How to Catch a Child Thief

Keep an eye on your pocket change, jewelry and other small things a child could see and be tempted to take. With a young child, you might move it to a location where your child can̵7;t get to it, such as in a locked cabinet or high shelf she can̵7;t reach. For an older child, take the money, credit cards and jewelry out of your purse and pockets and put them in a safe location before leaving your purse or wallet in the usual spot. Set up a nanny cam or other surveillance method to watch your purse or other valuable stash so you can confront your child when she tries to raid your belongings.

Inspect your child̵7;s room and other areas your child considers safe and his special place for the missing items. Conduct the search when your child is at school or otherwise out of the home. Be as discreet as possible so you avoid hurting your child if you don̵7;t find any of the missing items. Consider checking your child̵7;s backpack, and favorite hiding places outside, such as bicycle baskets, or his car if he is a driving teenager. Leave the items where you find them so you can retrieve them when your child is home and you are ready to confront him with proof of theft.

Confront your child with proof of theft when the entire family can be present, suggests Dr. Carl Pickhardt, a psychologist and author of ̶0;Stop the Screaming: How to Turn Angry Conflict with Your Child into Positive Communication̶1; and ̶0;The Everything Parent's Guide to Positive Discipline.̶1; Writing on the "Psychology Today" website, Pickhardt says the child should hear from family members how the theft makes them feel, such as violated, unsafe, anxious and angry. Your child should understand that her actions hurt family members in more ways than just the loss of property. Family members who have lost items should help determine what type of restitution is required to make up for the loss. If the child has also taken items from a store, school or friends, she must apologize in person and make restitution there as well, suggests Dr. Roger Allen, psychologist and author of ̶0;Common Sense Discipline.̶1;

Ask your child why he feels compelled to take things that don̵7;t belong to him. Kids steal for many reasons, according to the KidsHealth website, and it̵7;s important to deal with the cause so the child is less tempted to repeat the crime. Find out if your child needs more attention, or if he feels that another child is getting more of your focus or a greater percentage of family resources. Or is it because he feels that anything the family owns is something he has a right to take? Pickhardt recommends that you address the issue and get the child counseling if the reasons are emotional or the behavior continues despite education and punishment.