Stealing is a process of taking or having things that belong to someone else without their consent....CONTINUE READING
Stealing is virtually a common activity among children, however, it should be properly addressed by parents and at the appropriate age too. At age 5 – 6 for example, most children are already able to identify between what is right or wrong.
It is easier to correct stealing when a child is young than when he is old or has started becoming a problem to society.
Why do children steal?
One of the major reasons why most children steal is because they do not understand that stealing is bad. They believe it’s a normal thing to do.
Here, below are some of the other reasons why a child may steal:
(i) They feel that they can take whatever they like and do not see it as being wrong.
(ii) Many of the children do not understand that taking what does not belong to you is stealing.
(iii) When parents do not punish their children after being caught in the act of stealing.
(iv) Some children steal because they see their parents taking things that do not belong to them without returning them.
(v) Some children engage in stealing because they see their peers doing the same, and since they want to belong and be accepted, they do not reject the idea of stealing.
(vi) Some children steal as a result of some personal underlying problems or hunger.
How to help your child stop stealing
For whichever reasons a child steals, you can help him or her stop the act by taking the steps below.
Confront the act quickly
The longer stealing is allowed to continue uncorrected, the more difficult it becomes to correct it later in life, so parents must ensure they confront the act of stealing as soon as they discover it in their child.
Give good explanation
Like I said earlier, most children do not understand that they steal when they do so, and as a result may not even see it as something bad. You have to explain well enough to a child that taking what doesn’t belong to him, be it at home or anywhere and without the permission of the owner is stealing. Teach a child what a sense of belonging is all about. You should also let him understand why stealing is bad.
Apply consequences
Photo Credit: The Guardian
As a parent, you should let a child know the consequences that would be given to him for stealing, and you must apply the consequences whenever he defaults.
However, parents must note that barbaric punishments such as public disgrace, piercing a child’s body with sharp objects or beating a child in anger should be avoided.
Restitution
Restitution is another way of helping a child to correct stealing. If for example, a child has stolen sweets or biscuits from a shop or a store, tell him to return the stolen object to where he took it from.
However, if it can’t be returned, maybe because it has been damaged or partly eaten, loan him the equivalent of the price to pay for what he took. Afterwards, your child must pay you what you loaned him through his pocket money.
You can also make him take responsibility for his action by allowing him to go ask for forgiveness from the people he had stolen.
Have time to monitor your child
A child will always be a child, and a child who is left to himself unguided tends to misbehave.
Understand him and ask him questions
Some children have made stealing a perpetual habit irrespective of the provisions from their parents or care being given to them at home. As a result, it is important to ask them questions to know why they get involved in the act, and afterwards help them to correct it, but make sure you do it with love.
Show good example
The best way to teach a child to understand is by showing him an example. It is also by far the fastest approach to help him understand and carry out the given instructions.
Thanks for reading; Like share and comment your opinions in the comments section below.
