To shop my 8yo DD to the police?

[QueeferSutherland]

Posting here for a quick response. Please don't flame me!

To be brief, found a packet of jelly under my DDs pillow the other night. I thought it was quite funny that she was hoarding sweets and had bought jelly.

Turns out she stole it from the Harvest Festival display at school.

So not only did she steal, but from the poor and elderly!

She is usually polite and well-behaved. This is wildly out of character.

I am thinking of calling a friend who is a CSO to have a chat.
I haven't told the school yet.

Help! Really don't know what to do to nip this behaviour in the bud.

I would deal with it myself, have a word with teacher, agree you will make her bring it back and give to teacher in private , shame of apologising to teacher should do it.

Between you and teacher should be able to sort it.

I think most kids will do something like this once just learning boundaries v's temptation.

Make her take it back to the teacher and explain. I did this in 1970 something and have NEVER FORGOTTEN the lesson about stealing. I took coins from the playhouse and had to take them back and tell the teacher (a lovely teacher) what I had done. Shame.

x-post!

I wouldn't personally involve the police, she's not the first child to take something from school, now, is she? Can't she just take them back in and go and apologise to the teacher? Or wouldn't a big stern lecture from you do?

As for the 'stealing from the poor and the elderly' I don't see the point of laying it on with a trowel. Stealing is wrong, full stop. Stealing needs to be corrected, but with a stiff talking to, that may yet be achieved.

I sense the guilt trip of a lifetime coming up for dd. Quite right too - go for it. I'm sure she'll be completely sorry once she realises how seriously you take this kind of dishonesty.

Very common, very normal. I would make her return it, lose her pocket money to pay for more, stern talking to - I quite like the idea of the PCSO but it may be a bit overboard for a first offence

Are you serious? No way would I do this.

Just give her a rollocking and a punishment like no treats for a week. Don't scar her for life fgs!

Don't do it, OP. When I was at primary school some of us decided for reasons best known to ourselves to dig little holes in the rubber-topped desks with our pencils. The teacher caught us and told us that the police had been called. That afternoon the police came to the school - the fact that they gave us a lecture about strangers rather than arresting a bunch of 5 year-olds for vandalism did not really sink in. I was terrified. Our mothers were furious and two of us had to be taken on a visit to the local police station to be reassured that we weren't going to prison.

Right, thanks for the replies.

I think I'll make her take it back (well, one without nibble marks.)

She has already been told she will have no dessert for a month.

If she takes it back at least she can draw a line under it.

I'm just so bloody shocked!

"Stealing from the poor" you have a budding Tory Prime Minister there :o

I'd make her take it back to the school and apologise. That should be mortifying enough and enough of a lesson for an 8 year old who probably got carried away with herself at the sight of unguarded sweets.

Newwave, if she becomes a Tory, then I know I've failed as a mother.

Lol at ouryve.

Oh, and the jelly was Nestle!

I'll have to buy more!

Sorry, stealing terrible and everything but PMSL at your dd.