Okay, each week my girls get $2.25 for an allowance. Their chores are MINIMAL as far as I am concerned. So they DO have their own money to spend. Gwendolyn is getting this NASTY habit of taking the other's allowance. Today she swipped a $20. of the $100 I had on my desk. THEN she tries to claim she found it outside. EEERRRGG How stupid do these children think I am???? and I am not sure there is an apporpriate punishment short of taking her pants down! So much for AP. I am really at a loss and today I just busted out into tears because I feel so flipping ineffective as a parent. I just don't understand! She doesn't go wihtout very often and if I don't buy it for her my parents do. They have also instilled a very disposable wasteful mentality on my kids and I TRY to get through to them but again I am lost. I feel like an idiot and I make fun of myself saying I only got my degree in Early childhood education so after that I am clueless--but truth be told, I am.

[ConnectingRainbows]

Beats me!

But I can share the story of when Dylan brought me my credit card back after he "chased down the bad guys and took it back". (It had disappeared off my counter early that day.)

I don't know what to do!! How old is she? Has anything ever happened like this?

She's old enough, if it's a serious problem I would take her down to the police station and ask a police officer to explain to her what happens to people to who steal things that don't belong to them.

Sounds harsh. But it worked for my brothers...the little kleptomaniacs

Honestly that doesn't sound harsh..

Daleigh is 2 and has a really bad problem of unbuckling and walking around the van. We pick up the cell phone and act like we are talking to the cop and telling them to come get her! And they know that if you don't have your seat belt on the cops are going to take you away!

Originally posted by AuntieFromBama@Dec 19 2004, 03:48 AM
Honestly that doesn't sound harsh..

Daleigh is 2 and has a really bad problem of unbuckling and walking around the van. We pick up the cell phone and act like we are talking to the cop and telling them to come get her! And they know that if you don't have your seat belt on the cops are going to take you away!
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See, now that I wouldn't do. I don't want my children to be afraid of the police. I want them to know that police officers are there to help and know they can turn to them if ever they are in trouble.

[OnceAgain]

I don't know what to suggest exactly, but whatever way you choose to punish or deter her, it has to be something that makes the "reward" of having that money she takes seem not worth it at all, I would say. Maybe she needs to learn what it's like to not have things.

A smack on the butt probably won't work on an 8 year old. At that age, it's ouch, then it's over and they think worst that will happen if they get caught again is another two seconds of a sore butt. It works when they're little and don't think so hard on the future to see that $20 is probably worth a spanked behind. I would have happily let someone smack me on the bum several times for $20 at that age. As far as I knew then, $20 was a whole lot of money.

Originally posted by YankeeMom@Dec 19 2004, 09:16 AM
See, now that I wouldn't do. I don't want my children to be afraid of the police. I want them to know that police officers are there to help and know they can turn to them if ever they are in trouble.
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Well that is true. Maybe she'll quit doing it and soon. But it's not totally our fault that they know that if you don't have on your seat belt. They were with their dad when he got arrested on Drug Charges. He told them that he got taken away because he didn't have on his seat belt...