My son has stolen, how to prevent the situation from getting worse
The process of raising a child is not exactly easy. Ensuring the formation of a good citizen is the mission of every parent, however, no matter how much effort is put into it, the appearance of certain problems. Sometimes there are certain setbacks in the behavior of children that must be treated at the root to make the situation worse.
A situation of this style is to discover that a child has Stolen. Something that especially surprises the parents of young people who maintain a normal life taking good grades and showing good behavior, except for this setback. Since Kids Health it is pointed out that this fact can be related to a problem in the development of the personality.
Why steal?
There is no fixed age at which these begin to appear behaviors, from preschoolers to teenagers. These are some causes that make children act like this in each of the stages:
- Very young children sometimes take the things they want, although they do not understand the value of money and that it is wrong to take something without paying for it. It is a lack of knowledge of the sense of ownership and transactions
- In the school stage they already know that taking something without paying it is forbidden and it is a bad action. When they do, they respond to a lack of self-control that begins to manifest an unwise behavior that deserves paternal attention.
- Pre-adolescents and teenagers can steal by the emotion of the action or by imitation of their friends, that is, by social approval. In other cases, theft often manifests as a way of rebelling against parental control.
You can also find other reasons as a claim for attention from your familiar surroundings. It may even be due to a manifestation of stress or to calm an anger in a situation that they have not known how to control emotionally. In other more extreme situations, especially in the case of adolescents, theft can mean the acquisition of objects such as alcohol and tobacco that they would not otherwise be able to obtain.
How to act upon your discovery
If a child has been discovered stealing, the reaction of parents It will depend on whether it is the first time or there is a history of these situations. With younger children, parents should help them understand that they have done wrong, that someone is sad about what they have just done. A good technique is to make them understand how they would feel if someone took their belongings without permission.
At the same time, we must make the child apologize for this action and solve it as soon as possible by paying for the value of the stolen object as soon as possible. If the situation is repeated, a punishment so that he understands that this behavior has negative consequences. In older children cutting pay as a fine can be a good idea, while repairing the economic affront.
In the case of adolescents stealing, the punishments that parents impose must translate into stricter consequences. For example, when a teenager is caught committing this crime, the parent must take their child back to the store and have the child apologize for what happened. The shame To deal with what he or she did by having to return a stolen item makes a strong lesson about why stealing is bad.
Thefts at home
If the child steals money from a father, punishments must be imposed on them at the earliest ages to return 'fix your behavior', how to do extra tasks in the house. Of course, you should not be allowed to keep the stolen amount because this way you will be given to understand that with a little effort, you can get away with it whenever you want.
In the case of adolescents, other behaviors will have to be questioned, such as if they are late at home or show symptoms of drunkenness. The theft of money at these ages can be related to the consumption of alcohol or tobacco. It is recommended to have a long talk with the young people indicating that we are aware of their attitudes and we want you to be sincere to help them.
Damián Montero
