Sticky Fingers

[Connie1222]

I'm pretty upset this morning. I found a McDonalds toy in Jack's backpack that doesn't belong to him. Jack is very into McD's toys (couldn't care less about the food). He's been bugging us to go because they have Cartoon Network characters but we haven't gottwn there, for one reason or another. Anyway, I question him and first he says Christopher gave it to him. I don't buy it because he's hidden it in his backpack instead of showing me. Then he says he found it on a chair in his classroom. I tell him, but you know who it belongs to so you should have given it back. I finally get him to admit he took the toy. :blue: I am so upset about this. This isn't the first time. Once he took a toy I wouldn't buy him at Eckerd (he had it under his shirt, it was so obvious). I made him give it back to the cashier and tell her what he'd done & apologize. Another time, he took a toy from our friend's house without asking. I also made him tell my friend what he did and apologize. WTF??? How can I impress upon him how wrong this is? I sent the toy back to school in his homework folder with a note to the teacher explaining what happened and to make sure Jack gives it back and apologizes. And after a talk I told him NO McD's toys until after his birthday in November. I don't know what else to do. What do you guys think?

[Karly]

I think you did the right thing. Does Jack understand how it would feel if someone took one of his things? Maybe that might be a way to help drill this into him that it's not okay to take other people's things. :dunno:

[Connie1222]

Karly, that's what I always tell him. Put yourself in the other kid's shoes. I don't know if it's sinking in though.

[Girlo]

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this, Connie. :hug99: I'll agree with Karly that I think you're doing the right thing already.....it's what I would do if I were in your shoes. :) Keep up the good work and hopefully it'll stop soon!!

[gulp!]

I've got a little thief, too. I do the same as you. When Emma stole a little doll purse from school, I marched her back in there the next morning and made her apologize to the teacher and return it. We then had a long talk about how she'd feel if someone stole stuff from her room. I don't know what else can be done other than consistent reaction whenever it happens. :hug99:

[Cami]

I don't know what else I'd do either. I'd just have done what you did. And I think not letting him have any more happy meal toys (for a while) is good too.

Funny side story: In first grade, someone took a roll of Life Savers off the teacher's desk. She went around the room and made each of us breathe on her so she figure out who took them! :lol:

oh, which makes me think, maybe in class, the teacher could do a lesson that talks about how it's not nice to take someone else's things? Maybe hearing it from someone else will sink in more than it would from a parent?

[Melissa]

Could you steal one of his toys so he can see how much it hurts to have something go missing?

[Connie1222]

Ok, Jack is home from school and I just don't know what to think. I asked him if he gave the toy back to Christopher and if he apologized. He said yes. So I ask him if his teacher talked to him about it and he said no. So, I go unpack his backpack, and in his homework folder is everything I put in there. :scratch: His homework, the homework sign in sheet, the baggies w/ $1.50 so he could buy hot lunch today, and the baggie I put the toy in (without the toy, but with the note in it). I asked Jack about it, but I'm coming up with nothing. I tried to call the school but his teacher was gone already. I really, really hate to think I have such a manipulative kid that he hid the folder or something like that. But I can't figure out another logical answer. Jack wouldn't spill even when I said I was calling his teacher. So, I dropped it but I'm going to have to go to his school on Monday to get to the bottom of this. If he did lie and hide the folder so his teacher wouldn't know what happened, he's going to need more serious consequences, don't you think? I aldo think I should talk to his counselor about it. Darn kids!

[gulp!]

Definitely talk to the teacher on Monday, and if he hid it, then you need to give more consequences. Take away some favorite toys for a period of time. You definitely want to keep on top of this.

I hope he is telling the truth. :hug99:

[Kara]

Ok, Jack is home from school and I just don't know what to think. I asked him if he gave the toy back to Christopher and if he apologized. He said yes. So I ask him if his teacher talked to him about it and he said no. So, I go unpack his backpack, and in his homework folder is everything I put in there. :scratch: His homework, the homework sign in sheet, the baggies w/ $1.50 so he could buy hot lunch today, and the baggie I put the toy in (without the toy, but with the note in it). I asked Jack about it, but I'm coming up with nothing. I tried to call the school but his teacher was gone already. I really, really hate to think I have such a manipulative kid that he hid the folder or something like that. But I can't figure out another logical answer. Jack wouldn't spill even when I said I was calling his teacher. So, I dropped it but I'm going to have to go to his school on Monday to get to the bottom of this. If he did lie and hide the folder so his teacher wouldn't know what happened, he's going to need more serious consequences, don't you think? I aldo think I should talk to his counselor about it. Darn kids!

Yep, I too would go in and talk to the teacher....and then worse case scenario, give him more consequences. Maybe even ask the teacher if she has any other suggestions on how to get through to him.

[Cami]

Did you ask him what he ate for lunch today (since the money was still there)? It seems odd that he'd have gotten through the day without the teacher asking for the stuff that he was supposed to have taken back to school.

[Connie1222]

Another update (the saga continues). After Keith spoke to Jack about this, we discovered that he took this toy from Christopher on the bus, not Christopher from his class and he gave the toy back on the way home. I'm having a really hard time getting the whole story out of him about this. So, maybe his teacher questioned him about the toy and gave it to him to give back on the bus? But that doesn't explain why she didn't take his other stuff out of his folder. UGH! :tearhair: I'm going to be obsessing about this all weekend!! I'll let you know what happens on Monday.

[Connie1222]

Did you ask him what he ate for lunch today (since the money was still there)? It seems odd that he'd have gotten through the day without the teacher asking for the stuff that he was supposed to have taken back to school.

I just asked him and he said pizza, Which is why I sent money in today, it's Pizza Fridays. It just doesn't add up. His teacher always takes the homework and returns corrected homework back the next day.