People with sticky fingers!

[MakeCents?]

At that age, odds are it may be a parent/older sibling or even a staffer who has "sticky fingers"
My girl is in middle school (gr 6) and that seems to be the new norm
So far this school year, it's been her "indoor shoes" while she was in Gym Class & a FULL Lunchbag
She had to borrow money from a Teacher that day (it happened in the school canteen) and I had to buy her another bag!

[lindsbeth112984]

Very sad world we live in.. people will steal anything these days. And a CHILD stealing! Horrible parenting somewhere..

[Poirot]

REALLLLLLLY mad right now.

I just got home from picking my daughter up from gymnastics.
She was taking her sweet time getting changed, so I asked her what the hold up was....and what does she tell me?
She cannot find her jeans!

They have a change room where everyone keeps their clothes while they train, and she left her pants and shirt stuffed in her boots because her bag is in the laundry. So, someone had to have grabbed the pants and taken them out of her boots, because it would not have just fallen out.
This is not even the first thing that she has had there that was stolen, last year her body suit and shorts were stolen right out of her bag.
These were nice jeans, and not cheap!

I had to wrap my sweater around her to cover her up so she could walk through the waiting room and to the car.
She was so embarrassed.....7 YO wandering around looking for her clothes in her underwear and a tshirt.

I am going to have to start taking her clothes, coat and boots with me when I drop her off and bring them back when I pick her up.

OHHHHH so mad!

Could be someone stealing out of jealousy.

[i_forget]

Well, regardless of who it was or why, I hope that they turn up.
I was quite vocal last night about it, and they all "talk" so I am hoping that it will get around and the pants will just reappear. I doubt that anyone will fess up to it.

I walked over to the owner and told her that I was pissed and that I wanted her to talk to the girls.
Several of the other mothers heard me and saw how irritated that I was.

Regardless of the reason why, I am just super proud that she is not going to dwell on it.
Nothing like sticking it to someone by not letting them bring you down.

[electric_viking]

My daughters are cheerleaders and this sort of thing goes on all the time at the gym where they train. The gym has taken steps to help by providing cubby's for them in the gym area. They change in the change room then bring their gym bag out to the gym and place it in one of the cubby holes. That's what I suggest your daughter do, place clothes in a bag and put it in the gym where it's harder to steal.

[Hondamanic]

That makes me sick to my stomach that someone can do that and let alone to a child. Crazy world we live in.

[Scorp411]

It makes me wonder... if there were REAL consequences when the person responsible was caught if things would improve. I don't believe in abusing children, but I would have been severely punished in this situation as a child. Very few parents these days spank their kids for serious offences and I think we are beginning to see the result of that in everyday society.

OP, you did a great job with your daughter but I feel for you. My kids are early twenties and late teens now and are constantly disappointed and hurt by their peers lack of ethics. I fear people like you and I are raising our kids to feel very isolated in spite of our best efforts. It's rather a sad statement and while I still believe there are good people out there and good kids, it has changed from when I was young and not for the better. But don't give up fighting the good fight. We need children like yours to grow up and lead the way...

[Kelly5]

I would just have her put her things in a bag that she gives you during the practice. It's sad that it needs to happen, but at least you know nothing will happen to her stuff. If there is a locker room, you could purchase a lock for her stuff.

[matrix82]

That is an awful experience. I agree with the above suggestion to just have old clothes available for gymnastic practices, that way if it disappears it won't be an expensive loss. I think the idea of taking the bag into the gymnastic room, or you taking the bags of clothes is another idea.

Sounds like you are raising a fantastic child though. Tell her I'm sorry this happened to her, and I think from what you have posted she shows a high maturity level and a good heart, that will allow her to go places in life.

I'm 30 and will always remember the first time I ever had something taken from me, I was in grade 1 and it was a little fur change purse with my lunch money in it for hot dog day. I think was disappointed me the most and why I remember it was that I told the teacher someone had taken it, and she never did anything, she never asked the class, nothing, I had to go without lunch that day. Never found out who took it, I learned a lesson that day to not leave anything unattended :S.

[torontogal12]

Something similar happened to me! I told the teacher and she didn't care. I am also 30, were we in the same class? :S. I found that telling teachers never helped. One time I stood up to my bully and then I got in trouble for it. Authority figures just don't seem to care but it is always good to say something. Moms have to take things in their own hands in a situation like this

That is an awful experience. I agree with the above suggestion to just have old clothes available for gymnastic practices, that way if it disappears it won't be an expensive loss. I think the idea of taking the bag into the gymnastic room, or you taking the bags of clothes is another idea.

Sounds like you are raising a fantastic child though. Tell her I'm sorry this happened to her, and I think from what you have posted she shows a high maturity level and a good heart, that will allow her to go places in life.

I'm 30 and will always remember the first time I ever had something taken from me, I was in grade 1 and it was a little fur change purse with my lunch money in it for hot dog day. I think was disappointed me the most and why I remember it was that I told the teacher someone had taken it, and she never did anything, she never asked the class, nothing, I had to go without lunch that day. Never found out who took it, I learned a lesson that day to not leave anything unattended :S.

[xox2010]

So sorry this happened to your daughter. I wonder if the parents are "coaching" their kids to steal? Or maybe a girl accidentally took the jeans instead of her own?

[frugalkitty]

Im sorry that that happened to your daughter.

I have to wonder about the mother who winds up washing the stolen jeans and doesn't recognize them or know where they came from, as a child I could never come home with stuff that wasn't mine.

Someone mentioned bad parenting when a child steals - I'm not convinced that children doing wrong things is always a result of bad parenting, children often make poor and impulsive choices.

I have had things disappear when I was a child too and I highly doubt that it was an instance of a girl taking the jeans by mistake. I doubt my calgary zoo panda bear pin and graphing calculator were taken by mistake (yeah I'm still bitter lol)

[miamitall]

When my son was 5, I had purchased a new pair of leather running shoes about a week before a home birthday party. He had very wide feet at the time, and it was difficult finding him shoes - they cost approximately $ 75. All the kids had to take their shoes off before entering the bouncy castle in the backyard and put them into a large laundry basket. When leaving, I couldn't find my son's new shoes. There was another pair of identical shoes in the basket, but they were quite old, worn, and 1/2 size smaller than my son's.

I looked around, and saw a much younger/smaller boy wearing my son's shoes. I went over to him, bent down to his level, and held out the smaller shoes and gently, quietly, and smiling, suggested he may have put on the wrong shoes, and I held out his pair. He must have realized his mistake, because he immediately started taking off my son's shoes.
His mother than comes storming over, shrieking at her son, telling him not to take his shoes off. I quietly explained the situation to her. She refused to listen and tried to leave with her son. I put the old shoes on my son - we had to really squeeze to put them on, and explained to her I just purchased them last week, I can get the bill for her etc., and obviously the old shoes were too small to fit my son. She kept on telling her son not to take his shoes off, and went to leave. I followed her as she was leaving the party, and realizing I wasn't going to give up, she finally took my son's shoes off her kid and gave them to me.

I don't blame the child. I wouldn't even blame a father, sibling, or babysitter for not realizing the mistake - but it was OBVIOUS by the mother's actions and words that she thought she had just scored a brand new pair of leather runners for her child and that no one would be the wiser.

It's unfortunate how there's no stigma to stealing anymore; it's like a game, and people brag about what they get away with...

Im sorry that that happened to your daughter.

I have to wonder about the mother who winds up washing the stolen jeans and doesn't recognize them or know where they came from, as a child I could never come home with stuff that wasn't mine.

Someone mentioned bad parenting when a child steals - I'm not convinced that children doing wrong things is always a result of bad parenting, children often make poor and impulsive choices.

I have had things disappear when I was a child too and I highly doubt that it was an instance of a girl taking the jeans by mistake. I doubt my calgary zoo panda bear pin and graphing calculator were taken by mistake (yeah I'm still bitter lol)

[i_forget]

Glad you got the shoes back