Posted on July 9, 2007 in Uncategorized
You must have played cops and robbers in childhood? It is so much of fun pretending to be a cop and chasing and capturing a robber in a play. These things are all right as they are juts games; but what about children who get into stealing at a very young age? When an individual takes something which does not belong to them, it is stealing. The object which is stolen can be as small as a piece of candy or as big as a car. It does not matter, as both are stealing.
People can also steal words and ideas. For example, if someone takes your book report and tells that he wrote it to the teacher, that is another form of stealing. Wouldn’t you be upset if that happened to you?
Why Do Children Steal?
The most crucial question is why do children steal? Some kids aged 4 and younger may not understand that they should not take things that do not belong to them. When the child reaches 5 or 6, they can differentiate right deeds from wrong. Most school kids know that they are not supposed to take something from someone without their permission or without paying for it.
However, some kids lack self-control. When they see something new and fascinating, they get attracted and succumb to stealing. They do not stop to think what would be the consequences of stealing. They might not even think of buying or borrowing it. Some children develop self control as they grow older and stop stealing. Some children need extra help learning self-control.
Some children steal because they see their friends do it. Some do it to show that they are brave enough to do it. Stealing can arise out of peer pressure. However, children do not have to give in to peer pressure. Some children steal because they feel that there is something that is missing in their lives. Maybe the are deprived of love or attention in life. These could also be simple things like food and clothing. Some children might have personal problems which can cause them to steal. Some children feel jealous that other possesses what he or she does not possess. Some children might also steal because they may feel unloved and neglected. Some children might be upset that their parents are arguing or getting divorced and this might lead their child to get into stealing. A child might steal to make up for something that is missing in his or her life in this case. However, they do not realize that stealing will not solve their problem. Some children also steal because they think they can get away with it.
» Filed Under Uncategorized
August 6th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
why children lie/steal - I have a 12 year old son whose behaviour has become intollerable lately. I am going through a lengthy divorce. (20months). lately he has been lying and stealing. His schoolwork has dropped from a 98% to 72% and has no interest in studying. He is on Ritalin and his Psychologist has given up on him. What can I do?
August 7th, 2007 at 10:42 am
Dear Mr McAllister,
You are facing a very crucial time with regard to your child. Though I am not a professional doctor to prescribe medication, I can suggest ways that you can adopt to solve the issue.
From what you have described, your child may be going through ‘Conduct Disorder’ under ADHD. In addition to a medical approach, your child needs a holistic approach so that the medicine could work on him. If the supporting holistic approach succeeds then there might be no need for a medical approach. Also healthy environment and creating a positive self of yours before your child are important.
Primarily, it is very important that you, as a parent, should be trained to deal with your child who is suffering from this disorder. As you are undergoing a stressful time in your marriage, you might find yourself losing self-control before your child, which is worse for your child.
Therapists usually employ a variety of techniques including didactic instruction, modeling, behavioral rehearsal, shaping (selective use of reinforcement), and homework exercises to instruct the parent(s).
Secondly, group based training programs and school based interventions can be arranged to help your child.
Also as a wise measure - go for a second opinion from another psychologist.
If all these ways have been tried by your child’s psychologist, I would still suggest you to go for a second opinion.
Good luck Mr McAllister