Find out why kids are stealing and discover how to stop stealing.
Why do kids steal –and how to deal with it
The first point: children steal. Young children often steal things – because of poor impulse control. It's a stage of development; they want it, and if the parents aren't satisfied, they steal it. Older children also often steal things. Your child may not be a bad person or doomed to spend his life in prison.
Second point: This is of course unacceptable. It was embarrassing, shocking and angry.
In this section, we will discuss small-scale, occasional small-scale theft.
There are many reasons why kids steal.
• Poor impulse control, as I mentioned above.
• To be cool and make a good impression on your friends.
• When someone else has a unique thing she wants or needs.
• To get revenge on someone (stealing something from the person who bullied her).
• When she wants or needs something, she doesn't have enough money and you don't support her buying.
• When she doesn't dare ask you for money for this particular item (panties, bra), or feels too embarrassed to buy it.
• Because it's fun; kids love to take risks, and in a society that is careful to protect children as much as possible, stealing offers a risky, stimulating activity.
• When stress is high. What else is going on in your child's life?
When your child is caught stealing, try to emotionally separate yourself from the action. The fact that your child is stealing does not reflect your parenting skills. Comforted, most children who steal only do it occasionally, as an opportunity to commit crimes. And most people do it poorly (that's why they get caught).
If your child needs to pay back the loss and she doesn't have the money, you can pay for the loss and get her to work hard to pay off the debt. Be fair now! Consider aligning the consequences with the misconduct rather than with the actual monetary amount of damage. The main idea was to teach her not to do it again. You can take some as a financial loss and look to the future.
If your child is caught stealing something (or you catch her yourself), you can do it.
• Use a disapproving attitude. Immediately make it clear that you do not tolerate this behavior: "No, this is not allowed!" ”
• Talk to your child. Try to determine why she stole something, what her motivation was, whether it was a regular occurrence, and whether she had done it before. Don't torture her. Don't blame, embarrass, scare, or laugh at your child unless you want to end the conversation and simply don't get any information.
• Talk about values and ethics. This part should be short, not preachy, just a reminder.
• Ask your child to make compensation and help her if you need it. This means that she needs to return the goods, or repay the loss.
Tell your child that you are watching her behavior, that she has lost some trust, and that she needs to regain it.
• Assessment of the situation. Be honest with yourself. If your child steals regularly, or if the act of stealing is combined with other bad behaviors, then please seek help from a professional body.