Toddler Makes Hall of 'Shame' After Shredding 1,000 in Cash from Parents' Savings
Remember the time your kid did something mischevious, like cut a sibling’s hair with scissors or maybe drew all over the new couch with a permanent marker?
Every parent seems to have a story about a moment their child caused a bit of mischief around the house. But this family from Utah has lost $1,000 dollars on account of their 2-year-old son who probably just thought he was helping.
Ben and Jackee Belnap, from Holladay, Utah, are devoted Utah Utes fans.
They had saved up $1,000 to pay for their season tickets and withdrew the money to pay a family member for their share of the cost.
So me and my wife had been saving up to pay for our @Utah_Football tickets in cash. We pulled our money out yesterday to pay my mom for the season… Well we couldn’t find the envelope until my wife checked the shredder. Yup. 2 year old shredded $1,060. pic.twitter.com/93R9BWAVDE
— BB (@Benbelnap) October 2, 2018
But when the time came to deliver the money, Ben and Jackee couldn’t find the envelope anywhere.
After a frantic search, Ben heard the disheartened voice of his wife announcing that she had found the money — in the family’s paper shredder.
Their son, Leo, would sometimes help his mom shred bills and was familiar with how to use the machine. Usually, Leo’s parents remembered to turn the paper shredder off, but unfortunately, not this time.
Ben and Jackee have tried to make the best of it, despite their initial shock and sorrow.
“Honestly in my heart, I said someday this is going to be really funny,” Ben told KRON-TV.
Jackee felt the painful loss sink into her heart, but she was ultimately able to let it go.
“As devastated and as sick as we were, this was one of those moments where you just have to laugh,” Jackee said.
Leo’s story will certainly go down in Belnap family history.
“Most people they say oh, a kid drew crayon on the wall or something. I’ve never heard of a kid shredding a grand,” Ben said.
While losing that much money is certainly frustrating, Leo’s parents don’t blame their son.
“We have a lot of Leo moments,” Jackee said. “Most of them are just funny, and we laugh about them for days and make big jokes, but this was one of those moments that wasn’t his greatest, but we love him.”
According to KRON-TV, the Belnap’s have been in contact with the U.S. Department of Treasury and learned they may be able to recoup some if not all of the money, though the process could take as long as two years.
In the meantime, the paper shredder is now off-limits to their toddler son.
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