The SNICKER thread reminded me....

[arete85]

Child thieves. Ugh.

I've had a few....differences of opinion with my friend as to how she raises her children. Suffice to say I will NOT be going shopping with them in a group ever again (the eldest nearly caused a pile-up refusing to get off the top of a single-file escalator from a basement store, nearly causing injuries behind him, because he was mad at me for telling him not to bash the display laptops).

One time we were hanging out and her youngest was showing me a lovely necklace, which I gently reminded her to take good care of as it was her mother's.
Her mother heard, and corrected me.

"Actually, it's Tiffany's necklace."
"Wow", I replied, "it's really nice! Was it a birthday present?"
"No, she stole it from a shop."



I mean, she was very young, but how do you ever expect to get them under control if this is how they start life? They have already been banned from her best friend's house for breaking an expensive stereo, among other things, with no recriminations.

[MoxisPilot]

...The most over-used excuse I've heard for explaining this behavior is, "They're just children, hur hur hur!"

I refuse to spend time around the children of certain friends: either their children are thieves, or are extremely rude and have no respect for their parents or other adults, or they behave so badly they cause INJURIES. I'll only go out with them if they've hired a babysitter; of course, I've lost a friend or two this way, but honestly, as someone who doesn't particularly like children in the first place, I think I put up with a lot before it gets to that level.

[TTAZ]

Shoot, my sister and I haven't spoken in over 5 years because I dared verbally chastise her oldest son for shutting my dogs paw in a door, purposely scaring my dog, beating his oldest sister with a can of lysol because he THOUGHT she did something, and dragging his youngest sister down the hall by her hair, just to name a FEW of the transgressions I saw in the 2 weeks I was visiting. My sister's excuse?

He was 13 and she felt sorry for him because he had GROWING PAINS.

My son isn't quite 2 and the other day he kicked me because he was pissed at being put down for a nap. I swatted his ass and in no uncertain terms told him that THAT behavior was NEVER okay. He apologized, and hasn't done it again, even though he's been pissed off since then. The parents in the previous posts I guarantee will have the nerve to be shocked and confused when their kids get in major trouble with the law before they hit double digits in age.

[XCashier]

"Actually, it's Tiffany's necklace."
"Wow", I replied, "it's really nice! Was it a birthday present?"
"No, she stole it from a shop."

I think at that point I might've slapped the mother and scolded her for not raising her child properly. And she wouldn't be my friend for very long. I do not like thieves, nor do I condone such laissez-faire parenting.

[Buglady]

My mother would have KILLED me if I stole a necklace from a shop. She STILL would kill me, and I'm 35!

I specifically remember being brought back into a supermarket when I was 3 to give back a lollipop I had taken from the bulk candy display. I had to give it to the cashier, say I was sorry, and promise to always pay for candy before I took it ever again (and of course see that Mom paid for the candy, and the lollipop went in the garbage because nobody could buy it after I licked it).

"They're just children" is not an excuse. It's an explanation for not knowing what they should do the FIRST time - I don't believe in extreme punishments for first offenses, because how else are kids supposed to learn? And no parent can predict their child's every move. BUT the difference is how the parents handle things after the child misbehaves, or if the behaviour is repeated. And kids catch on frighteningly quickly what they can get away with.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

And people wonder why I ignore everyone else at my school...

I got the short end of the stick with this generation, can I have another?

[Anakah]

Sadly some kids never grow out of it. A friend told me: Oh, man i "forgot" that the lipsticks were in my purse. I was like: why the HELL Were they in there in the first place? She openly steals from walmart. I refuse to go anywhere with her with merchandise around.

I don't care how much makeup costs, if you can't afford it don't freaking wear it! Or rather she can afford it and just doesn't want to pay. I wonder if she stole as a child and mom never said anything. Dunno but I HATE thieves. I don't tolerate that BS.

[mariamousie1]

I have a cousin I once went on vacation with. Never again. I've never seen such sticky fingers. She didn't steal from stores. She stole stuff like glasses and silverware from the hotel buffet. We were in Boston, at Cheers, and she actually put a Cheers glass in my mom's purse. My mom told her if she wants to go to jail, fine but leave her purse out of it. It just made me so mad. Someone has to pay for those. Not to mention she just picked on me and ordered me around the whole trip. We got a Christmas card from her in December saying "Hey guys! Road trip!" Yeah right.

[Rapscallion]

Sadly some kids never grow out of it. A friend told me: Oh, man i "forgot" that the lipsticks were in my purse. I was like: why the HELL Were they in there in the first place? She openly steals from walmart. I refuse to go anywhere with her with merchandise around.

I have to ask why she's still a friend.

Rapscallion