daughter steals food - Children's Health Message Board

Homemom · 05-23-2003, 11:54 AM

How can I get my 10 year old daughter to stop stealing. She steals food after she's had a snack, and eats it in her room then hides the wrappers. She steals candy from her teachers at school too.

dea4 · 05-23-2003, 04:55 PM

She sounds a lot like my niece was many years ago, she is now 21 and married but when she was little she had a bad habit of taking things, not sure why. Maybe she is trying to get attention, have you tried talking to her about it, asking her why, are there certain times she does it worse than others, like when someone else gets attention for something they may have done?
Just a thought, not much help here but at least you know she isn't the only one thats done that, my niece thankfully finally grew out of that.

NavyWifeUSSGW · 05-23-2003, 06:05 PM

My 11 year old niece does the same thing. After many talks with her it became obvious that she was ashamed of her weight. She is not over weight, but she is not extremely thin either. A few comments about her size were made by her older brother and she is now very self consious about what she eats. Try talking to her, maybe something happened at school that has her feeling uncomfortable. Good luck.

eliseybums · 05-24-2003, 07:32 PM

i know this sounds childish and it may not work for a 10 year old. but my 5 year old neice used to do this and her mother bought her an angel pin and put it on her jacket. her mother told her that the angel was watching her at all times and it spoiled my nieces conscious good because my sister told her daughter that is she did anything bad the angel would tell her mother. and i know that no child would want to be caught by their mother. i hope this works. best of luck to ya!

mem

MonicaAlabama · 05-24-2003, 10:57 PM

Hi mom,
I was reading your post, and they hit home! I have a daughter who is 11, and a son who is 10. For years, we have had a problem with them stealing food and hiding the wrappers, bowls, ect. To the point we found ants in their rooms. Both of my children are ADD, and I have to limit their caffine and sugar intake, cause it makes them *bounce the walls*. I ask the dr. about why they steal food, (mostly candy, sodas, ect.) and was told that their body craves it, and they do it almost not even knowing it. So this is what I did, I am a diabetic, so I have to have sugar free things, I allow them to have maybe a *no sugar added* ice cream cone, or low sugar snack before bed, and it has helped in big ways, they are satisfied, and don't steal as much. They do still steal chips, ect. only if I tell them they can't have it after supper. My daughter has a weight problem, and I do not want her eating alot of junk. It also helps alot, if I find a veggie or something they like and let them snack on that. Hope this helps you in some way. Good luck to you! God bless