s/o: What would you do if your home were tp'ed in the middle of the night?

[mirth]

Your username and this post will have me laughing. :lol:

 

Me too. I flubbed.

[lionfamily1999]

I would call their parents if I knew them, if I didn't know them, then I would call the police. I would absolutely expect them to clean it up, unless I thought they would make more of a mess on our property by letting them run all over it.

 

Neither my dh nor I did anything like this as children or adults. I just don't get it. I don't like pies in the face or food fights or TPing. I have a sense of humor, but it does not include slapstick or doing things that will make other people waste time cleaning up after someone else caused a mess for them. The waste is also hard for me to laugh about. I truly don't get it. I know in my head that many people think it is fun and I can appreciate their fun, if it was taken all in fun, but I would not appreciate it in the least, if it were done to me or our property.

 

It would also bother me quite a bit to find that a bunch of kids had been running all over the property late at night. If it were the evening, I wouldn't be bothered as much. The lateness of the hour would make me think that they did not have respect for the law or for me. That would make me nervous.

:iagree:

 

The mixed gender issue for the purposes of TPing wouldn't bother me. Other outings, it might. I lived in NJ growing up, and we made regular rode trips to NYC. That WOULD bother me today as a parent.

 

There would be consequences for the breaking of house rules regarding curfew and car.

 

And, yes, if my kids were out in the middle of the night, I'd want to know. I'd evaluate it in each circumstance, and perhaps even for each child differently.

 

I just don't think that TPing a house in the middle of the night, including the sneaking driving = gateway to worse behavior. (Maybe they weren't trained properly in the pew :lol::lol:)

What's the difference between sneaking out to tp together and sneaking around to hang out together?

I haven't read all of the replies, but I don't think tp'ing is harmless fun.

1. You are trespassing.

2. You are violating someone's home.

3. You are being a vandal. vandalism-: willful or malicious destruction or defacement of public or private property.

4. It is illegal. You can have charges pressed against you by the police.

 

The truth is that if I woke up in the middle of the night to kids tp'ing my home. I would call the cops and I would press charges.

I have seen some kids get by with tp'ing and they up the anty every time. They add in shaving cream, eggs, spray paint. Vulgar words on doors. I have seen condoms and beer bottles as well.

It is a contest to see who can do the most damage. I don't see it as good, clean fun. The kids that tp don't stick around to clean up and it is almost always done as payback for something a kid has done or said or just to be a bully b/c the kid whose house is tp'd isn't popular.

The kids I knew that did that ended up trashing summer houses. I know it's not a "gateway" experience for everyone, but it seems to blur the lines when parents laugh about one version of trespassing and destruction of private property while expecting their kids to avoid the other.

I would call the police. I consider it vandalism and trespassing. We have never been tped but have been egged and also had our mailbox bashed. I don't consider any of this fun. I would think that all of you who do might want to consider teaching your children differently because there are plenty of people like me who will call the police and others who will do things like come out with guns or sic their dogs on them. It isn't fun and games.

We've had mailbox issues :glare: yeah, tearing into our budget to replace our mailbox was a real hoot. We laughed and laughed and laughed (don't slip in the sarcasm). Teenage pranks are so hilarious.

I don't consider egging and mailbox bashing in the same category.

 

Dogs and guns? If you knew it was toilet paper? Really?

We wouldn't, but we don't own guns (although I have shot at a trespasser with the ds' bb gun) and our dogs are both more likely to love someone to death than attack. My parents, on the other hand, would gladly send their bigger dogs out. The problem, imo, is that unless the kids call ahead to let someone know they'll be sneaking around their property late at night to have some harmless (wasteful, messy) good fun, then the homeowner isn't going to know it's just a bunch of kids yucking it up.

 

But then, for harmless good fun, I suppose those are the just risks people have to take.

[JeneralMom]

I consider it wasteful, rude, demeaning and vandalism. I would definitely call the police. It was never done where I grew up and I always thought it was done maliciously (ie. you TP'd the house of the teacher you hated, etc.) I would call the police.

[Daisy]

Well, since the young marrieds and college set at my previous church do this to each other on a regular basis, I wouldn't think anything of it.

 

That said if they entered my backyard through the padlocked gate, I wouldn't even stop to see who it was, I'd just call the police.

 

Where I grew up, this was a harmless prank. No biggie. I would never ever want my daughter to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night, and to me that is the bigger issue, not the TPing a house.

[hornblower]

I've never thought it was funny.

Maybe because like Tap, tap, tap I live in a wet climate & that kind of mess is not easy to clean up.

 

I don't like pranks or surprises or anything like that but to top it off, I don't really think of tp'ing as a prank. I do consider it vandalism.

 

Renting pink flamingoes and putting them on your lawn is a harmless prank.

 

Hanging a Happy __th Birthday banner from your trees (assuming no damage to the landscaping) is a harmless prank.

 

Festooning someone's car with ribbons and bows & "I'm __ years old today!" signs (especially when you know they won't have time to take the things off before they drive to work) is a harmless prank.

 

Tp'ing your house is gross. Luckily I haven't seen a tp'd house around here for a long time. A neighbour did get egged several times though.... once right in the window which fortunately didn't break but the huge bang it made scared the elderly lady in the home very much. Egging & tp'ing when I hear of it in our area is usually a veiled act of aggression, a 'we don't like you' message.

[Joanne]

The kids I knew that did that ended up trashing summer houses. I know it's not a "gateway" experience for everyone, but it seems to blur the lines when parents laugh about one version of trespassing and destruction of private property while expecting their kids to avoid the other.

 

Except that there have been pages of posters who say that in their current and childhood communities, tp'ing was common, harmless and a non major issue. Clearly it's a cultural/community behavior, not an absolute issue of right or wrong. I also let my kids run up slides if no one is waiting at the top. ;)

 

I don't believe trashing property (ie summer houses) is the same as playful littering with clean tp. I also don't believe it's accurate to call it destruction.

[Daisy]

I've never thought it was funny.

Maybe because like Tap, tap, tap I live in a wet climate & that kind of mess is not easy to clean up.

 

I don't like pranks or surprises or anything like that but to top it off, I don't really think of tp'ing as a prank. I do consider it vandalism.

 

Renting pink flamingoes and putting them on your lawn is a harmless prank.

 

Hanging a Happy __th Birthday banner from your trees (assuming no damage to the landscaping) is a harmless prank.

 

Festooning someone's car with ribbons and bows & "I'm __ years old today!" signs (especially when you know they won't have time to take the things off before they drive to work) is a harmless prank.

 

Tp'ing your house is gross. Luckily I haven't seen a tp'd house around here for a long time. A neighbour did get egged several times though.... once right in the window which fortunately didn't break but the huge bang it made scared the elderly lady in the home very much. Egging & tp'ing when I hear of it in our area is usually a veiled act of aggression, a 'we don't like you' message.

 

Perhaps this is the difference? We live in a very arid climate. Less than 3 inches of rain a year. No one really thinks TP is that big of a deal to clean up, unless you were unlucky enough to have it done on your day to water the lawn. :001_smile:

[HRAAB]

We don't live in a wet climate. It's still a fairly common practice around here. Just a few weeks ago, the neighbor's yard got TP'd. Usually it's before a big game. While I see it as fun and harmless (as long as the kids clean it up), I'm sure there are things that would set me off that others see as just fun.

[Renee in NC]

Well, since the young marrieds and college set at my previous church do this to each other on a regular basis, I wouldn't think anything of it.

 

That said if they entered my backyard through the padlocked gate, I wouldn't even stop to see who it was, I'd just call the police.

 

Where I grew up, this was a harmless prank. No biggie. I would never ever want my daughter to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night, and to me that is the bigger issue, not the TPing a house.

 

If I was part of a group that did this regularly, then it wouldn't bother me.

 

It comes down to making more work for someone else - why is that funny?

[kitten18]

I wouldn't do anything. I would chuckle and reminisce a little.

If my kids were older and it was clearly meant for them, I would have them clean it up the next day.

[Daisy]

If I was part of a group that did this regularly, then it wouldn't bother me.

 

It comes down to making more work for someone else - why is that funny?

 

It isn't that much work. As I stated before, we live in an arid climate. It means walking outside, grabbing some TP, and stuffing it into the trash can. I can think of any number of things that generate a mess but are still fun for everyone involved. I imagine if any one of their friends were really put out about it, they wouldn't TP that house. Personally, I'd laugh and plot revenge. :D

[Nicole M]

My best friend's younger sister went out TPing one night, with three other 8th grade girls, and the homeowner came out and shot them. One girl was hit in the back and, at first, was not expected to live, but recovered and, miraculously, is able to walk with a cane. This was in the early 80s in Colorado.

 

I don't really know what I'd do, but I doubt I would call the police, unless I felt like there was excessive alcohol use that had been going on and I feared it would escalate past TPing to serious damage. But honestly, I would probably not even wake up.

[bbmom]

My best friend's younger sister went out TPing one night, with three other 8th grade girls, and the homeowner came out and shot them. One girl was hit in the back and, at first, was not expected to live, but recovered and, miraculously, is able to walk with a cane. This was in the early 80s in Colorado.

 

 

I hope he went to jail. You couldn't make me believe he felt threatened by those 4 13 year old girls obviously running away from him and to possibly take someone's child's LIFE over toilet paper???

As far as what I would do-I think it would depend on where I lived and why I believed it was being done as well as what time it was. Overall, in the communities I have lived in, it was done for sports teams, school clubs, etc. so in those cases I wouldn't do anything. If it was being done maliciously or to bully our family or my kids, I would call the police.

[Nicole M]

I hope he went to jail.

 

He did not. Staggering.

[Nestof3]

:iagree: completely.

[RanchGirl]

I wouldn't do anything. I would chuckle and reminisce a little. If my kids were older and it was clearly meant for them, I would have them clean it up the next day.

 

ditto. Around here, and also in the state I grew up in, it is done to other teenagers' houses and it is kind of a compliment. You don't TP people you hate. And never eggs or mailbox bashing -- that's a totally different category. So if it gets done to our house, I will take pictures and then send the boys out to clean up the mess. (First thing in the morning because waiting makes it harder to clean up!)

[Tree House Academy]

Well, for all those who like to have their houses Tp'd, I say the rest of us get together and come over with our toilet paper. Hey...a road trip!

[Denisemomof4]

Well, for all those who like to have their houses Tp'd, I say the rest of us get together and come over with our toilet paper. Hey...a road trip!

 

Ooooooo, Ooooooo!!! Come on over! We can have a party!!! I have HUNDREDS of trees we can tp on my land! PLENTY of trees here!!!

:D

[ondreeuh]

Honestly, I'd be really ticked. Whoever did it would have to be people that DD knows at school, and any action I took would have repercussions there. Very awkward.

 

I never TP'd a house when I was a teen. I see some people think of it as a normal prank that someone does to a friend. It seems more like a rude gesture to me, and then a huge hassle to clean up. What do you do, spray the tree with a hose and try to make the stuff fall?

 

If they were her friends, I would probably suck it up and do nothing but mention to the friends' parents that they may want to let their darlings know what a pain it is to clean up a TP mess. If they were not her friends, I would probably do nothing so as not to make the situation worse (though I would want to get revenge).

[Lovedtodeath]

In that thread, the kids were at the wrong house. Honestly, if people were in my yard making noise, I would either run and hide or call the police. I think TPing isn't that big of a deal, but in the middle of the night I would be freaked out wondering if they were trying to lure me out of the house so that they could attack me.

[rafgaf4]

This is one of those things that has been passed down through the years. I would laugh it off. In some areas, you are TP'd if you are well liked. So you may have a right to be offended if you don't get TP'd. Ha!

[TravelingChris]

Joanne, I wouldn't bring out dogs or guns but like a pp said, it does happen. I think trespassing is a very risky activity, particularly at night. There are states, and I think you live in one of them, where castle rules apply. DO I think it is okay to shoot someone for Tping? Of course not but I know that there are some out there who do.

 

I also agree with another poster who said that hanging a banner, sticking in flamingoes, and other such decorations are more in line with harmless fun. I don't see where tping is such a thing. If it happened to be dry, unless they only tped our smallest tree, it would be very hard to get down. If it was wet, it would be a real mess. No thanks and I haven;t seen any houses tped either here or in the last area I lived (rather hard to tp Palm trees anyway).

[Dobela]

I would call the police. I consider it vandalism and trespassing. We have never been tped but have been egged and also had our mailbox bashed. I don't consider any of this fun. I would think that all of you who do might want to consider teaching your children differently because there are plenty of people like me who will call the police and others who will do things like come out with guns or sic their dogs on them. It isn't fun and games.

Bashing a mailbox is a federal crime. Here it is taken very seriously by the postal inspectors and they work very hard to find the culprit and prosecute. The family that had the mailbox destroyed doesn't have to do anything except leave the box by the street so the carrier can see it was destroyed visciously.

 

To me that is way different than TP. Here TP is no big deal. It is usually done as a prank on a friend and meant to be funny. My next door neighbor was hit last week and we all laughed. We were glad that the kids weren't in a gang bang or using drugs or shooting at our homes or any number of activities that also happen in our neighborhood.

 

The moving signs to 'sign a yard' though I do find more annoying. Realtors and other people lose lots of money each time signs are stolen from homes for sale and placed in a huge group in someone's yard. Many homeowners tend to just throw throw the signs away instead of calling the companies (or politicians) on the signs to pick them up.

[lionfamily1999]

Bashing a mailbox is a federal crime. Here it is taken very seriously by the postal inspectors and they work very hard to find the culprit and prosecute. The family that had the mailbox destroyed doesn't have to do anything except leave the box by the street so the carrier can see it was destroyed visciously.

 

To me that is way different than TP. Here TP is no big deal. It is usually done as a prank on a friend and meant to be funny. My next door neighbor was hit last week and we all laughed. We were glad that the kids weren't in a gang bang or using drugs or shooting at our homes or any number of activities that also happen in our neighborhood.

 

The moving signs to 'sign a yard' though I do find more annoying. Realtors and other people lose lots of money each time signs are stolen from homes for sale and placed in a huge group in someone's yard. Many homeowners tend to just throw throw the signs away instead of calling the companies (or politicians) on the signs to pick them up.

Isn't that interesting... I consider signing to be minor, very minor, but the amount of time required to remove most of the tp (ime, you never can get it all) makes it worse.

 

I still can't see how sneaking out together at night to defile someone's property can be seen as funny. :shrug:

[seemesew]

I'm a child of the 90's our house was TPd alllll the time 😁 with 5 teens in the house at once we got hit often. With that said I'd feel loved from them thinking of us, unless some really awful things were done to harm something. If it's just tp, and no harm done, what a fun thing to wake up too! A beautiful world of white 😆

I didn't read the other thread so I don't know what the talk is about over there.

[Lori D.]

TOILET PAPER ZOMBIE resurrected 14 years later by a first time poster... 
🧻🧟‍♂️