Allotments 4 All

A chap a few plots down from me brings his two boys aged about 8 & 11 to the site after school.  They run all over the site, hitting things with canes.  I've asked their father to control them in the past, and at our last committee meeting it was decided that if children come to the site they must stay on the plot with their parents.

Anyway, when I looked at Scarecrow Smith this morning I had a shock.  He had been mugged!  His glasses were broken and he had a cut on his face and his stuffing was coming out.  His mate's head had been twisted round.

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I thought it might have been the two boys so when I saw their dad walking past I pointed out the damage and said that I wondered who could have done it.  Straight away, he said that it was his boys and that he didn't want anyone else to get the blame. I appreciated his honesty.

I know it's only scarecrows, but the thought of these boys running around with sticks scares me.  I told their dad about a man on our site who was blinded in one eye by a cane, and told him he must keep them on his plot.  I'll have to wait and see if he does.

I would get some broomstick handles and stick one through their sleeves and the other down the back of their shirt and trousers stuck in the ground and leave them there all day until they learn how to behave.   >:(

I like your thinking Cornykev ;D

We found two canes at the side of our plot today Betty, They are new canes and about 8ft. Wondering wether they were the ones they used.

More annoying than upsetting I hope Betty.  You'd kind of hope that parents would choose to take a bit more control without being asked, but there you go - good of him to fess up though.  Here's to Scarecrow Smith's speedy recovery!

I don't have your rules to hand... but he's probably in breach of his tenancy agreement... perhaps the rest of the committee would have a quiet word with him...  :-X

Sorry to here this Betty, I do hope you can get through this and forget that evil is here and we can only stamp it out all together.
Be of good cheer and put the Smith back together again.

Poor Scarecrow & friend - I hope they will be getting counselling!
Sorry to hear about that, lets hope the man keeps his little beasts at home in future.

How was Mr Smiths face cut though?

I honestly think the boys should be given a punishment by the site teach them not to do that again !!

oh poor mr scarecrow smith bet he was terrified, and a true gent  and never fought back.

i think that them boys are bullying him.

Scarecrow Smith is very touched by your messages.   ;)

It remains to be seen whether the boys will be kept on the plot with their dad but I seriously doubt it.  I think he has no choice but to bring them with him while his wife is working but they have absolutely no interest in gardening.

Its sad but there are so many allotment holders that are of the opinion that the rules are there for everyone else except them.I hope Smithy can get a face job.

I hope Scarecrow Smith has fully recovered from his terrible ordeal !

I hope that the parents of those boys have had a word with them and it doesnt happen again.

Quote from: Squash64 on May 11, 2011, 05:16:47I think he has no choice but to bring them with him while his wife is working but they have absolutely no interest in gardening.

Which is all well & good, but he still has a responsibility as a parent to teach them to behave! I know kids need to run around & burn energy but there's a line there.

Hope the scarecrows are fighting fit again soon  :)

sorry, but if I was a tenant seeing damage like that on my plot on this site, I would be telling him that his children are tresspassing and that puts him in violation of his tenancy agreement and if he wants to keep his plot he needs to guarantee it won't happen again .....

But that's just me.

Still, it depends on the site and how relaxed you are on the rules.

As a' punishment' is there anyway you could get them to help repair Mr Smith, that way they will have invested their own time and engery into him, so won't want to damage him again. I do realise this would mean you spending your time and energy doing this!  :-\

my littlest one is often "forced" to come with me. Sometimes she is good and works on her own bit of the plot (just a few flowers that she weeds), sometimes she is fed up - and I have found that her little scooter is a good remedy, she scoots down the paths for half an hour while I get some work done, and sometimes comes back with a strawberry or something that a neighbour has given her! She doesn't really bother anyone and it keeps her out of mischief.

I blame the parent.  He should not bring children onto the site if he cannot provide activities for them to do and ensure they understand the rules.  He should also insist they apologise.    There is plenty of space on your site, there is no need for them to trespass.

Fighting with sticks is a difficult one, boys (and girls) have been fighting with sticks since they dawn of mankind. 

There was a young child on our site and he wandered off and when I went over to speak to his mother about it she was listening to an MP3 player and was totally shut off from the world.     

Scarecrows couldn't have plastic surgery because he was too badly injured so he will be wearing a balaclava from now on.  He has fully recovered apart from his face and because he is such a cheery bloke he has put the incident behind him and will carry on as normal.  ;)

The boys' dad is in his mid-seventies and seems to have little interest in them.  He keeps telling me they are naughty boys.  I've given them things to do in the past, like making a ball out of rubber bands, or drawing, and they are really good with me.  I suppose it helps that I do actually like children.  The thing is, I'm supposed to be sorting out allotment problems and looking after my plots, not providing after-school activities.  ::)

He hasn't brought them since I showed him the notice I put up, and told him that they must stay on his plot with him.  I can guarantee that he will not want them on his plot so hopefully he won't bring them. 

If the parents are not caring how will the kids learn? I would ask him  to control his kids or ask him to leave them at home in future, Nothing worse than having to keep looking behind your back all the time.