16 Y.O. Stepson Deliberately Waters His Stepdad’s Plants With Bleach, Stepdad Cancels Their Family Trip To Discipline Him

So... taking away something the kid cares about is abuse? So, does that not mean that the kid purposefully destroying something the OP cares about is also abuse? works both ways, lady.

Use the saved money for the Trip to buy new plants and maybe let him clean the pots from the bleach. You could do the cleaning together and use the time to Talk about this incidence.

Holy f**k. Hey Dad... be glad you don't have any small beloved pets in the house.

His behaviour doesn't sound like harmless pranking. It sounds more like he's deliberately being a d**k to make it difficult for the OP and it was building up.

I recommend family therapy to get everyone on the same playing field.

Sean is a sociopath.

Beside the kids horrible behaviour, big red flag on the mom! Time to discuss boundaries and respect at least...

Actions have consequences. It seems like the kid only understands this when he feels slighted. "You take my video down, I kill your flowers!" Action. Consequence. Albeit not a reasonable or mature example. But then when the same logic is applied to him, for good reason he can't handle it. Good for dad. NTA ... F**k that kid. Living with ppl who think it's funny to pull "pranks" on unwitting ppl are the worst. Dated a guy like that once. He wanted to be one of those "prank couples" on YouTube... I dumped him after he replaced my medicated, prescription face wash (for cystic acne) with mayonnaise and threw out my real s**t... those types of ppl don't learn unless they're forced to. Stand your ground dad.

The mother is the problem here. She's raising him to be an entitled little psycho who never has to face consequences. I wish there was a way to minority report bad parents and go back and prevent them from having kids.

The kid is sorry. That is his general state of being nothing to do with regret. Seriously show the kid that actions have consequences. Tally up the cost to replace every plant he damaged, new soil then the labor of repotting each plant. If he hits 2k explain the consequences of a felony and that you could have the state come in and settle the issue. I would be having a yard sale to replace my stuff. Let's face it with the mom we know this kid has a higher end gaming console/PC probably a drone and losing his stuff would be adequate.

What is it with all the people partnering up with disrespectful entitled people. The stepson is 16, you can go to jail for spraying bleach on other people property. He is old enough to know right from wrong, pranks are only funny is you're laughing. Divorce wife and kick them both out. This kind of behaviour cannot be tolerated. I wouldn't be surprised if ten years from now the stepson gets angry at work and will spray bleach all over workplace. Disgusting behaviour and no apology isn't enough, therapy maybe

NTA. Destroying months and years of work is not a prank. It's a lawsuit as an adult, a missed trip as a kid is barely a punishment at all. Plus, your wife has NO idea what abuse actually is, so I bet the kid is extremely spoiled.

That little asshole definitely deserves this punishment. This "prank" bullshit isn't funny, posting a video of someone without their permission isn't funny, sulking and murdering the plants is super s**t. Deserved. I'm worried that the mom doesn't have dad's back and if she continues bringing up her son like this, he will only become an even bigger asshole than he already is.

I would have taken away computer time with the water prank. His practical jokes may be harmless but there is a thread of hostility in there. I would keep my eyes open because he may just pull another prank more harmful because he figures he's got nothing to lose. I would also make him replace the plants he damaged.

I think hes a little s**t who needs punishment! If someone woke me up by spraying cold water on me i would find that really rude, let alone some snotty teenager who gets away with too much, spraying plants with bleach is actually really spiteful! I would have given him a fing smacked a**e! As for his mother......she needs to wisen up and realise how rude her son is

He can go on the trip as soon as he pays to replace every single plant out of his own money ...

You kill the plants? You're lucky that's all your dad did, kiddo...if I did that, my mom would kill me.

NTA Aloe plants are expensive. You don't destroy someone's hobby then think you can say sorry. It doesn't work like that. If you are angry fair enough but sabotage is not on

Good parenting from the stepdads side. That was a horrible thing the boy did. Have him help finding replacement plants, geting them, repotting and learnig about them. Make him understand what it takes to take care of them.

Sorry, but the recounting of events the article does between the screenshots of OP's post is simply wasting time. Both the author's and the readers' time, that is. So is this comment, btw. That's why it says "Sorry" in the beginning.

Does the kid know how much time and effort and love goes into a healthy plant, expecially indoor plants

If things like that continue, it'd be a trip to the psychologist... He's testing limits,filming private family stuff,and getting revenge at 16? How far could it go?

wow. Kid has definite issues with anger management and boundary control. When he asked if he could water the plants, he knew he was going to kill them. Yes, cancel the trip and get some SOLID counseling.

So... is Bored Panda ever going to invest in Spell Checking? Asking for a friend.

Kid kind of seems abusive to stepdad even before flower incident and this was just the straw that broke the [extremely tolerant] camel’s back. Mom should have stepped in long before this, so it does fall on her somewhat, but this man has patience & tolerance I would not possess in the same situation.

Here's something I learned from Daniel Tiger. You say "sorry" then "how can I help? " IE make reparations for your mistake. Sorry isn't enough.

When will people stop calling deliberate damage (or dishonesty, stealing, whatever) a mistake! A mistake is when you do something not knowing any better. This boy most certainly knew what he was doing. And he didn't 'admit' to it anyway. Only eventually when he couldn't deny it because the evidence was clear. That mother needs a few lessons in life too, by the sounds of things... Take an embarrassing video of her and post it and see if she doesn't refuse to speak to you ever again for daring to humilate her. I'm female myself but by God how I hate these double standards. Why should females be respected by men and not vice versa?

Either he's testing you to see what he can get away with or it's a cry for attention.

The kid is pushing the boundaries and those are not pranks at all. I would have had a word with him, long before it got this far. He is not just being a kid, he is an asshole in the making who is likely a Narcissist and very likely cannot handle the same treatment that he is giving others. He needs to be sent to the military to learn some f*****g manners and discipline.

Kid's 16 and acts like that? Damn Tiktoks really destroy braincells

I think it sounds like the relationship between this sixteen year old young man and his stepfather is chronically toxic and needs some healthy intervention. Being in a prank war with your stepson sounds like a very poor way to build a relationship. The family needs to be engaged in open conversations to get to the bottom of this negative behavior.

Stuff like this makes me remember why (1) I chose not to have kids and (2) chose not to marry. Every once in a while, I get lonely and think it would be nice... Then I remember my sister's kids or my friend's kids or marital/relationship problems I get to hear about and instantly feel 100% better.

If I pulled a stunt like that on my mums orchids, not going on a trip would have been the least scarry punishment. There is a good chance I would have not seen my phone, social media or my friends in a very long time. I was a rebellious teen but that is too much, considering these plants cost money, time and love. So this is not abuse, it's only fair and that boy is probably an entitled brat...

Your wife has raised a hateful little s**t there. You're right to cancel any trips. I wouldn't take the AH to the park after that. Your wife's lack of boundaries and discipline has created a vindictive and deeply cruel kid there. Get him to therapy and confront all of his stupid pranks from now on. His mother is to step up and be a parent too. Allowing him to do what he likes has led to the idea that destruction of a dear hobby is actually an acceptable way of lashing out over hurt feelings. Giant red flag. Do not let that brat get away with anything else.

I feel actual pain for this guy I love plants and if someone damaged the avocado plant I have been nurturing for a year I would be very sad

This kid is a jerk. He shouldn't be only without his trip, he should be grounded as well. He has age to drive a car, so he has age to bear the consequences of his acts.

If he's truly sorry he'd never do that or any of the pranks again. Grow up kid; prank someone else.

That kid needs to replace the plants that he killed and be required to help his step dad nurture the new ones. That way he learns a new skill and actually get to see the time and effort that goes into something like that. Could end up being a great experience for both step dad and step son.

what the f*ck