Anonymous wrote:If your child doesn't have special needs and home and school is a safe place, then he is being straight up naughty. I would be making the home a little less of a safe place by spanking him the next time he played in my face like that. My children would never. They do not respect you.

If they have special needs or school is actually awful due to bullies or something, then it's a bit more valid.

🙄

Could also be difficulty managing tasks and deadlines due to ADHD, creating anxiety about being caught without homework etc

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Find a therapist to help with his anxiety

I recommend family therapy. It’s far more helpful than individual therapy.

+1

If your child doesn't have special needs and home and school is a safe place, then he is being straight up naughty. I would be making the home a little less of a safe place by spanking him the next time he played in my face like that. My children would never. They do not respect you.

If they have special needs or school is actually awful due to bullies or something, then it's a bit more valid.

1. Find a better spot for your keys
2. Get your child some help for his anxiety - start with a therapist.

Anonymous wrote:Find a therapist to help with his anxiety

I recommend family therapy. It’s far more helpful than individual therapy.

Reach out to his teacher and ask if they’ve noticed any changes at school. In the meantime, you need to keep your keys on you. Keys in pocket once you get home. After kids are asleep you can put them in your nightstand or somewhere else he can’t take them without you waking up and catching him.

Anonymous wrote:My heartbreaks for your son. His solution is pretty creative though. Talk to a mental health professional to help him through this.

Mine too. It’s usually bullying, feeling lonely or an undiagnosed learning disability that makes the work almost impossible.

It sounds like anxiety , like others suggested. My daughter was exactly like this at that age. Nothing worked for her that the therapist suggested. Even if we could get her in the car , she wouldn’t get out at school. The school counselor and the principal would be sitting with her talking in the backseat of our car. She didn’t start consistently going to school until her psychiatrist prescribed her Prozac at 9.

Something more is going on. Figure it out. Maybe being bullied? Hide your keys first. Talk to the teacher.

It's unclear from your post whether you've talked to the teacher? I would absolutely be sure that nothing has changed in the classroom. I've known kids who have gone to school-avoidance for seemingly innocuous things (like a classroom bathroom being out of order- and having to use the hall one).

Is he in second or third? Third grade is known for a big ramp-up in academic rigor. If he's got undiagnosed learning challenges that could also be fueling the anxiety (and a teacher might have noticed something!)

Anonymous wrote:While you are waiting for a therapy appointment, buy an air tag for your key ring. Assuming you have a key fob, an extra set is $$$.

Duplicate keys are useful but honestly as a parent, you should be preventing your kid from accessing your purse and keys. Do you have a suitcase with a TSA lock?

Word to the wise...my sibling never stole money but once she borrowed a $100 bill as insurance for taxi fare when she and a friend skipped school and caught an infrequent bus to our nearest metro. This was extremely dumb. She did make it back by bus. But my dad noticed the money gone and that unraveled the situation.

The kid that takes your keys now is likely to get into your money, credit cards, and alcohol. Be forewarned.

While you are waiting for a therapy appointment, buy an air tag for your key ring. Assuming you have a key fob, an extra set is $$$.

The first thing you need to make sure he is not stating up late playing games on any devices.

That is really now the most common reasons kids don’t want to go to school. They are online or playing games at all hours of the night after their parents go to sleep. So in the morning they are tired and don’t want to go to school. Check the history on any laptop, iPad, computer he has access to and take any gaming system (Nintendo, PlayStation) out of his room.

While you’re helping your kid, get another set of car keys made that you keep hidden somewhere. It’s okay that this is his current go to strategy, but it can create a real logistical problem in the house.