A couple of my tutor group had been pilfering the PTA supplies of snacks and drinks sold at events. They were caught, I confronted them and each child said that the other one was more involved, they had no idea they were stealing, they had only done it this one time etc etc.
They're teens, the point is we work with them to own their bullshit and face up to their misdeeds, right? It's just about setting boundaries. They are 13 and if we handle this right, they won't do it again. This was their brush with the wild side. Well, I email home about it to get some backup and to my surprise, both sets of parents write back more or less
"the other child was more to blame and it's more the PTA's fault if you think about it for not having a sign up saying they weren't free,"
Term ends in a week and one of the kids is leaving anyway. I just don't have the energy to get these parents to see how they are effing their kids up by ensuring the child does not feel discomfort after being caught doing something wrong.