Stealing in Kids: 5-Year-old Admits Taking Her Mom's Money 'To Keep It Safe'

A Texas mother was surprised to learn that her five-year-old daughter had been stashing money inside one of her plastic toys. While stealing in kids is typical for those five and below, experts provide some tips on how to handle this situation.

Clarissa Garza shared to her followers on TikTok that she initially couldn't understand how her young daughter acquired a handful of dollar bills. The mom discovered the money while cleaning her daughter's room and counted $247 stashed away in her little girl's stuff.

In the TikTok video, which has since gone viral, Garza showed the "evidence" of folded dollar bills hidden in a pink toy drawer, prompting the mother to "confront" the thief.

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 @rissa_xo.xoSeriously ! Lol  ♬ original sound - Clarissa Garza 

The 'Thief' Admits to the Crime

In a separate video, Garza filmed her "investigation" and asked her daughter about the money in her toys. She admitted that she took those from her mother's purse because she wanted "to keep it safe." The girl confessed while smiling and giggling away as she looked at the video to talk to her mother. Garza is then heard in the video explaining to her five-year-old that she has to stop taking money from her wallet. She also told her daughter that they would have to get a piggy bank to start saving money.

 @rissa_xo.xo Reply to @mia_babe26 the answer to everyone’s question #kids #funny #money #cutie #fyp #lol #fy #haha ♬ original sound - Clarissa Garza  

The mom's TikTok followers commended her for how she handled stealing in kids. They also praised her for her approach because her daughter was not afraid to admit to the truth."The fact that she's smiling and giggling instead of being afraid as well as how you talk to her tell[s] me you treat her well," one of the commenters said. Another follower said that this is how parents should "parent" -- by not yelling, hitting, or threatening their children while telling them what they cannot do.

The other commenters also said that Garza was able to save $247 without even realizing it, and the mother admitted that the money would have been spent if she had it in her purse. However, some of her followers didn't like that she went through her daughter's things while the girl was with her father. They told Garza to put the money back in her toy instead of reclaiming the money.

When Stealing in Kids Becomes an Issue

According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, stealing in kids may be typical because they still do not understand that taking something that doesn't belong to them is wrong. Thus, parents have the duty to "actively teach" their kids about property rights and consideration for the things of other people.

Stealing in kids may also result from poor impulse control in younger children, and parents should not be emotional or hysterical when confronting this behavior. In most cases, it's part of growing up and will not become a serious problem, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.

On the other hand, older children may be stealing for many reasons, including seeking attention from their parents. In cases of a serious offense, the experts said that this could indicate a serious emotional problem in development or the environment. A persistent stealer should receive professional help to understand the underlying reasons for the behavior.

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