Christian Momma

A few weeks ago, Michael came home from school and I noticed that his backpack was pretty full.  Here’s how the conversation went…

Me: “Michael, what’s in your bag?”

Michael: “Newspapers, Mr. Stewart wants us to collect newspapers so we can recycle them.”

Me: Thinking this is a great idea…but we don’t subscribe to any newspaper subscriptions. “Ok, where did the newspapers come from”

Michael: After handing me the bag, “They were just laying in the yard next door, so I picked them up.”

Me: After realizing that this was the subscription type of paper and not the free one that gets distributed door to do “So, you stole these from the neighbor’s lawn?  When?”

Michael: Stunned that I called it stealing, “In the morning before school.”

I took his backpack and found a week’s worth of newspapers in his bag.  I pulled them out and showed them to him.

Me: “You do realize you are stealing the neighbor’s newspaper?”

Michael: Stood there staring at me like I was speaking another language.

Me: “You are going to take these papers next door and tell the neighbor that you stole these papers from him.”

Michael: “I don’t want to.  I promise I won’t do it again.”

Me: “You are going to take them back and tell him you stole them or you are going to show your dad what you’ve done and he will take you over there.”

Michael: “Ok”  He was fighting back the tears at this point…it wouldn’t be right for a 11 year old to cry in front of his mom.

We go over to the neighbor’s house and the whole time I’m hoping that it’s not the neighbors that don’t particularly care for children.

We get to the door and he stands there…

Me: “Ring the bell.”

We wait and hear the footsteps of someone coming to the door.

Neighbor: “Hello”  Looking very confused at this woman standing on his porch with a young boy holding newspapers in his hand.

Me: After a moment of waiting for Michael to say something, “Do you subscribe to this newspaper?”

Neighbor: “Yes.”  Still seems a bit confused

Michael: Very softly “I took these and I’m sorry.”

Neighbor: “That was you?” Laughing a bit, “I have been wondering where my paper went every morning, even getting up earlier each moring to try and get the paper before whomever is taking it gets it.”  Chuckling a bit more “Thank you for bring them back, but please don’t do that again.”

Michael: “I won’t.”

Me: Turning to Michael as we leave “You got off so easy this time…things could have been so much worse than that.  I don’t ever want you to steal again.”

Michael: “I won’t, I don’t want to do that again!”

I hope this scared the stealing right out of him.  I didn’t know what else to do to have him realize how bad stealing was other than to have him admit and appologize to the person he was stealing from.

Boy, I wish parenting would come with a manual!