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17 year old stealing sister's clothes...how to stop?!!

47 replies

febel · 14/12/2014 08:58

Hi, have had a lot of problems and run ins with my DD 17yr old and one of the most prevalent ones is lying and sneakiness...about anything, particularly is she is in the wrong.

She is really annoying her 22 year old sister at the moment she has a habit of taking EDs clothes, they keep appearing on her or in her room. Just the odd item but nevertheless, they aren't her clothes, they are her sisters, bought by her sister. The 22 year old has a lock on her door which she religiously uses when she is not in the house (I and she have keys..we put a lock on as her stuff kept disapearing into her younger sister's room and it got ridiculous...particuarly as YD denies it, and blames anyone but her and it leads to another row) However, 17yr old must be nipping into her room when sister is downstairs etc as 22 year old does all her own washing so it isn't me who is mixing up clothes (as 17 year old tried to tell me) but her who is taking them. The latest is a red tartan dress, which a few weeks ago 17 yr old told me she had bought/her boyfriend had bought her in town. This morning 22 year old has seen a photo on facebook with sister in dress and says she can't find HER dress and the one on the photo is HERS!

I don't know what to do, beyond quietly putting it back, as 17 year old will deny it strenously, there will be ANOTHER mother of all rows, she will storm off, the dog won't eat for days because he doesn't like all the shouting....you get the picture...she is very volatile.
How can I stop her taking things...she has plenty of clothes of her own and enough money to buy them. Her sister has said before if the 17 yr old would ASK she would prob lend them but beyond having a camera in her room I am at a loss as what to do........

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febel · 14/12/2014 09:01

Would just add, I tried to fine her at one time for taking stuff but she just saind "Fine" and paid, or denied taking the stuff. Consequences don't seem to work, we can't ground her as she "escapes", and there is always a HUGE row, and I don't know what to do. She is nothing like my other two (eldest has left home now with job) and causes us a lot of concern and trouble...

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3littlefrogs · 14/12/2014 09:04

I would be doing the following;

Encourage the older one to always use the lock, even when in the house.
Laundry is a problem - can you look for ways to address that?

Apply sanctions to your 17 yr old - every time she takes something, take away something of hers? I am thinking about phone/credit etc.

I wonder why she feels the need to steal? Is she jealous of the older sister?
Is is about money/attention/is the older one the favoured child?

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Mumraathenoisylion · 14/12/2014 09:11

Hmmm. I used to nick my sister's clothes and wear them on nights out sometimes. It was more because I thought she always looked so sophisticated and I wanted to be more like her. Putting a lock on the door and scolding her is probably making it much worse, particularly if it's her self esteem. Even if she seems confident (I certainly did) she might not be. I think you're ostracising her and negative consequences don't help build positive thoughts, if she was a toddler you would praise her for doing good, I don't think much changes particularly in those hormonal teenage years.

Could you not talk to her and suggest her older sister takes her shopping? Then she could get her opinion on clothes, I would have loved that at the same age.

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insancerre · 14/12/2014 09:15

Dd 18 does this to me
I am not putting a lock on my door. Its my house and I shouldn't have too
I have had to hide things in the past so she can't find them
Ive just discovered she is wearing my underwear as she is too lazy to do her washing
Its bloody annoying

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Delphine31 · 14/12/2014 09:18

This situation sounds impossible to solve but I'm sure others will have useful suggestions.

The only thing I can think to suggest is that everyone sits down to discuss this calmly, not when there's just been an incident and your younger DD will be on the defense and you and elder DD will be pissed off. Progress won't be made via an argument. Choose a day/time where this can be discussed without reference to one specific incident so that it can be done less as an accusation but more as an ongoing problem that all the family need to come up with a solution for and try to use the opportunity to get to the bottom of younger DD's thought process.

Could younger DD have confidence issues with appearance? Maybe it's safer to nick her sister's clothes so that it's not her judgement in question if she wears something daft? Has elder DD ever made negative comments about the way younger DD dresses?

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Rascalls3 · 14/12/2014 10:42

Insancerre, I am incredibly jealous that you are the same size as your 18 year old Smile

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insancerre · 14/12/2014 10:51

Rascalls that's the problem. If I was bigger she wouldn't be able to wear my knickers Grin
I didn't wear my mums clothes because she was about 3 times my size. And she had bigger feet

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BrowersBlues · 14/12/2014 13:07

My DD steals my clothes, takes them to various friends houses and I never see them again. I am a single parent on a tight budget and apart from the annoyance I can't afford to replace them.

I didn't want to put a lock on my bedroom door because I don't want my home to look like Fort Knox so I put a lock on my cupboard. It's a build in cupboard but a lock on a wardrobe would do the same job. This way I can leave my bedroom door open but know my stuff is safe.

This has reduced the arguments between us about this issue and made me a bit more calm because I know I can find my things. My DD does her own washing and I don't get involved. If I am drying my clothes I keep an eye on my stuff so I know if clothes go missing. Mental I know but ...

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bloodyteenagers · 14/12/2014 13:23

Oh god that you for this thread. I thought I was the only one whose daughter nicked her clothes. I also see I am not the only lazy underwear stealing one either.
Such a relieve.
Santions don't work.
You name it I have tried it. Just makes her more determined.

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febel · 14/12/2014 15:04

Such a relief to hear we aren't the only family to have this! Thank you all...as regards self esteem....well she has plenty of clothes and she only needs to ASK her sister or me and we will lend our stuff 99 per cent of the time...but its' the fact she doesn't ask...just takes...which applies to everything in the house!!
Still not sure what to do...have tried talking but it doesn't work. Re the lock...well we put it on cos we didn't see why her sister had to have her things taken etc constantly...things she had bought with her hard earned money..and which she would have leant if asked...

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DarceyBustle · 17/12/2014 04:18

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madwomanbackintheattic · 17/12/2014 04:36

'Your older daughter has some fucking nerve to be chippy about it'

Um. A 22 yo buys her own clothes and is supposed to be fine when they are stolen?

You want to get some therapy for those chips on your shoulder, Darcy. Really. You've been carting that stuff round in your head for 25 years?

And you still can't see the pov of the one paying for the clothes? The older dd?

How about 'your younger daughter has some fucking nerve to be nicking stuff that isn't hers'?

I am loving the utopian vision of an everything shared commune, but it's bastarding annoying to go in your wardrobe for the shirt you want to wear to work and find it in a heap under your little sisters bed. After you had washed and ironed it yourself so that you could wear it to work...

See? We can all project. The strength of your irrational feeling on the matter doesn't mean that your feelings are in any way the 'right' ones. They just mean you still have issues to deal with about your family. All this time later.

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DarceyBustle · 17/12/2014 05:25

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nagynolonger · 17/12/2014 05:54

No it's not obvious that the older daughter is the golden child and the younger one is the scapegoat.

It's not just girls either my 19 year old son steals his 21 year old brothers stuff. Hopefully it's just a stage which will pass. The 21 year old is working and earning his own money and buying himself nice stuff. The younger brother is still at school and a bit jealous. Understandable I suppose. We have gone down the lock on the door route which is working for us. Shoes are sometimes a problem. All three brothers are in the same size shoes and there is a certain amount of putting the first ones that come to hand with all three.

The younger DC taking things that aren't his wouldn't go down well outside home eg in university halls or at work so why the bloody hell should it be OK at home.

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DarceyBustle · 17/12/2014 07:05

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chipsandpeas · 17/12/2014 07:15

id be suggesting to your older daughter to put a lock on her wardrobe and also nicking your younger daughters favourite clothes

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Schoolaroundthecorner · 17/12/2014 07:23

Darcey that's some major projecting going on there. Nowhere did the OP say that the younger sister has to settle for hand me downs and must depend on the largesse of her mother and older sister in order not to be dressed in rags. Come on! There is nothing wrong with teaching her to respect other people's property and to ask if she wants something.

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DoesntLeftoverTurkeySoupDragOn · 17/12/2014 07:29

a liar; a sneak; a thief

Maybe if she didn't sneak into her sister's room, steal her clothes and then lie about it she wouldn't be described like that.

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DarceyBustle · 17/12/2014 07:45

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originalusernamefail · 17/12/2014 07:46

Wowzers Darcy calm down. My younger sister was actually the "indulged baby", she had a holiday to NY for her 18th I had a meal down the local, that sort of thing. We were never the same size and had completely different tastes / personalities even when small so hand-me-downs was something that never happened.

Sharing was also something that never happend, my DSis had a motto "what's yours is mine what's mine is mine alone" Wink. The OPs youngest could be that way out.

Because she didn't fit my clothes she would take make up / CDs and usually damage them in the processAngry.

I'm not sure you can sanction someone who is all but an adult though. Maybe continue with the lock and make a big deal of letting her borrow when she asks or maybe offering to lend e.g oh if your going out tonight you would look great in my red dress / sparkly shoes sort of thing.

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DoesntLeftoverTurkeySoupDragOn · 17/12/2014 08:02

Any parent who chooses to view their child through the lens of liar/sneak/thief is awful.

Where has the OP done this? She says the major problems are lying and sneakiness. If the child is lying and being sneaky then these are the problems.

I think you are projecting your own issues.

The OP wants to solve this problem and this is describing it. There's no need to wax lyrical about any wonderful qualities the Youngest has when the OP wants advice about this specific problem.

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DarceyBustle · 17/12/2014 08:56

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mrscumberbatch · 17/12/2014 09:07

I don't think it is necessary for an OP to have to justify every issue they come on with.
"My daughter said something mean- but I love her."
"My son crashed my car- but I love him."

It goes without saying.

You're allowed to dislike things that your kids do.

I was the eldest and a serial clothes pincher. My little sister was very coordinated and had great accessories. She stuck a lock on her door and I was annoyed- but more so at the point that I had been caught!

It wasn't insecurity or whatnot that made me do it. Part of it was that I am crap at shopping for myself and dislike shops and sales staff so going into my sisters room was like having your own private shop.

The other part was boredom. People's bedrooms are an amazing insight!! Also we were so different personality wise that her choice were totally different to what I had chosen which was fascinating.

We struck a compromise by the time she was 17 because she wanted to raid my wardrobe and come out with me and my friends and whatnot and we ended up having a great relationship.

So there's a light at the end of the tunnel OP... And Darcy- stop seeing 'attacks' where there isn't any. It's bloody annoying when people pinch your things.

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DoesntLeftoverTurkeySoupDragOn · 17/12/2014 10:16

The mother says she lies and is sneaky about anything. That is a negative lens.

Maybe she lies and is sneaky about everything and it's simply an honest lens as appropriate for the problem.

And all the time you go down the locking up route she has zero opportunity to earn that back.

Children need to learn what is right and what is wrong. Talking to her has not worked, hence the lock. She had the opportunity to earn trust back and didn't.

Sometimes kids just do unpleasant things. Sometimes they grow out of it, sometimes they don't. They need boundaries and they need consequences, they don't need excuses and umpteen chances.

My second born brother managed not to lie, steal and be sneaky despite being the "hand me down" child.
My second born son manages not to lie, steal and be sneaky despite being the "hand me down" son.

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DarceyBustle · 17/12/2014 10:58

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