Your child is just the perfect gift from God, he gets good marks in school, helps around the house, is great with his friends and is adored by his siblings. But recently he was caught at school stealing, and the earth fell away from your feet. Your child caught stealing? Can it really be true?

Sometimes, children and teenagers are tempted to resort to stealing, and this could be due to a variety of reasons:

• Infants or young children do not usually understand the concept of ‘mine’ or ‘yours’. They also do not understand that things could cost money and that it is wrong to take things that belong to others. They are still too young to understand the concept of stealing.
   
• Children slightly bigger, or school-going children lack what comes at a mature age- and that is self-control. They steal just for the fun of it, without realizing the consequences.
   
• Pre-teens and teenagers are aware of the fact that they should not steal, but yet they do. This could be because of peer pressure, or they might want to impress their friends. Many teens steal to draw attention or as a means of rebellion.
   

Whether the child steals because he is just stressed out, or is angry and wants attention, as parents, you should try to get to the root of the problem. Maybe there are other underlying problems, like drug abuse, and stealing is the only way out for your child. 

WHAT YOU AS A PARENT SHOULD DO

When your child has been caught in the act of stealing, first determine whether it was the first time or whether he has been repeatedly stealing. 

• When it is a very young child, he needs to be explained to in a gentle way that stealing is wrong, and that it is not right to take things that belong to others without asking them first. If he has stolen something, for instance from the mall, he should be led back gently and asked to keep the item back in its place. 

• With older children too, it is important that they return what they have taken. Sit down with them and explain in detail as to why what they did was wrong.

• With pre-teens and teens, it is important to deal with the matter in a stricter fashion. But do not punish the teenager physically or through abuse, as this may enrage him even more and could result into worse behavior in the future. 

Crimes like shoplifting are serious in nature, and your child should be made aware of the consequences. They should know that such offenses can lead to jail and the careful reputation of the family could go haywire.