A child steals money from parents - advice of a psychologist

The entry of a child into adolescence is almost always accompanied by the emergence of a large number of problems. Including, parents often find out that their grown-up child begins to steal from them money and tries to hide this unpleasant fact.

Of course, under such circumstances, most moms and dads are very angry. Meanwhile, it is absolutely impossible to get irritated and show aggression in this case. In this article, we will try to understand why native and adopted children steal money from their parents, and what needs to be done in this difficult situation.

Why does a child steal money from his parents?

There are many different reasons that can push a teenager to steal, in particular:

1. The most common reason is the lack of pocket money that parents allocate to their son or daughter. Since adolescents do not yet realize how hard it is for their mother and father and do not know how to rationally distribute their available finances, they quickly run out of pocket money. At the same time, none of the guys want to look poorer than their comrades, so they often decide to take a certain amount secretly.
2. In some cases, the cause of child theft lies in the wrong behavior of the parents themselves. So, if mom and dad do not pay attention to the child, ignore his requests and are completely absorbed in their affairs, their offspring can thus show his discontent.
3. Children with low self-esteem can steal to impress their peers and thereby rise in their eyes.
4. The most dangerous reason is extortion from adults or older children.
5. Finally, in rare cases, the cause of child theft is such a mental illness as kleptomania.

Psychologist's advice: what to do if a child steals money from his parents and lies?

Although most moms and dads, for the first time discovering the loss of money, simply fall into a rage, in fact, adults should remain calm, no matter what. Otherwise, the situation can be easily aggravated and pushed the teenager into even more serious crimes. Properly behave, when a child steals money from his parents, the following advice of a psychologist will help you:

1. First and foremost, it is necessary to call the child to a conversation, taking place in a calm and friendly atmosphere without strangers.
2. Try to understand the reason that pushed your child to this step. If nothing serious has happened in his life, calmly explain all the stupidity of his deed.
3. Do not compare the child with other children and do not frighten him with prison - since it is useless.
4. Do not ask your son or daughter to swear that this will not happen again. In adolescence, vows are empty words.
5. To omit the child to steal money will help such advice of a psychologist as: calmly explain to a teenager that these funds were intended to buy him a new computer game, a set of cosmetics or any other subject, depending on his individual preferences. After that, prepare a small box and invite him to jointly accumulate the right amount. Let the child contribute a portion of his own pocket money into the piggy bank. So he can feel his contribution to the purchase and understand why he had to wait for its acquisition.
6. Finally, a guy or a girl over 14 can offer to earn some money on their own. Only so the child can feel how hard they get.