A little memory. I was 4-years-old. I wandered to a local craft store with my mom. I remember everything being hectic and busy. This store had a ton of lovely fake flowers in their entryway. These things were falling apart. The tops of flowers were everywhere, they had fallen off their stems. SO, while waiting for my mom to check out, I carefully placed as many of those fallen flowers as I could into my little light blue overalls. I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. I mean, those flowers were just laying there. Broken. Garbage. I wanted these flowers, so I took them. I’m not even sure how my mom didn’t notice the 50+ flowers I had stored in my overalls.
We got home, and I ran to the bathroom. I pulled out all those flowers and threw them on the floor. I had quite the collection! Suddenly, my mom walked in. I was in trouble. Apparently taking those unused flowers was stealing and stealing is a bad thing. I remember feeling terrible. How could I do that? Well, I never did it again.
The other day I found a little plastic toy in R’s pocket. I didn’t recognize it, so I asked her where it came from…. she told me she took it from her friend’s preschool. You see, R spent the day with my friend and her kids. They picked up her son from preschool, and R took home a little memento.
I was so surprised! Why did she take something that wasn’t her’s? I think I would have been less surprised if she took home a toy from my friend’s house, because she’s playing there all day. BUT, she actively chose to take a toy from a preschool she spent a few minutes in. She’s 3 and the rules are different in her mind. You want it? Take it!
I explained to her that we just don’t take things that are not ours and it’s not a good thing. She started crying. She cried and we hugged. I told her she needs to give back the doll next week. My friend is going to help her.
She’s learning. I’m learning. Being a mama is quite the journey.
– Chelsey
Oh those kids. I keep having to explain to my son that taking Papa's coins is stealing. Even though one of his uncles lets him steal his coins.
Xander has been coming home with random little toys here and there from daycare. He claims he is just borrowing it. I have no idea where he got this idea but it's been hard to teach him the difference between borrowing with permission and just taking. What's worse is that I'm sure the daycare providers don't realize it. Parenting sure is a challenge…and just thing this is only the beginning.
So much to learn!
🙂 Sweet. I can only imagine the teaching moments that lie ahead with my daughter. You did good.
Good job, mom! 🙂 I remember my moment like that – I ate a gummy bear out of the bulk bin at the grocery store due to a friend's prompting, and my mom gently but sternly told me that it was stealing.
It's tough! Q is still young enough that he doesn't understand that you can't just open a package at the store to play with it. We were walking by greeting cards, he saw dora and wanted to look at it. I let him carefully look, but there were stickers inside and he was trying to take one out. He was not understanding why he couldn't just have one like he can at home. Like, I just want one little sticker, geeze mom!
Ha! He didn't want the whole thing… just one sticker. 😉
Awww the cute innocence of that age… I was quite the 'klepto' as a child too! ;o) I still remember my mad skills
at slipping toys up my coat sleeve – like a pro!
It's funny how those memories stick with us – especially when we got caught!
You're a good mama – as usual. ;o)
mel
needle and nest
I think every kid goes through that phase…I remember I didn't really understand the concept of the candy in the checkout lines in the supermarkets until I was at least 5. =)
Candy should always be free. 😉
I totally remember taking a piece of candy from a grocery store when i was about 4. I showed my cousin who tattled on me and my uncle made me take it to the manager of the store and apologize.
Boo on your cousin. 😉 Hee.
Sweet story!
J http://lifelovesand.blogspot.ie/
I did the exact same thing with the flowers when I was little. Somehow it seemed fine because you could take flower petals in the park.