Tag Archives: stealing

When Your Child’s Friend Steals

One of your child’s favorite toys has turned up missing, or that $5 bill you had sitting by the telephone is gone. Suspecting our own child of stealing is one reality many of us have had to face at one time or another, but what if the prime suspect is one of our children’s friends? How do we handle the situation if it turns out that the child’s friend is stealing? If you happen to catch the little guest pocketing something while he or she is in your home, you can try the direct approach and simply ask for the … Continue reading →

How Old Before They Understand Stealing?

As parents, we can get quite alarmed with what we think is immoral behavior in our children—lying and stealing are two behaviors that can be big triggers for a great many parents. What seems incredibly obvious and “wrong” to us, however, may be a concept that our child has either not grasped developmentally yet, or that takes a while for the lessons to truly sink in. While we begin correcting and trying to teach our children right from wrong from a very early age, and we certainly want to try to correct them when they lie and/or take something that … Continue reading →

Borrowing Vs. Stealing

“I didn’t think anyone was using it!” or “I didn’t take it, I just borrowed it for a while”: Eventually we parents all have to wrestle with the borrowing vs. stealing issue with our children. Some, catch right on, while there are others who have a hard time figuring out the difference between borrowing and stealing or understanding the value and belief system behind what is okay, and what is not… Ideas like sharing, borrowing, taking, and possessions can be really tough ones for a child to grasp. Part of it, I think is due to developmental capabilities and stages, … Continue reading →

The Frog Eraser Incident

Sometimes parenting is like standing in a dark room, feeling around for the light switch. This week I received a phone call from my stepdaughter *Cassidy’s teacher. An incident had occurred at school involving two little frog erasers. The teacher said that another girl in Cassidy’s fifth grade class found her beloved erasers missing, along with a sinister note, “HA HA I TOOK YOUR FROGS.” The frogs were later found in Cassidy’s desk. When questioned by several teachers, Cassidy couldn’t deny that she’d taken the frogs (having been caught “red-desked”) but insisted she had NOT written the note. The teacher … Continue reading →