to whoever stole my childrens scooters

[new mother]

It is a huge shame and I can picture their tearful little faces. :-(((

Zeban, yes, in London it might be useful for a child to know that there are nasty people around, if it stops him or her accepting sweets etc.

[zeban]

Oh come on! We're talking about 6 year olds here- or are you being tongue in cheek womanofdulwich? I can't work it out!

[zeban]

Oh for gods sake, it's one teaching your kids not to accept sweets from strangers, it's another to tell them there are big bad wolves on your road and every road. I GREW UP IN LONDON, get over it!!!!!!! If you teach your children to be suspect at every person how are they going to make friends? learn to trust and believe in people? create a community?

It's better to teach children to look after their things otherwise things like this can happen. And that stealing is wrong so they don't turn into the kids/ adults who steal things! Take some responsibility!

[womanofdulwich]

yes but kids do leave things out, and they do get pinched. Just a warning- to parents to try and learn from this sorry incident to try and teach the children to make a point of lookng after their things.I'm not saying make it scary, but just learn together.

[zeban]

Yes I agree womanofdulwich, that was my point too, I was mostly wound up by new mother's response!

[Msgee]

I also leave stuff out the front to be taken, but usually put a note on it. I think the etiquette is- if it's near the front door, it's not up for grabs, but if it's just inside the gate, then it is (hope that's the way it works. I for one have liberated many tatty items of furniture from people's front gardens in this manner :-$ -tho not kiddies' bikes etc. And I do always knock first.

Honest...)

[petersimon786]

Kids scooters that kids love to roll and soon learn to balance and ride on are always on the list of top selling toys. They are timeless and environment friendly. They teach children balance which comes in useful when they learn to ride pedal bicycles. These come in exciting and attractive colors for boys and girls. Of course the scooters with little motors and chargeable batteries are also great favorites with kids.

kids scooters

[the-e-dealer]

Zeban my boys scooter cost ?90 its very well built has a brake, wide wheels and is adjustable so he can use it for 5 years or more. Not bad value I think!

[EDmummy]

Sorry to hear about your kids' scooters, BawdyNan. I probably agree with others that they were taken by someone who thought they were 'on offer'. Unlikely to be taken to order as it is very rare that scooters are left outside, unlike bikes.

I'm pretty sure this is not just a London thing. I grew up in Australia during the 70s and I can assure you, bikes left outside were stolen and sweets were offered by strangers! The only difference is that London has more people so this sort of thing happens more frequently.

[bigtony2]

happened to me when i was a kid. I was gutted. Learnt my lesson though!

[Vilmos]

I remember in the seventies when I was working in Bermondsey, I saw a young child at the far end of the street jump off his bike, lean it against the fence and run into the house. I stood spellbound as a flat bed builders truck pulled up (he must have been following the child) a man jumped out of the cab, picked up the bike and threw it on the back of the truck and they were off. Such things have been going on from time immemorial.

When my son was young he was always leaving his bike leant against the fence outside the house. I remembered what I had seen in Bermondsey and always told him to be more careful with his possessions but it was so much water off a duck's back. These things do happen and the people who are the perpetrators are a real pain in the neck.

The best you can do bawdy-nan is replace the scooter and keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't happen again.

[ibilly99]

People nick the epitaths of war memorials now - scooters of relatively wealthy middle class kiddies seems almost tame in comparison.That said a Saudi Arabian approach seems to be in order here.

[bawdy-nan]

this was ages ago - odd to resurrect it...

yes, they learned a lesson from this (put things away, look after your things if you value them)

no, I don't think it was perceived as a "giveaway" - we live down a dead end street

yes, I replaced it (and I'm glad I did)

ibilly99 - I don't think its strange to expect people not to steal from children and quite what saudia arabia has to do with the price of fish I'm not at all clear

and what's an "epitath"?

[Betterat50m]

Bawdy,not knowing what an Epitaph is, was you being serious? If not look it up.

Saudi Arabia, they meant public punishment but I am sure you were aware of that.

[sugarmouse]

We live just past Forest Hill and there's a white van with a wife and husband team who come round actively looking for stuff left in the front garden. We left a ladder and some wooden doors we were planning of taking to a door shop outside a few weeks ago and we just happened to look out of our window to see them giving them the once over. We went outside and they did have the grace to ask if they could have them - we said no.

Our neighbours have reported the same thing happening and I also saw the same van in ED taking a pushchair (to be fair, it did look shabby and abandoned). Just saying I think there are some people who are actively looking for stuff to take from front gardens so everyone watch out and don't leave anything outside you don't want to be pilfered! Of course we forget sometimes and I feel really sorry for your kids Bawdynan.

PS. My friend also lost her pushchair from front garden just near Peckham Rye

[Nicholas]

Sorry to hear about your kids scooters.If it's any consulation i'm pretty streetwise and simular thing happened me the other day,I felt totally gutted. It opens your eyes to London life you and your kids have to be so vigillant these days. No its not your kids fault but a lesson learnt!

I very mush doubt if the culprits ever read the EDF!

[Otta]

I put stuff out to be taken, usually leave it on top of the bins.

However, I was shocked when my daughter trod in dog mess, so I left her nice little Clarks boots out on the porch step (by the front door), and when I went back to clean them, someone had taken them (complete with dog shit). I was shocked!

[David A]

It seems like anything left outside is up for grabs.

I was taking some stuff out of the car the other day, parked right outside the house, and put a casserole dish on the garden wall while I got a couple of other things out of the boot.

Thirty seconds at most and there was already a guy with his mitts on it asking 'Are you throwing this out?'.

He looked quite crestfallen when I told him I was just moving it from my car to my kitchen.

It was a nice casserole dish to be fair.

And it didn't have dog shit on it.

[sugarmouse]

That might not be tinkers, that may be foxes! Only say that cos I left my pooey trainer on the front doorstep to be cleaned overnight and it had gone the next morning. I assumed a one-legged thief had taken it but my mum suggested a fox and sure enough, a few days later, I spotted the trainer in the garden of the derelict house opposite where the local foxes live. Another reason not to leave anything outside!

[Dorothy]

I actually appreciate the fact that you can leave awful old tat outside and be assured that someone will come and take it off your hands (obv not children's scooters) so you don't have to worry about disposing of it. We have left all sorts of terrible old rubbish from our loft/cellar/playgroom on the pavement directly outside our front gate over the years - and it has all been taken within hours.

And I have acquired a shoe rack, a small table and several books in the same manner along the way.

[cuppa tea]

6 year olds aren't old enough to always remember to bring their stuff back inside. Life is very in the moment at that age. It's not a 'stupid' thing to do - adults lose things all the time. It happens to us all. It's not something that they need to be 'taught a lesson about'. Us parents are responsible for our children and their things until they are old enough to be able to do so themselves. I would buy them another one and let them experience generosity and truly being allowed to make mistakes...they will have learnt from the experience regardless.