Theft at a young age and the causes of deviant behavior in a child. The article will provide ways to combat this phenomenon in preschoolers and older children. The child began to steal - this is an alarm that cannot be ignored. Some parents, fearing public condemnation, turn a blind eye to their child's addiction. They assure themselves that they themselves put the money somewhere and forgot about it. In the opinion of such would-be educators, their unclean offspring took someone else's thing by mistake. If you react to what happened in this way, then a professional thief will grow out of a cute baby. Solving this problem must be taken seriously, as it can ruin the happy life of an entire family.
Why did the child start stealing
First of all, parents need to understand that a child is not born with this addiction. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the reasons for his theft, which may lie in the following factors:
- Wrong parenting model … Sometimes parents are so busy with themselves that they do not notice negative changes in the behavior of their offspring. There are even individuals who do not consider it shameful if their child took someone else's toy. Such a reaction is connected either with the pedagogical illiteracy of the parents, or with their elementary licentiousness.
- Adult example … If dad and mom were in places not so distant for theft, then you shouldn't be surprised that their offspring got into someone else's pocket. This fact is especially true for adolescents who are already aware of everything and copy the behavior of their parents, if they use their authority.
- Bad Company … As life practice shows, a bad example is definitely contagious. There is such a thing as herd instinct. It is he who often pushes children, even from quite prosperous and wealthy families, to steal.
- Personality deformation … If moral norms were not explained to a child from early childhood, then the consequences of such irresponsibility will not be long in coming. Children are clay from which adults are able to mold a self-sufficient person. Having missed the moment of the beginning of the appropriation of other people's things, you can lose your child forever.
- Extortion … Sometimes older children ask their victim to meet their financial needs. The child is afraid of hooligans and extortionists, so it is easier for him to steal money from his parents than to reveal the truth to them. In the future, he will begin to take valuable things out of the house, if juvenile offenders get a taste, feeling their impunity.
Parents and only they are to blame for the fact that their child is recognized over time as an antisocial person and ends up in a juvenile colony. You can really eliminate such a tendency if you want to see your child happy in the future. 90% of juvenile thief criminals go to jail precisely because of their parents' indifference to them.
Varieties of bad habits in children
Based on the reasons for the emergence of a pathological habit, experts have clearly distinguished such antisocial behavior in a child. There are 6 varieties of this pathology, which look like this:
- Impulsive theft … With mental trauma, increased excitability or mental retardation, children quite often encroach on other people's property. It is precisely for such a contingent of children that it is necessary to closely monitor in order to avoid them committing theft.
- Theft protest … Usually this problem occurs in an abandoned child. He may even steal money from his wealthy parents in order to then distribute it to people in need. At any cost, these children try to attract the attention of too busy adults.
- Theft is permissiveness … Some irresponsible parents consider their child's entrepreneurial spirit to be a great character trait. Their logical conclusion is that everything must be carried into the house. They inspire their son or daughter that the rogues are always lucky in life and that they will never be left without a piece of bread and caviar.
- Theft-envy … Not every family can boast of a stable financial situation. Gifted children sometimes end up in an elite institution where children of wealthy parents study. The temptation to borrow something expensive from them is so great that the child steals.
- Theft is bravado … Very often a child steals money not because he desperately needs it. The reason for his deviant behavior lies in the fact that in some children's groups this act is considered a manifestation of courage. If someone from the class stole money or any product in the store, then he is immediately declared a hero and a great dodger. A similar reaction of peers pushes the young thief to repeat illegal actions.
- Kleptomania … In this case, we are talking about a rather rare mental disorder. It should immediately be noted that children practically do not suffer from kleptomania. Some little tricksters, when caught hot, simply mimic the disease in themselves. Their usual excuses are voiced by the fact that they did not want to at all, but an unknown force pulled their hand to steal.
What to do if a child starts to steal
With an already accomplished fact, it is necessary to come to grips with raising your offspring. It is necessary to approach this issue taking into account the age of the child.
Correction of antisocial behavior in a preschooler
Parents should remember that from the age of 3 their baby is well aware of the fact of appropriating someone else's things. However, at the same time, he does not realize the immorality of his act. Shouts and accusations in this case will definitely not help, so you need to act differently:
- Do not scold the child … The biggest mistake parents make is trying to lynch their baby. This can only scare the children, but not relieve them of the desire to appropriate what they are not supposed to. An exceptionally calm conversation will help convey to the young thief that this should not be done. If he decided to appropriate someone else's toy, then he must be led to the idea that it must be urgently returned to the owner. As an example, it is recommended to ask the baby to describe his emotions in the event that his favorite thing was taken from him.
- Identify the cause of the misconduct … Sometimes parents are amazed that their child has committed the theft in order to please loved ones. It should be explained to the offender that gifts to dear people are not presented in this way. It is also recommended to show your kid how you can make a present with your own hands. He must understand that the same drawing or craft will be pleasant to dad or mom, and not a stolen thing. If the reason for the theft was the desire to own a toy, then it is necessary to teach the child to save up for its purchase.
- Show more care … In no case should you buy off your children with money or expensive gifts. Even at this age, a child acutely feels the substitution of concepts. It is necessary to give him the opportunity to feel his own importance for his parents. Sometimes it is more important for children to be praised again than to buy another trinket.
- Find out the details of what happened … Sometimes the child is accused without reason, simply shifting all the responsibility to him. Before arranging the punishment of the suspect, it is recommended to find out the essence of the incident. If the guilt is proven unconditionally, then you should watch the baby's reaction. Worst of all will be the fact that he flatly refuses to confess to theft. In this case, you will have to work not only on the main problem, but also on explaining to the child about the inadmissibility of lying in relation to other people.
- Require asking permission for any action … In a prosperous family, always and everywhere, the behavior of the baby is controlled by adults. This unshakable truth must be embedded in the mind of a child from early childhood. Permissiveness leads over time to sad consequences, so it is necessary to educate children with discipline.
- Organize watching the cartoon … In this case, "Kid and Carlson" is suitable, where the protagonist exposes the thieves of someone else's underwear in a humorous style. Psychologists also recommend organizing a viewing of the cartoon "Lost and Found", where the dexterous magpie-thief hunted. It is imperative that after such an introduction, it is necessary to emphasize that the main characters are positive characters and are fighting theft.
At this age, it is quite easy to adjust the behavior of the baby. If the opportune moment is missed, then the parents will have to fight the conscious desire to steal from their offspring.
What to do if a schoolchild steals
In this case, we will talk about a child who clearly understands the incorrectness of his behavior. When asked what to do if a child steals, it is worth taking the following measures to influence the growing offspring with deviant inclinations:
- Explore your child's social circle … The likelihood that children began to appropriate other people's things due to bad influence is quite high. You need to carefully analyze the behavior of your child's friends in order to draw final conclusions. This must be done tactfully and unobtrusively, so as not to further aggravate the situation that has arisen.
- Maintain close communication with the class teacher (educator) … With the problem of how to wean a child from stealing, one cannot do without the help of teachers. It is they who can tell who can badly influence their ward. A competent specialist will contact the parents himself if he notices any deviations in the child's behavior.
- Monitor the appearance of other people's things in the house … Children love to exchange toys and souvenirs, but this cannot be a constant occurrence. Any parent should be alarmed by the fact that their child brings rather expensive things from kindergarten or school. However, he explains this by the fact that he found them completely by accident. The roads are not paved with valuable items, which should not be forgotten for dads and moms.
- Teach a child to save up for an expensive thing … For many solemn events, relatives present children with gifts in the form of a monetary equivalent. You should explain to your child that spending money often leads to the fact that then the wind walks in your pocket. To acquire a treasured thing, you do not need to steal, but it is worth a little patience and accumulate the required amount.
- Eliminate double standards of parenting … If one of the parents turns a blind eye to the theft of his child, and the second is actively fighting them, then you can put an end to the desire to get rid of the existing problem.
- Constantly encourage the child … He will be unequivocally ashamed if, after a bad deed, his parents offer him to visit some attraction, cinema or cafe. This should be done as often as possible so that the young thief understands that dad and mom love and trust him.
- Do not keep silent about the fact of theft … It is a shame, a shame, but not fatal to announce it in the case when the beloved offspring was caught hot. In families where they do not wash dirty linen in public, then the most irreversible consequences occur.
- Review the child's requests … Sometimes parents limit their child to the bare essentials. It is this reason that makes children steal things and money from their peers. It is necessary to ensure that the son or daughter does not become a black sheep in the team, which can be quite cruel in its assessment.
- Explaining the consequences of theft … Ignorance of the laws does not exempt from criminal liability for offenses. You need to remind your child that stealing is not an innocent prank, but is considered a serious offense that is punishable by the law. A teenager can be shown the movie "Boys", where the fate of children with deviant behavior is shown without further ado.
Prevention of child theft
Trouble can and should be prevented, and not then complain about fate. Child theft can really be eliminated in the bud if you behave as follows:
- Eliminating the temptation to steal … Why bother dashing while it is quiet? You should not keep valuables in a conspicuous place, thus provoking an unformed personality. Money should also be hidden away in order to completely limit access to it for a son or daughter. Some parents consider such precautions to be a humiliation of the child's dignity. However, then they are very surprised by the fact that things disappear in the house and they are invited to the inspector for juvenile affairs.
- A clear delineation of the concepts "mine - someone else's" … In order to avoid theft, it is necessary to make it very clear to your child about the inviolability of what does not belong to him personally. At the same time, it is necessary to speak calmly, but rather firmly and categorically.
- Allocation of pocket money … Some parents think they pamper their children this way. Adhering to this opinion, they deprive the child of even small things for going to the cinema or school breakfast. They do not think that their offspring will be much more pleasant to eat in the dining room with friends than to eat sandwiches prepared by their mother alone. In addition, the child has the right to choose a juice and a bun at his own discretion. At the same time, the main thing for parents is to ensure that their child does not spend pocket money on food that is harmful to his growing body in the form of chips and Coca-Cola.
- Using a personal example … In no case should you show your envy of wealthier people in front of a child. It is these angry speeches that form in children a sense of social injustice and a desire to take an expensive thing from a peer with rich parents. Day after day, you need to talk out loud that stealing is a very bad act, which only dishonest people are capable of. The child, like a sponge, absorbs what his parents say. At the same time, it is important not to contact him, but simply to pronounce these truths during any conversation.
What to do if a child steals - watch the video:
When asked why a child steals, it is recommended, first of all, to analyze the relationship that exists in the family. It is also necessary to reconsider your model of raising a son or daughter who began to encroach on someone else's. In especially problematic cases, you should seek help from a psychologist.
