel theyâve understood what theyâve done. I wouldnât take the gifts away but what i would do is reduce the amt. In my kids case i bought them three each and hubby bought them three each. I would hide all the others and give them just one each until that time i see that they regret what they did. Youâre on the right track. Great job mama!
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Geez. Theyâre kids. They know they did wrong. Now move on
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Sounds like you already punished them
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It sounds like youâve already punished them enough with confiscating their device and adding choresâŚ
Also donât listen to everyone saying theyâre too young for phones lol
We live in a technological age now and itâs perfectly normal for kids to have phones
Side note - how would the slime incident prove they arenât responsible enough for phones when the phones had nothing to do with it?
You should be getting punished for allowing small children to wander alone. Obviously you donât live in south Florida.
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At their age they know better. However, theyâve had things confiscated and extra chores. Donât ruin a holiday over it! Maybe just donât give them the phones yet 
at 10 and 7 they donât need phones anyway put them aside for birthdays?
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They are to young to go anywhere out of parents sight to start with. Children are not safe out of your sight so much child trafficking going on. Kids are snatched from their parents standing next to them ,donât make it easier by letting them get away from you. Itâs actually just as much you the parents fault for giving them the free reign, kids are kids. They did wrong and should be told of consequences of these actions, parents need to also learn a lesson from the experience. Keep your kids within your sight.
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Sounds like you already punished them, they are to young to be unsupervised so its partly on you
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I would have started by making them apologize to the store clerk. It sounds like you covered the consequences of such behavior. As for the phones, I wouldnât have purchased them in the first place but I definitely wouldnât be handing them over after this.
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Iâve never heard of a store making you pay for something you opened. See it every day at my store and no one does anything about it. Stealing it is a different story.
Have you ever had a talked to your kids about opening products before purchasing? Not being rude but if you had never had that talk with them it is hard to be too extreme on a punishment.
Iâd let them have what they got for Christmas but explain to them if that ever happens again they will loose them for good.
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My mumâs only punishment when i stole (one time - I never did it again), was to apologise face to face for my actions.
The store, itâs merchandise, and itâs employees are NOT babysitters
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As long as they pay for what they didâŚthey will get it⌠Christmas day is not a day of punishmentâŚ
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Thereâs no " death penalty" for making a minor mistake as a kid. You punished them, put it behind you and go celebrate Christmas with your kids.
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I think they have been punished enough.
I also think an apology to the store is a good idea
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You should be taking responsibility for letting them go off alone in a store
where toys are. They should know better but so should you!! Kids are still impulsive no matter what you say or do. Punish them yes but lesson learnt on your part, not to mention that anything can happen in this day and age safety wise. You said it was small enough of a store to keep track but then momentarily lost track and sight of them. Holy irresponsible and you should rethink your parenting skills. Your just as much too blame. Cut them some slack youâve punished them enough! Your embarrassed by what theyâve done but also with yourself and if you arenât - you should be.
People can slaughter me all they like for my comment BUT itâs a public forum and youâve asked advice/opinions. Iâve been blunt and truthful to what I perceive the situation to be - other people may disagree and you sure can thatâs up to you but my opinion remains regardless.
Merry Christmas. Like I said itâs still Christmas for your girls, cut them some slack.
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First of all, your children didnât steal anything, they were playing with the slime. Second, you should have watched them while in the store. They could have been abducted by someone. Consider yourself lucky.
Finally, the punishment you have given to them is enough.
Merry Christmas
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They are kids âŚ
You punished them already by taking away their devices
You have taken the device already and since they have phones already maybe change gifts that are actually for little girls like slime and stuff like that
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1st off they are to young to be roaming around
2nd off bust there tails
3 ground them from everything til further notice
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Take them back to the store and make them apologize. It seems small, but theyâll remember that more than anything.
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I think they got the message. Putting their stocking stuffers back is probably enough. Talk to them about what they did. They are kids and kids donât always know what they are doing is wrong. They are 7 and 10 and they are getting phones??? Wow, Iâve never known anyone under 12 that has one.
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You wanna punish YOUR kids for YOU not watching them⌠is this a joke?
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I think that your punishment is adequate. U explained to them that itâs wrong to do. See what they will do in the next time you go shopping.
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You paid for the 2 cans of slime and didnât get them? They will sell as used. Could have held the two back at home since they liked it so much. Phones at those ages I donât think is necessary. Maybe hold those back. They didnât respect the employee there and kept playing with the slime, technically didnât steal. Maybe let them know after their phones were returned for not being respectful. Starts small but can become an issue. I understand how you feel, caught my son 3X but he was hiding the items. I made him go to the counter and give to the clerk and apologize. 3rd time he was his Dad made Dad take him back to the store and do the same thing. It was just a ball but he took it. In stores I kept him with me from then on. Wasnât close to Christmas though.You and your husband are doing the right thing whatever you decide. Next time could be a policeman.
Wtf did I just read???! You gave them a thousand punishments! This will never get your kids to listen! The punishment has to fit the crime. These are children for goodness sakes your acting like they killed someone
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Stole? Did I miss something??? Also, you should of been watching them, theyâre kids. Also, how many punishments does one get for making one mistake and admitting to it??? 
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you didnât watch your own kids and are punishing them this much?!?! WHAT?
so if a younger one had run off, or worse gone missing, would the older one be in trouble for that? Or would you take responsibility for not watching your own kids?10 and 7 are not old enough to be unsupervised, and especially not in a retail establishment during the busiest time of the year.
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So⌠youâre punishing them- in multiple ways- for occupying themselves- cause you werent watching them-? 
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I was their age and left to roam small stores like a dollar tree or dollar general I totally get it and honestly I would have had the same punishment (except for the phone thing, instead of that it would have been my CD player) itâs not like they let them roam a Walmart or target.
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How you gonna punish kids for being kids? You was suppose to be a parent and not let them run all over the store either but here we are 
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Sounds like they got plenty punishment for your negligence!
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10 and 7 year olds don,t need phonesâŚwhat is wrong with parents these days,they dont need to see whatâs on Facebook and other stuff,makes them grow up too fastâŚand there is some funky stuff kids dont need to see on thereâŚ
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I think the bigger issue is they disrespected the employee that requested they stop. This is a lack of respect issue for others
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If they had the time to open and destroy that many packages it means they were out of your sight for more than the time you said. Supervise your children, these are the mothers that are crying because their kid got stolen and acting the victim!
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There kids , most kids do something like this in there young life , maybe give them there new phones but donât let them use it for a few days , something they will remember but not so bad that they donât feel like they can come talk to you about anything good luck & god bless
Iâm into natural consequences so I wouldâve been like âwelp, thatâs your stocking stuffer nowâ and gotten rid of the rest of the stuffers you bought and kept the slime 
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Punish yourself for not watching your children. Small or big store obviously they werenât in your sight⌠you would have caught them opening up all that slime. And why does a 7 yr old have a phone??? And why are your kids lying âretractingâ her story. And not listening to the other employee. Girl you better get in the corner 
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I was going to say pay out with her allowance
Maâam Iâm not trying to be rude, Iâm just having a hard time understanding WHY you would turn 2 kids loose in a store?
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I think you are in the wrong. If they had time to open up all that you were not watching them! Sounds like you went a little far with all the punishments they are kids not to mention if u were watching your kids they wouldnât of been able to do that! And wtf do they have cell phones! Smh
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Your husband is absolutely right.
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I think they are to young for phones and I can let my 10 year old go pick stuff out at dollar store and dollar General and he doesnât open anything to play with it he picks out his stuff and either comes right back to me or I have gotten my stuff and all ready gotten to his side so he is alone maybe ten minutes
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Iâm with your husband on this. Take their phones back. Theyâre too young and immature without it, can only imagine the things they will do online with one. My sister is 11 and hasnât got one yet regardless of asking many times. I didnât get my first until I was 14 and thatâs because I bought my own with my own pay cheque. The internet today is worse than what it was then
I used to work in a dollar store and want to thank you for exercising some discipline. We would have children come in with parents that would allow them to run (often literally!) around the store and play with the sock display or gather up a handful of stuff, ask if they could have it, and then dump it on whatever shelf they were near when the mom said, âNo.â Or youâd hear Mom yell, " Put that down, weâre leaving, " and find the toy tossed on the floor and often broken. I personally think theyâre too young for cell phones, so I agree with not giving them those. But I applaud your effort to correct the behavior.
My childâs not allowed to have a phone until she is in high school and driving your ten year old is old enough and should be more than mature enough to know better then to open up anything that isnât hers. Why would you let your child be out of eyesight? There are way too many child abductions. You should be thankful that you even found your children and they arenât loaded up on some truck. If you ask me everything should be put on you and your husband.
Too young for phones anyway, really. But you already gave consequences with the chores which was appropriate. 7 and 10 should know better. But you are also the adult and should have been keeping an eye on them.
Itâs starting to feel like youâre just mad and embarrassed, and continuing to take it out on them at this point.
You need to be able to separate them from your own ego.
Why is it so bad they have phones. My 2 did because they liked to play and see friends and get outside in the real world. I could not have been without them having phones they were a godsend and gave them freedom to play just like I did at their age.
Cut your children some slack. What youâve done is enough. However I will say, at their age they shouldâve known better! But they got curious and they opened it. If they learned from it then thatâs great. Move on. Kids have to learn. Theyâre not mature enough for phones. Youâll be doing them a HUGE favor to take them away and let them experience real life until theyâre 13. Iâm kinda surprised the dollar store reacted this way. Not that they were wrong or anything, just surprised is all.
The 7 year old has a phone?
I think losing devices for the night and explaining how to behave in public and respecting property that doesnât belong to them might of been a good route. Regardless of how small the store was, children shouldnât leave your sight. My kids know if I canât see them with my eyes then theyâre too far and they are 4&5.
Sounds like you have delt with it correctly. Leave it at that let them know about the phones but not let them have them untill the devices ban is over
Definitely a letter from them to the manager. I did this to my kids when I heard they got into trouble with a teacher. 2 of my 3 had to write a letter apologizing while explaining what they learned in elementary school and give it to their teachers themselves, it was the last. Also, have them write a report on stealing and the consequences, use the internet or books as learning tools.
I would not ruin a Christmas over this. This should be separate. Do take electronics though!
You are doing an amazing job. We should have faith in our kids at their ages, we have expectations and they did not abide by them. Not your fault. They made the choice and that is what life is about, taking responsibility and choices. We have to hold our kids accountable.
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I feel like taking electronics and chores are a proper punishment they just opened them in the store which they know better than not to do they didnât try to sneak it out of the store. Personally taking gifts backs would be a little much for this kind of thing but thatâs just me. Iâd talk to them have them continue their chores and make sure they know what they did wrong and I wouldâve made them apologize to the manager for being disrespectful and damaging merchandise.
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I was always advised to âmake the punishment fit the crimeâ. That being said and considering the ages, I think no electronics and extra chores are enough. Let them know how disappointed you are too. That always works for my boys. Taking away THEIR gifts is a little too harsh for 2 packages of slime. Iâd let them know that, until theyâre older, no gifts for friends. Good luck and merry Christmas
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My 10 year old son got a phone for his birthday and the same day we caught him taking slow motion videos of himself slapping his 2 year old brother in the face. The phone is gone.
KIDS are too YOUNG for cellphones.
You punished them by confiscating their electronics. Kids will be kids and we have to remember that they do dumb shit from time to time. How you react is whatâs important and youâve both acted accordingly. Move on and enjoy your holiday and maybe rethink the cell phones.
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No new phones. The no device use is perfect. They will feel that. Thatâs it though, donât go overboard and donât make yourself crazy. Those two things are sufficient. Enjoy your holiday as they learn their lesson.
You were way more leanant than I would been. Thankfully I never had that problem with mine. But if they did something wrong they got grounded for x time. If severe then spanked 1 to 4 licks and grounded. When got older they got choose their punishment. X amount licks or grounded for x time. 9 time out 10 they choose to get spanked. Because the way I raised em never had issues at stores with them. Iâve seen some kids parents dont care and let em open everything play or stick n pocket take off with its unreal how alot kids parents r these days. At least you are trying to teach them right. If I had kids that age rt now they did that they would been grounded yes could open gifts but they were given extra chores as n help Cook and clean and laundry they help if I did anything they have b rt by me helping also.
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first of all its happens⌠just discuss with them the importance of not opening stuff in stores!! taking presents back is a little extremeâŚ
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What you did was just fine for the punishment taking things away, adding chores, AND discussing the situation and why they are being punished. That is the important part talking with them to make sure they understand why because a lot of parents donât and they are confused because they didnât know. But now they do hopefully and if they do it again then more steps would need to be taken but you did just fine for your first time thatâs happen. And I wouldnât take back their phones or listen to the people saying they are too young for phones because without one anymore sucks because of all the things happening anymore from DUI bus drivers to school shootings I mean itâs a nightmare to let your kids do anything we used to without giving a second thought
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I would take back their phones. That kind of attitude towards a store employee shows such disrespect when you arenât there that I wouldnât trust them to have a phone.
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Awesome job good fit for wrongs commited. The only thing I would add is no more unsupervised store wandering until trust is rebuilt.
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I think you did the right thing the punishment fits the crime. And if you are still unsure if it was enough. You can always ask yourself what would my parents have done. In this day and age rasing kids is tough. So many things to take in to account for. Kids are exposed to electronics even at school so I think letting them have phones is ok especially if you monitor what they watch it have access to.
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The punishment theyâve already received sounds perfect as the slime was maybe $2-$5 each at most. If it was something that cost over $50 then yeah I might take back a present to cover that cost. But everything was done correctly.
From now on though, they should have their hands on the cart when you go shopping until you can trust them again.
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Please donât take away their Christmas. I think you did well making this a learning process. It was good to take away their devices and make them do extra chores. Let them know that this can not happen again and of it does happen again they will have HUGE consequences- possibly jail time.
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It sounds like you two are doing a great job parenting during a stressful time. I would continue to stress with them to respect others and I would hold off on phones until I was confident they could use them safely. Keep up the good work, Mama!
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I donât understand why a 7 and a 10 year-old need phones? seems to me youâre asking for a lot more problems than just some opened up slime!
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