My daughter has been struggling with the concept of possession, self-discipline, and respect for others' belongings. She battles with her intense desires for everything from cookies in the cabinets that are acceptable to eat ONLY when we give them to her to her sister's lip gloss. She has progressed from snatching whatever looks interesting in the moment. Now she rationalizes.
"That's my sister's headband," I caught her saying one day. "I bet she doesn't want it anymore. She left here. She isn't taking care of it. I bet I can have it."
I watched this mental shift in horrified fascination. My mind went directly to a store, and I could hear her thinking, "Those look cool. They have lots of those. I bet they wouldn't care if I took one."
I intervened as she reached for her sister's headband. "What do you want to do with that?" I asked.
"I can keep it. She doesn't want it anymore."
"Let's put it in her room," I suggested in a rare moment of patience and insight. I took her hand to lead her upstairs. "That would be the best thing."
My daughter was reluctant, but with my help she returned her sister's headband. How many such incidents will I have to lead her through before the lesson sticks?
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