We've got a jar in the hallway that we dump our coppers into through the year with a view to cashing it in at some point if it gets full. However, recently I had a bit of a clear out and sold a few things on Facebook (as we're a bit short of cash at the moment) and I put the money into the jar and everyone knew if was so we could save up and put it towards some Christmas treats. There was a note in there and three pound coins.
I looked in the pot the other day and noticed the three pound coins weren't there. I emptied it out, racked my brains as to whether I'd taken them out and forgotten but they were definitely gone. DH said he'd not taken them so I asked DS1 (who is 9) this afternoon if he'd taken any coins. He denied it, so when DS2 (7) came home I asked him if he knew anything about it. He said he didn't (and he looked like he was telling the truth) and said he thought it might be DS1.
When I went to tuck DS1 in tonight I asked him once again if he knew anything and he cracked. He said he took the money to spend at the tuck shop. However it then transpired that that wasn't true either, as the money was in his moneybox.
I know it's not a lot of money, but it's the principle and it's really upset me - he knew that it was money for the whole family, and that we've been working to put the odd bit of money in when we could. And not just that, the fact that he then lied to me about it twice. He went very sheepish and couldn't (or wouldn't) explain himself. I let him see that I was very, very disappointed in him and that it means that I can't trust him when he says he's telling the truth, but I'm not sure how to handle this in terms of consequences. Obviously I've taken the money back, but I'm thinking that there needs to be some sort of punishment, but what's appropriate for this?
It just worries me as he knew it was a bad thing to do but he did it anyway - I think at 9 you know right from wrong. Or am I making too much of it and was I naive for thinking I could leave money out? (I really don't want to think that that is the case.)
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Behaviour/development
DS stole out of the Christmas jar
13 replies
ElizaPickford · 27/11/2015 20:31
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