[Mom2all]

A boy who stayed in the group home I visit had a horrible habit of stealing. He took everything that wasn't nailed down. We I met him he had been doing it for years and nothing worked. After he took from us, I made him empty his pockets before we took him home one day and explained why. We talked alot about "the boy who cried wolf" and the bad feelings you get when you have to lie to hide something and storied like that. I told him that day.. that if he liked something, tell me. We would come up with work he could do to earn one he wouldn't have to hide and could be proud of. (And of the good feelings that earning it gave someone) He stole one more eraser from school that week and then he stopped stealing altogether, (At least for the time he remained at the home) Of course, we praised him everytime his pockets were empty, and he eventually earned that trust back. He worked hard with chores to earn little things. I don't know if it will work on everyone, but it did with him.