Real Life MMD: Should I tell on the little girl shoplifter?

JDPower

meher wrote: »

it goes on the weekly email tips, presumably why there are newbie posts on these money moral dilemma and the polls discussion threads

Plus there is more interest in these dilemmas now they are real. I always ignored them when they were just hypothetical as it achieved nothing by contributing, but nearly always take a look now.

As for this one, I don't see the dilemma, tell the mum, as everyone has already said.

tallgirld

I would have just mentioned it the mother. You could have just said "Excuse me but the little girl just nicked a chocolate bar"

Well maybe not say the word nick might be better to say "The little girl just placed a chocolate bar in her pocket"

I'm sorry but I do think it's a little bit funny. The kid quite clearly knew she was nicking it!!!!

LOL :-)

Aldahbra

annei wrote: »

Something you need to think about here is that not all children recognise or respond to warning looks -

That is a really good point I'm not sure my 9 year old would recognise a warning look, she is just not visual in that way, she certainly would not have understood that at 4.

I don't understand the dilema here. Surely you just tell the mother what you have seen then and there. I CERTAINLY DON'T THINK THAT YOU SHOULD FOLLOW THE MOTHER OUT OF THE SHOP TO TALK TO HER.

JayD

I would have told the mum right away. I am sure she would have been grateful and it would have been an ideal opportunity for the little girl to learn that she could not get away with taking things like that. It is the lack of consequence that creates the belief it is safe to do such things. To have no consequence when someone has clearly seen you, can confirm this to be the case even more.

Katgoddess

aimee2525 wrote: »

As a teacher, I have to contact parents to tell them about their offspring's misbehaviour on an almost daily basis and this is easy so long as you remember that:

a) Their child is their pride and joy, to be defended at all times
b) The parent is likely to be quite embarrassed
c) You are actually on the same side- all parents know right from wrong and where they don't enforce this with their kids it's usually because they either don't know how to deal with it or they want to avoid a confrontation

Taking that into consideration, if you are discrete in telling the parent and show that you are on their side e.g. "I thought you would like to know that she's just picked up a chocolate bar" and then use a bit of humour e.g. "cheeky little thing, thought she would get away with it. lol. Good job I was watching, eh" then you should be fine!:T

That is pretty much what I would do. I am a receptionist in a children's centre, so I deal with 4 year olds and their parents all the time. Although I would probably say to the child in a loud voice "oh dear, you've forgotten to pay for that" so the parent and till operator could hear. Then roll my eyes to the parent with a "kids, eh?"

Kiko4564

I would report her to her mother but quietly and remembering she doesn't understand the real world consequences and the 'big picture'.

Ivrytwr3

flash your wallet quickly shouting "Police! Everybody freeze!" Then throw the little girl onto the conveyor belt yelling "You're nicked sunshine!" - ala Gene Hunt style!

snugglepet20

If this was my child I would appreciate being told they had taken something as she would be in trouble. However there are ways of politely pointing something out and ways of publically accusing someone of being a lousy mother with a stealing master criminal chav child! Also it is never appropriate to tell a strangers child off this will just make the parent angry and defensive. So if you are a person with little social grace just keep walking!

cefynbach

I agree the mum should have been told discretely as the child needs to be shown its wrong before it gets a habit

creoulo

Is a new culture of people around who go to shopping and eat and drink inside the shop and nobody even the poor workers tell nothing, why? Because you will start a fighting if you do it, simple, ignore that, is a owners (shop) fault, they need to create the way and rules to avoid this kind of events happen ...on other countries nobody is allow to drink or eat on shops.

R creoulo