What causes a child to steal and how to stop them

What causes a child to steal

How to handle kids if they steal something?

“Steal is a little and they will put you in jail, it’s a crime that demands punishment”

Yes, stealing is a crime and the thief is needed to be punished. But here we need to understand that what if your child will start stealing stuff. How will you reach? Will you punish him? scold him? What will you do?

So, here we will look into this matter that what should be done when your child starts stealing from you, from school, from neighbors, from friends, from relatives or from the shop.

What causes a child to steal
What causes a child to steal

Now, the most needed question is why they steal? What is the need for that 5 or 8-year-old child to steal from anyone anything? Is this a need or they just pick things without knowing it’s a crime? As adults, it is our responsibility to show them the right path.

We need to tell them that picking things without telling them is a crime that they need to stop and we need to tell this the very first day itself.

As we all know that at an early age, we all are impulsive, if we want anything we just take it, and kids do it too, which is referred to as the development stage. It doesn’t mean that your child is evil or devastated. It’s about his age. But it’s our responsibility to take care of it. You need to tell them the difference between right and wrong. Of course, stealing is not acceptable, it is embarrassing, shocking, bad, etc. but before we understand how to stop them lets understand why do they steal and I can think of the following reasons:

 They are impulsive as I have mentioned above, they want something, they get it without giving a second thought about the consequences.

 Some of them want to look cool in Infront of their friends, want to impress others so they start lying and stealing, maybe it’s money from their parent’s wallet or from anyone else, may a packet of chips or a teacher’s ruler.

 They start stealing stuff out of jealousy. For example, if someone is having a set of pencils, which attracted them so they want the same and they got out of control and steal it from them. Or say they want to eat anyone’s lunch they took it out and eat it, this too belongs to stealing.

 And when I talk about grown-up kids, their needs might be to impress their date, so they want money, which they steal from their parents, or when I talk about girls, they might steal someone’s lipstick or jewelry, etc.

 As we all are aware of the fact that kids grow fast, so when they need something illegal like a cigarette or beer. They steal it.

 Some likes to put their life at risks and stealing is one a risky task, so they put their life in risk by stealing. This gives them a thrill.

 Might be a case that they have seen someone stealing at home or at school and they find that it is an easy and quick way to have something.

So, these were some points about why they start stealing BUT what can we do to stop them? Well! We have a solution for that too but we need to understand that if we will ignore it once, it will be their habit of doing it again and again. So here are some points which should be done to stop them:

 You need to scold them immediately when you see them stealing anything, you need to warn them that this kind of behavior is not acceptable, and you also need to tell them that this is wrong.

 Try to talk to your kid, why are they doing it, what is the need for stealing, are they doing it on a regular basis? There is no need to freak out, if you want to materialize the conversation and need some information from your kid then you need to be patient and need to gain the trust of your child. Then he or she will tell you and you will have a conversation, where you can tell her what to do and what not.

 Daily at night tell them the stories which teach them values and ethics which one should follow, and how they can live their life with high moral values. Be their friend at the time of need and just remind them of these things on a regular basis. I post such stories on my youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYGdbB_F0qii4Zo_rn-rCyg/videos?view_as=subscriber

 If you have found your child stealing constantly then you need to tell them that you don’t trust them anymore and they need to earn it again. This may make them realize that they are on a wrong track and it will help you get your child back.

 If you think, that you can’t handle it anymore then there is nothing wrong to seek professional advice from your elders, or someone more experienced than you.

 If you are his or her elder sister, then instead of scaring them by telling parents or getting your work done by them, you should have talked to them and help them solve their problem of stealing stuff.

 If you are a teacher then instead of telling this to every staff member you should talk to the child in private, and should not humiliate them Infront of class, when you get to know about their habit you should consult with their parents, without letting them know and should control the situation gently. To understand this you can watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-VT8yzwwn8

 See finally it comes down to Shaam, daam dand and bhed. First try to make them understand if that is not working out then tell them that good kids don’t do such things and your kid is a good kid, if that is also not helping then punish them by scolding, and even after that things are not in control then take professional help.

So, this is how we can handle our children from stealing and this needs to stop if you see the world as a better place, then you should start with your home. Always keep in mind,” A thief is a thief if he steals a diamond or a cucumber”

To develop a good attitude in yourself you can read one famous book by John Maxwell “winning with people” you can buy that book at Winning with people

Another blog which you can read: https://sudarshanpurohit.com/overcoming-fear-of-failure/

I have a YouTube Channel also and you can subscribe to it through: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYGdbB_F0qii4Zo_rn-rCyg/videos?view_as=subscriber

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What causes a child to steal

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