DS1's sweets keep disappearing.

[Emphasise]

To put it in context, he doesn't have a lot of sweets but occasionally buys some with money he's earned and the only thing he asked for for his 16th was a box of Quality Street - DGM duly obliged.

Anyway ds1 was away for the weekend last month and swore blind someone had taken sweets from his room while he was away. I didn't know what he'd had and assumed he must have eaten them himself tbh.

But now the quality St have gone too. 5 left when he got in tonight and he reckons he's only eaten 3or 4. He's very good at sharing and will offer them round without being asked etc - there's no need for anyone to steal to get a taste.

So either he's eaten them and forgotten or we have a thief.

Likelihood is Ds2 who is home alone for a hour before ds1 gets in. But, he's very convincing in his denials.

So, wwyd? I can't prove it was Ds2 so I don't feel able to punish him but I also feel ds1 should feel that his things aren't fair game.

Or they're old enough to sort it out betwen them?. Problem there is it's always ds1 who loses out.ds2 is 13

Could your DS1 get a lockable container for his sweets?

So either DS1 is sufficiently absentminded that he has completely forgotten on more than one occasion that he has already scoffed his sweets.

Or DS2 fancied a few sweets, knew his brother had some, helped himself and then denied it when the missing sweets were discovered.

Unless DS1 is notoriously forgetful then I think one of those scenarios is a lot more likely than the other. I do agree that without evidence or a confession it is a hard situation to resolve as you'd be left wondering if you might have handed out an unjust punishment.

I agree with Bloodybridget that if you can afford it then buying a lockable box and some replacement chocs for DS1 would be nice. It would at least mean DS1 didn't lose out, even if it doesn't actually solve the issue of DS2 (probably) having sticky fingers. And if DS1 was mistaken in his sweet-count then at least in future with a lock box to keep them in he'd know the only one eating his stuff was him - even if he didn't remember doing it!