Alright I gotta vent I am losing my head over...
The child has learnt a new way to play where they smash TV remotes on to the ground, it comes apart and then they proceed to chew on delicious AA batteries. The child's grandfather who takes care of the child for a significant period of time and who has put little to no effort in childproofing the environment, has ordained that this is fine.
The child's parent has tried asking the grandfather to not let the child do this. Until last week I hadn't imagine that one would ever have to labour to explain why a child should not chew on batteries. But seems like they are unable to have a rational conversation due to being emotionally stunted which I guess runs in the family.
Really looking forward to the day when I don't have to deal with my family (except the child) anymore.
I'd say ask your father to chew on a battery or put the whole battery in his mouth to see if he thinks it's fine for him
My brother almost died from swallowing a battery when he has a toddler. He was extremely lucky it didn't open in his stomach, otherwise he'd be dead now. Some doctors have even postulated that some of the (extreme) behavioural difficulties he has had all his life stem from the lithium that may have been absorbed at such a young age.
I am very sorry to hear that buddy. That sounds terrifying for everyone involved.
Thanks mate. I didn't mean to make this about my story, but rather mention what the consequences of your grandfather's actions could be though.
I hope he comes to his senses or something.
In Soviet countries there was a tradition to keep the remotes in their original packaging or a fitting plastic bag. They work almost the same, and this prevented the remote from getting nasty over time, or breaking apart all over the place when dropped.
Omigod my (East Asian) parents do this as well. This makes so much sense now
Child is an honorary eel, and is attempting to repatriate the batteries to their rightful home: the sea.
You should call the police or something like that at this point. At this rate it's only a matter of time before something incredibly dangerous happens to the kid. I understand that you might want to avoid conflict or go easy on your father, but this may very well be a matter of life or death. I don't know about the Law in your country, but in most you father could be severely punished for that kind of neglect. Try looking for someone else to babysit the kid at least.
I completely understand where you are coming for but this is in a third world country and the police are absolutely useless for something like this.
Who babysits the kid is upon the parents to decide. (I am not the parent). I have tried talking to them but they don't seem to have any other options. I am just sort of a passenger in this whole scenario. They don't care what I think or say which chips away at my psyche so I have learnt to not let my feelings known to them. They just call upon me when there is no one else to look after the kid and I oblige at times.
That's really fucked up. Idk what to do. Dare them to eat a battery I suppose.
Edit : Maybe try to record the parents or grandparent. Worst case scenario, they won't be able to blame it on anyone but themselves and you'll have legal proof.
Malicious compliance: secretly crazy-glue the remote battery door. Repeat until problem solved.
Edit: less malicious. Google 'Control-It' and 'thumb sucking.' It's bitter tasting. Dab it on the batteries, but don't get it on the end terminals.
Your second suggestion seems dangerous but the first one has potential. I will put masking tape on the casing. It's easy to remove and will probably stop the child from taking the batteries out.
Less secretly...
if you can find a fairly small screw and a really thin dril bit, you can try to use that to keep the remote closed in a way that the battery place can be accessible in the future.
Make him watch this video https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yGDkiUAwxRs
From the first frame he will notice that the video is not of a BJP bootlicker propagandist and proceed to not watch it.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
When I was 14, I developed a habit of doing that. Thankfully, my parents caught me before I could do any damage.
