Help, I'm raising a criminal...!

[skyescraper]

Hi Friends,

As you know we have moved around a lot the last couple of years, and although we are now in a much healthier church situation, our middle child, our 6-year-old son, has had a very hard time adjusting to all the changes. He has been cranky, angry, sad, moody off and on, and recently started stealing. He first stole from a store, and of course we took him back to return the item and apologize; however, it has happened again - not just from stores, but from a friend, and then from me and my husband (things in our bedroom, things from my purse, etc.) We are now to the point where we can't trust him - in fact the other day he told me, "Mom, I can't help it. I just love money." :eek: I check his pockets now everytime we get ready to leave somewhere, just to make sure there is nothing in them that doesn't belong.

He has Jesus in his heart and is always very contrite after these things happen, but keeps doing them. Would you please pray for wisdom for my husband and me as we figure out how best to help him? Thanks.

[milepost13]

I'll be praying, and would suggest you contact a Christian therapist in your area...this is a very classic case that I'm sure somebody in the professional field could help you walk your son through.

Nate

[russhutto]

Second what nate said, but will also add that there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with seeking help. Don't fall into that classic christianese trap of feeling like you're a failure if you face something like this and have to get help. You're NOT!

Prayers lifted for you and the kid!

[Smitty]

Sky, I can only second what Russ and Nate have advised.

Kids don't come with instruction manuals, and often can't tell you what it is that is bothering them...they just don't have the words or the life experience to be able to help you help them.

Find a Christian therapist. You won't regret it.

Praying for and with you.

Smitty

[TruePraise]

I would agree on a trusted counselor. The stealing could be a symptom of something deeper he is dealing with. And of course, prayer prayer prayer....

Parenting is just hard sometimes. Praying the Spirit gives you wisdom on how to handle this.

[skyescraper]

Thanks for the advice on how to help my 6-year old son who has a stealing problem. I know there is no shame in seeing a counselor, but I couldn't shake the feeling that as parents we had not done everything we could... and after much prayer and thought, the next time my son stole something, we cleaned out his room, taking out everything but his bed and his clothes. It was a huge shock for him, but I had warned him this would happen, and I told him, "apparently you like stealing more than you like having all your things."

He is now in the process of slowly earning back his beloved things - lamp, CD player, stuffed animals, other toys, pictures, etc. and I am happy to say he has been over 4 weeks 'clean' from stealing. I don't know if it's over for good, but I'm very encouraged that he is doing better. We are also learning how to help him avoid tempting situations.

[LoriBiddle]

I have only known one other family struggling with this. They discovered their beloved little girl was stealing and hiding things under her bed!

She eventually got over it, but, sorry to say I'm not sure if it took counseling or not...I am all about seeking outside help and counseling though - to make sure it's really resolved!