Caught my oldest stealing from his brother

2w ago1 min read

My 10 year old took money from his little brother's piggy bank yesterday. Confronted him and he had no good excuse, just wanted the cash. I'm trying to handle this the right way, making him apologize, make restitution, whole thing. But I'm also thinking this is a teaching moment about character and integrity. We're gonna go to church and talk to our pastor about it, maybe that will hit different coming from someone other than dad. How do you guys balance discipline with grace when your kids mess up? Want him to understand consequences but also God's forgiveness.

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Comments(3)

CChris T.Regular2w ago

Yep been there. Don't go soft on this one. Natural consequences are your friend here. He needs to understand that stealing from family has actual repercussions, not just a lecture.

KKyle M.Regular2w ago

The piggy bank is actually the perfect teaching moment. My oldest did something similar at that age. We made him work it off and then had a real conversation about why his brother's trust matters more than whatever he wanted. It stuck with him.

EEric M.Regular2w ago

What made him do it? Is he short on allowance, feeling left out, peer pressure at school? There's usually something driving the behavior. Figure that out first before the punishment.