What would your consequence to this be?

[Anonymous]

Normal. Hide it better. Mean to give it to sibling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here, I just want to say I have told him several times not to go into my closet and take things that aren’t his. And this brand was baseball 101 so it wasn’t just clothes but ones the boys are obsessed with (where I live at least) he knew I wasn’t home so went snooping. He should have known better.

9 year old should not be home alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems perfectly normal behavior. Were you not a child yourself once?

Agree. Children are curious. What if it was a box full of candy ?

The OP needs better parenting skills. Why make the situation worse by creating sibling rivalry ? And why did you buy the wrong size for your 9 year old ?

Tip for OP: Don't leave the car keys out in the open.

Many of my friends were like this when we were young; most grew up to be policemen or firemen. Completely normal behavior for a curious child.

[Anonymous]

People saying you need to hide it better are blowing my mind. A nine year old should know it’s crossing a line to enter mom’s closet and take clothes out of a taped shut box. You do NOT need to hide things better in your own home. That is a character issue. (I’m also curious where you people store your lube and vibrators - lock them up?). Everyone in a house has a reasonable expectation of privacy in their own bedrooms/space.
Taking cash is also a huge red flag. I don’t have great advice on how to handle. I don’t think your reaction was great but it was not as awful as people are claiming. What did your husband suggest as an alternative? You are IMO doing the right thing by giving major consequences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems perfectly normal behavior. Were you not a child yourself once?

Agree. Children are curious. What if it was a box full of candy ?

The OP needs better parenting skills. Why make the situation worse by creating sibling rivalry ? And why did you buy the wrong size for your 9 year old ?

Tip for OP: Don't leave the car keys out in the open.

Many of my friends were like this when we were young; most grew up to be policemen or firemen. Completely normal behavior for a curious child.

What the heck? Parents can’t leave their car keys out in the open now? Where should we store them? I am scared for society after reading this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems perfectly normal behavior. Were you not a child yourself once?

NP. I was a child and I would never have invaded the personal area of anyone in the family. Taking money from anyone's purse without permission is stealing!
I don't think you overreacted OP.

[Anonymous]

He's a 9 yr. Old entitled spoiled brat and this is the fault of bad or no parenting.

[Anonymous]

You need to nip this before he sneaks alcohol or meds.

I have a 9 year old and boxes of candy and presents and all sorts of things. It does not even occur to her to snoop or take anything. Trust would be completely broken.

Either he is defiant or thrill seeking or just needs attention. The latter is easier the former is harder.
I would have multiple conversations about trust and integrity and what it means to be part of a family etc etc. not just one big lecture but continuous.
I wouldn't give clothes to his brother as that's not a natural consequence. Put them away, give him one or whatever. But we don't make a big deal of Christmas presents.
If this happened here DH would totally set a glitter bomb booby trap or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:9 year olds know what stealing is.

They should, and should know it's wrong. OP's 9 year old doesn't because he keeps doing it. That's a parenting issue. There's a disconnect there that needs to be addressed.