It would be ideal if all children learned the lesson early on that they should not take what does not belong to them. This behavior, unfortunately, is usually not seriously confronted until kids are much older.

A small child must be told no matter how small an object is, if it is not yours, you cannot take it. Your teen needs to learn this same lesson. Parents who ignore a child taking candy at the grocery store or just pay for it upon discovery are doing kids an injustice. These same parents will not be so tolerant when their teen gets picked up for shoplifting.

Parents set good examples by not "borrowing" things from the workplace. This does not send the right message to our teens. Some adults make quite a career of what they steal, but never for one moment look at it as wrong.

When your kids steal, you must always make them apologize, return the item, or repay the value in money or in time. They also should make amends in another way to say they are sorry, since apologies are often insincere.

If this is not a first offense, I suggest you advocate for a stronger consequence through the courts or in your home.

Even though your child steals once, don't assume he'll steal again. Treat each incident as a separate event. If a pattern does develop, seek counseling. Theft is an outward sign of an inward problem.

Credits: Jo Ann Wentzel