I suppose that we can forgive them for as the adage goes “They know not what they do”. Taking the metaphor further, curiosity killed the cat could have applied in this case. Fortunately misfortune did not befall any of these curious individuals. Of course none of the culprits possessed common sense and part of the process of growing up is to make mistakes which one must do unless they result in serious injury or death.
A personal misdemeanour that I was reminded of later in life, but which I do not actually recall as I was too young, was when my father was constructing a canoe. I attempted to use the thin wooden strips as a walking beam which snapped under my weight.
Main picture: What sanction does one impose in this instance? No pocket money for the next 50 years?
Three things (actually four), I discovered as a child –
1) Thatch burns (I burnt down the garden shed whilst throwing matches in the air because they looked like a rocket when struck and thrown);
2) Beer cans create major chips when thrown against a plastered wall (we only had beer cans for a limited time in Rhodesia, but I got hold of my father’s empties);
3) A 3 foot ruler placed between two chairs was insufficient to support the weight of a +/-10 year old.
4) And the fourth – my father firmly believed in “spare the rod, spoil the child”, the remaining larger portion of a 3 foot ruler making a very effective “rod”!