just discovered that DS1 has taken from school

[Virgil]

The most enormous pile of bluetac. I don't know what it is about the stuff but he's always been attracted to it like a magnet. He's been around to every toilet on the school and removed the bluetac to form an enormous ball and had stashed it under his pillow. I've told him I am disappointed in him and that it's stealing since it doesn't belong to him. He's upset but I think I ruined the effect by laughing when he told me how he managed to accumulate such a big ball. I have said I'm going to think overnight about whether to tell
His teacher that he's been stealing. Wwyd? Is telling the teachers too harsh? On the one hand he has taken something that doesn't belong to him and I want to ensure he doesn't do it again. On the other hand it's bluetac. He's seven by the way. Any suggestions?

I would tell his teacher. DS regularly comes home with stuff in his pockets that he's half-inched from his school - generally tat that he's found on the ground but I always make him give them back to his teacher in an attempt to shame him into stopping at some point. It has got better but he's in reception so a bit younger than your DS.

Having said that, I think I'd laugh too if I found a massive ball of blutac under his pillow :o

I couldn't help laughing. And to make it worse when I called DH in to cover the fact that I was laughing I could tell he was trying not to laugh too and so then we both started laughing

My son used to do the same about the age 8, he has asd and blue tac was once one of his obsessions he loves it. It was the feel of it i think. He used to steal massive balls of it from his teachers desk, if i found it i always took it back to her, she was great about it and always told herself off for not keeping it hidden better :)she knew he just wanted to feel it. He got lots of packets of it in his stocking one christmas so he could make his own ball. He will still have little balls stashed in his pockets. I would just take it back if he nicks a massive lump i would worry about the little bits but still explain its wrong etc and take it off him maybe.

Yes, tell the teacher, and make ds give the blue tac back to her.

he probably likes to just squish it about, buy him a packet and let him go wild

What was it doing in the toilet?

And isn't it germ-ridden?

I would tell the teacher, presumably it's in the toilet for a good reason.

Ooh this is hard.

Dd1 once stole a rubber and was quite pleased about it. She couldn't wait to show it to me walking down the school path. I turned her straight around and took her back to the teacher to apologise.

I have seen small blobs of blue tac in her bedroom from time to time. She must have got it from school but I never said anything.

So, all in all, no help at all. Sorry

Oh no it wasn't in the toilet itself. They have just had a competition at school to design posters about saving water and so each bathroom has about six posters in it. He went around each bathroom in turn and removed it.

DD was like this with Blu-Tack when she was in reception so she had a pack of it in her Xmas stocking in the hope that if she had some if would no longer be so desirable IYSWIM.

I don't think she ever stole a massive lump of it but would just 'find' small bits at home and school and squirrel it away until she had a big lump.

I'm not sure what happened to the posters! I'm sure what to do. He's quite a sensitive child and the worst possible thing in the world for him is being in trouble with the teachers. If it was something he'd taken from a teacher or another child then I would have no hesitation but bluetac on a wall probably doesn't seem to a child to belong to someone else in quite the same way. Or maybe I'm just making excuses for him now

Oops meant to say I'm not sure!

What do you mean by enormous? Like a golf ball, a cricket ball, a football?

mine used to do this....what is the fascination?? I used to tell them to take it back.

So far they haven't carried on into a life of crime and debauchery and ClassA blutac snorting if that is any help.

well the ball has got to go back to the teacher with an explanation tomorrow.
I know it seems like nothing and I'd struggle not to laugh as well... but the fact that this is so premeditated would worry me.
It's not a 7yr old impulse,... he actually has thought about going round posters removing it and I think you need to put a stop to it.

Now you've explained to him that he shouldn't have done it, couldn't you just let it go this once?

Ummm don't laugh?

A bit smaller than cricket ball size. Yes I think probably the fact that he's thought about it enough to visit each and every bathroom is part of the problem

I think you need to bring it back to the school.
It would mean that all the posters have been removed and that will be noticed for sure.

I had a blue tak hoarder too. He has asd tendencies too (as in different professionals said different things so diagnoses as yet) he does seem to have broken the habit as he's got older though. I started buying the odd packet to give to the teacher, having a bit to play with helped him concentrate

DS has a squishy ball to hold that helps him concentrate. Not sure if that would help?

Hawkins Bizarr shop/online has loads of stuff that feels like blue tac that he can keep in his pocket/bag.....please he may be mortified when older! If it is sensory seeking then technically not your ds fault...post made me

He does need to fess up because it's not fair on the chdn who put work intO the posters. Laughing may have been the best thing as ime 7 yr olds do not like being laughed at!