N6 Educational Psychology 5.9 Stealing
It can only be called stealing when the child understands that he is taking something that does not belong to him. Incidents when younger children take things that do not belong to them occur from time to time. Stealing reaches a peak between the ages of 5 to 8 and then it declines. It is shocking to think that every year 30 000 or more children between the ages of 10 and 18 go to court, because of stealing.
1 Why children steal
Children of all ages can be tempted to steal for different reasons:
• POSSIBLE REASONS – Younger children cannot distinguish between right and
DESCRIPTION
The child keeps on taking things that do not belong to him.
wrong and they do not realise that they must show respect for other peoples possessions. Maybe they are still immature or very egocentric (developmental phase).
– In the case of stealing food, the reason may be that the child is hungry or that it is something nice, like cake or sweets.
– If the child has no crayons at home, he might ‘steal’ the crayons at the day-care centre.
– An only child is maybe used to getting everything he wants and he is not used to sharing. He thinks it is his right to take whatever he likes/wants.
– A bad role model can be the cause. The child sees or hears how an adult takes something that does not belong to him, and then gets the idea that he can also do it.
– Even a parent that takes envelopes home, because the business will not go bankrupt without a few envelopes, can motivate a child to take something that does not belong to him.
– Stealing can also be a way of seeking attention.
– He maybe wants to impress his friends with his belongings, or he’ll steal sweets to try and buy friends.
* Very young children sometimes take things they want without understanding that things cost money and that it’s wrong to take something without paying for it.
* Some may steal as a cry for help because of emotional or physical abuse they’re enduring.
2 What to do when children steal?
With very young children, parents need to help them understand that stealing is wrong – that when you take something without asking or paying for it, it hurts someone else. If a pre-schooler takes a piece of candy, for instance, parents can help the child return the item. If the child has already eaten the candy, parents can take the child back to the store to apologise and pay for it.
Here’s an example: If a child comes home with a friend’s toy and it’s clear the child took it without the friend’s permission, the parent should talk to the child about how it would feel if a friend took something without asking first. The parent should encourage the child to tell the friend that he took it and that he is very sorry and will return it as soon as he can.
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