really just laughed out loud at this one these kids are all less than 9 years old right cleaning out the tank and the filter tube is going to be an adventure it might actually be cheaper to just buy new ones

I can relate, I washed my Dad's antique Mercedes with shampoo when I was little and ruined the paint job by not rinsing it off and letting it bake in the sun. I thought I was helping, he said it was dirty.

Well I guess Disney world ain't happening now.

rip disney world

"It doesn't matter if they had good intentions." Really? That doesn't make one bit of difference to you? Personally, I wouldn't punish my children if they did something like this, because I wouldn't want to teach them that good deeds earn punishment. They were trying to be kind, and they took the initiative, which are both qualities I would like to encourage. On top of that, how I deal with them will be setting an example. I'd like them to learn to be forgiving and patient with others, not easily angered. A simple talk explaining why Tide doesn't work and that they should clear future attempts to help with me first should be all that is needed to set them straight. If you ground them for this, they'll likely be reticent of helping others in the future, in fear that it will backfire. I understand that this is an expensive fix, and inconvenient for the OP, but that's the thing about parenting. You can't make decisions based on your own emotional reaction to things. You always have to think about what you're teaching the children. TL;DR: you shouldn't punish children for honest mistakes

Wtf? How? It's not that easy to pour shit into a gas tank, that's what fuel baffles are for. Also, this is like a $200 repair. Not the end of the car's life.

Who was supposed to be watching them? ?