|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Home | Home & Family | Teenagers So how do you stop it? Obviously, if you can help them to find another way to meet their needs, then they won't have to continue with the stealing. Along with this, your main emphasis needs to be on promoting honesty. Use everyday events, such as stories from television or school, as a starting point for talking about honesty, integrity, and family morals. At the same time, model it yourself. What do you do when you find a wallet in the street? Or when you are given too much change in a shop? Your children will be watching you, and learning. Keep an eye on your kids, watching for good behavior. Each time they perform an act of honesty, no matter how small, be sure to reward and praise them. If you do catch them stealing, stay calm. Losing your temper will not help, and may even act as a reward for them. Secondly, do not tempt them to lie their way out of it. Encourage your child to do the right thing. This means putting it right. Not just paying back what was stolen, but also paying compensation for the inconvenience and disrespect caused by the theft. Ideally, the child should do this himself, probably with your support. Here are some suggestions: If you happen to catch your child stealing, stay calm. Losing your temper, yelling or screaming will not help, and may even be perceived as an attention reward for them. Secondly, do not allow them to lie to excuse their behavior. Children respond to being encouraged to do the right thing. This means making things right. This means a variety of steps, not just paying back what was stolen, but also paying compensation for the inconvenience and disrespect caused by the theft. Encourage the child to find solutions him or herself with your support. Here are some ideas: Bring the item back to the manager of the shop, school child, or teacher, along with some compensation and an apology. Ask the victim to tell you what kind of service your child could perform. If you don't know the victim, then a friend, family member or neighbor could be the beneficiary. Giving him the chance to return the stolen goods to the victim, teaches your child about doing the right thing. If he won't do it then it's up to you to set an even higher penalty. You must stay on message, which is always doing the honest thing. Honesty is the best policy even if it comes after the theft. Another option that has an effect is to arrange for some "community service" for the theft victim or, if you don't know their identity, for the family or neighbors. Finally, once it is over, get over it. Get back into reward mode, look for the things your child is doing right, not wrong, and work hard at reinforcing honesty. It is the stealing that is the enemy, not your child. --o0o-- Dr. Noel Swanson, Consultant Child Psychiatrist and author of The GOOD CHILD Guide, specializes in children's behavioural difficulties and writes a free newsletter for parents. He can be contacted through his website: www.good-child-guide.com. This article is copyright. You are encouraged, however, to freely copy it provided this signature block is included without modification (other than the addition of your own affiliate link) Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com
Dr. Noel Swanson specializes in child behaviour problems. He has written a must-buy book, and hosts a fascinating website with loads of parenting help, go take a look now!
|
 RSS Feeds by Category |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
