Bill Corbett

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles FreeDigitalPhotos.net That was the subject line of the message I received from a bewildered parent.  She and her 6-year-old son arrived home after a quick trip to the discount department store and he produced a die cast car that he was playing with.  She told me that the first thing that came to mind for her was that her son was now a thief and the thought was difficult to bear.  Below are the steps I outlined in my reply to her on how to handle the situation. REMAIN CALM .  This is probably the most important tip of all.  A parent’s disposition in a situation can help or hinder a child from learning from the circumstances at hand.  Avoid thinking that your child is a thief and certainly don’t label him.  Do whatever you have to do to muster up the stance that it’s not the end of the world and everything will turn out fine. RETURN TO THE STORE WITH YOUR CHILD .  Do what you can to put dinner on hold, or ...