Ever since my kids were little, I follow a simple rule ” don’t punish them for something that I myself would have done”
Basically it started when Yaya was about 2..she was having her breakfast and I told her to be careful with the bowl..
The bowl was a Uriarte talavera..it cost 180$/bowl. I am sure any sane person would ask which mother would serve cereal in such an expensive bowl to a toddler..

My maternal grandmother owned a complete set of Shelley China..She never used them..for she was keeping them for the ‘special occasion’..Over the years, pieces of the china disappeared..But the family never ever used it..not once.There was never a special occasion in the family worthy of using the Shelly..
By the time Yaya was born, I had a collection of China..and I used them everyday because I didn’t want to keep them for the ‘special occasion’

And Yaya dropped the bowl..It wasn’t so much as the cost of the bowl that broke my heart.. but the fear in my child’s face.. She was terrified..I felt, why should my child be terrified of breaking a bowl when I myself have broken a few pieces of the same set?
Why would I scold her when I gave her the bowl?

I learned a valuable lesson.. and so it continued…( and I bought corningware!)

When Yaya was having her birthday party, she wanted to use the dart board. She hung the board very close to the outdoor lamps and the dart hit the lamp shade and a broke a tiny piece. She came inside to tell me “mom, I am sorry, I broke the lamp shade”
Now, who in the world would hang a dart board close to a lamp shade?
I didn’t scold her..but did tell her ” Yaya, you need to remember money doesn’t grow on trees!! and no one in their right mind would hang a dart board close to a lamp shade !”

Last weekend I was getting all my summer gear out of hibernation..and thought I would clean and wax my surf board..The sun was getting in my eye and I pulled the chair closer to the wall..I was happy with the end results..My board looked beautiful. I got up holding the board..and I heard a loud crack..and there on the floor was the shattered remnants of my outdoor lamp shade. Yaya only broke a tiny piece.. I did the rest..( who in their right mind would sit right underneath a lamp shade and wax the surf board??)
And the speck in my eye..it is getting bigger by the day..