How many of you have ever seen someone shoplift right in front of you? If you did, what would you do? What if it was a child and the mother did not see? Would you:
A. Tell the mom
B. Tell the clerk
C. Do nothing
D. Tell the clerk, but pay for it yourself
This happened to a friend of mine. Check her blog about it at http://www.babyboomerbev.blogspot.com/ under Mind Your Own Business Boomer Grandma. My friend told the clerk who stopped the mom and daughter before they left the store. Yes, it was a preschooler and yes, it was only a lollypop. But isn't that how it starts? First a lollypop, then fancy panties, then a Ferrari.
What appalled me about the story was the mom's angry reaction. I would have been embarassed, but also grateful to Bev for letting me know what happened so I could put a stop to it. One of my kids that age stole candy and I marched them back to the store to apologize and pay for it. They never did it again.
From the mom's reaction, I wonder if she really did know. Bev said it looked like the child knew what she was doing. And just last week a mom and dad were arrested for using their small child to steal something--I think it was a purse. The mom told her to "do it for mommy." Really? That is what you want to teach your child?
As Bev asks, where are the morals these days? We have a very lenient society in which our young people are given anything they want instead of having to work for it. I think that is the start of this type of behavior. They think that just because they want it, they should be able to take it. Hmm. Are they learning that at home or from Congress?
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2 comments:
I totally agree with you. Bad behavior needs to be nipped in the bud ....asap. For someone to have the opposite reaction ... makes you wonder what their values really are.
Absolutely, Leslie. Parent wisdom would tell you to quickly let the child know that behavior is not to be tolerated. But in this case, it sure leads my mind to other questions about this poor child's upbringing.
While it is possible that the reaction may have different if Bev had told the mom instead of the clerk, the mom still should not have jumped on Bev like that.
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