My child who is 5 years old has been stealing things lately. I see many things in his bag which do not belong to him. On being asked he gives responses like- ‘ I found it on the playground’ or ‘ a friend of mine gifted it to me’. I don’t trust him anymore as he keeps changes his replies often. How do I deal with him?

garima Hi! I know as a parent it is an embarrassing situation and can lead to self-doubt as in where did we go wrong in teaching values to our children . My advise to you would be to not to take it personally and think of helping the child get rid of this habit. Praise the behaviour when he behaves well. Let him know how by stealing we are violating the trust of the other person. And everything can be regained but not the trust. He should work on the urge to steal. Help him find out the reason for doing the same . The earlier you deal with this habit, the better it is . Hope this is of help to you .

Hi garima please help your child curb this habit rather than judging, scolding or punishing him. try to find out the underlying reason for the same. Try to connect with him everyday and help him understand the importance of following moral values. Building trust can take a lifetime and for trust to be lost, one incident is enough. Here is a blog you might find useful. Blogs- https://www.parentune.com/parent-blog/how-do-i-curb-stealing-in-my-child/2332

garima this blog could help you,Hey! I find this parent blog really interesting. I suggest you have a look too: How Do I Curb Stealing in My Child? https://www.parentune.com/parent-blog/how-do-i-curb-stealing-in-my-child/2332?ptref=sa0l0026n9801ss

garima I do understand your concern. Its that age when a child is still learning that it's wrong to steal. They can start to steal because of : peer pressure, they have low self -esteem, they want something desperately which a parent has refused to get. Try to deal with this at the earliest before it becomes a habit and child has to bear the consequences when caught. You can help the child understand why stealing is wrong and be a role model . You can share the consequences that one might have to face when caught and also how it is immoral to steal.

Pratibha Sachin Sharma and Jolene how can the habit of stealing be curbed in a child. Pleas give your valuable suggestions.