Sneaky, thieving six year olds

David has had sticky fingers lately. And I don't mean strawberry jam. He tried to steal a colorful rock from a gift store a couple of months ago. Then, right before Christmas, he walked out of Chick-fil-a with the nutcracker/cow cardboard table topper (Keith says that one is the mom's fault.) Anyway, we caught him trying to leave with the menu from Home Run Sliders shortly after the table topper got home with us. Then, while doing a post Christmas return he took a denim gift card holder from the Gap (it really was cute, looked like a little pocket.) I caught him playing with it in the living room and boy howdy was I mad. I did what parents do. Talked about shoplifting, jail and that taking things that aren't ours is a low life thing to do. Poor little boy had the saddest look on his face. But I had to.
I gave the empty gift card holder to my friend Kristen. I think they may be free (well, if you purchase a gift card) and my lecture, Keith's lecture and the very long time out were punishment enough. Oh, and the mall was really crowded. Didn't want to punish myself, I think the lesson has hit home.

I couldn't bear to throw away the little holder (weird, I know.) Instead, I decided to give it to my friend. Kristen thought I was giving her a real gift. What is this for? "Well, you can put earrings in it when you travel, or it could be a little lipstick pouch or maybe a Christmas ornament for next year?" See, I hadn't bought her a gift and I really do think it was cute. When I finally came clean, and admitted to passing off stolen goods as a thoughtful gift we cracked up.
Now, on errands with the boys, Keith casually asks David, "Did anything accidentally fall into your pockets?" The answer has been negative every time and even the crowded Lego store produced no setbacks, so I think David may be recovered.
A first grader came over yesterday evening. She is only a few months older than David. They played and played with these stuffed animal balls that the boys love. They are pictured above. Ava took a particular shine to a little penguin ball named Avalanche. We have searched high and low to no avail. David insists that Ava took it. Now, I don't want to go accusing the little darling, but I may walk over to their house to borrow a cup of sugar and sneak a peek into her room.
It seems most people have a story about stealing right around that age and I have read that six year olds have a sense of entitlement. Maybe poor Avalanche is lost somewhere among the other toys. Or maybe it found its way into a pink sweatshirt jacket. I'm curious.