We have hit a new low at Mt Quint, as Master Quint has blackmailed another child, asking for money for staying quiet about something

[QuintessentialShadows]

and

Wise mumsnetters, what can I do with a 10 year old who seem to go on a severe naughty spree every three months?

After a couple of good months, where we thought we were finally on the right track, there has been a few issues in school again. The teacher said they were minor, with disagreements and some pushing and shoving.

But, the other day ds1 and another boy had words, and the other boy said Bullshit! (which is on the forbidden list) and my son said that he would not tell the teachers if the boy gave him £4.

I am mortified. The boy of course became very anxious about the whole thing, as he did not have money, and told his parents. The parents complained to the school. My son has had to fill in an incident form, is ordered to write a letter of apology to the boy.

But what do we as parents handle this?

We were visiting husbands aunt on Sunday, and she saw him take three teabags (teabags! fgs!! ) and put in his pocket. When we got home, he nonchalantly took them out of his pocked threw them on the kitchen worktop and said "here are some teabags!"

What on earth is going on!?

He has no explanation for this!!

I dont know what to do.

god thats aweful for you, try and think if there is a trigger, you say he is good for a few months and then goes off rails, does something happen to start it off?

How awful for you, but to put some positive spin on it: he's obviously very intelligent, and perhaps you should loan him to MI5?

My child is under 1 so I offer no advice other than at 10 my brother was terribly teased and abused and ended up fighting and breaking someone's nose... So your son may be naughty, but he's not BAD (and my brother is now a totally, incredibly honest and non-violent adult and model citizen).

Can you rationalise with him why what he's doing is wrong? He may not understand how stealing and blackmail create a "victim" of crime and how he's affecting others. He may just see it as being clever, or just breaking a rule with no consequences.