what to do if someone keeps stealing ur TF's

[iamirondude]

what should i do if there is someone who keeps stealing my tf's and hiding them hopeing that he wont get caught.he's not my kid so smacking him upside the head can't happen.also ringing the cops and telling his carer doesn't work.

[JuzMel]

Erm, lock them in a box where he can't get them or hid them somewhere he can't get them?

[iamirondude]

i've done the box thing he still gets into that and now i have too many to hide or lock away.

[sideswipes brother]

Ummmmm, dont let him in your house??????

[iamirondude]

i wish he actually lives with us.he and his sister are cared for by my mother in law.i've told her but thats also ineffective.

[sideswipes brother]

That sucks that your in that situation. You could put them in storage or keep them at someone elses house? Put a good lock on your bedroom door?

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

i wish he actually lives with us.he and his sister are cared for by my mother in law.i've told her but thats also ineffective.

Id say put your foot down since it's your freakin house! that kid is just being babysat is he, well tell his parents coz the sooner thisbehaviour is nipped at the bud the better.

What I got from this was that they actually live full-time in the same house, and iamirondude's mother-in-law is their full-time, live-in carer for one reason or another. Presumably there's some sort of reason for that, i.e. they're probably the kids of a family member/close friend who either passed away and/or has some difficult life circumstances that make foster care a better option, or else said mother-in-law has adopted them.
Eg. irondude's household = iamirondude + iamirondude's wife + their/his own child + irondude's mother-in-law + Klepto the Wonder Boy + Klepto's sister + possibly others.
Either way, without knowing too many of the details and/or family politics here, if the mother-in-law is caring for the two kids full-time presumably they're from a 'troubled' background and there's not a better option available, like their actual parents. Similarly, kicking them out of the house over something like this (and the various other thefts) isn't a viable option either without kicking out Grandma too, which presumably Mrs irondude wouldn't be too happy about (and seems a little extreme). You have a little more leverage if it's 'your house' as in you're the actual house owner rather than another tenant/family member, but even then the whole blood ties to Grandma and Klepto being her ward make laying down the law difficult.

So, with this in mind, here's my serious advice. Previous suggestions 1 and 2 are still workable, as is 'store them at someone else's house' (maybe try to find someone you trust though), but if you want to keep them at hand and theft-free then you might want to get Mrs irondude to approach her mother about it. If Klepto is stealing from other people too presumably there's an awareness that there's a problem here, but Grandma either 1) refuses to acknowledge it about her little angel, or else 2) hasn't been able to stop it. If it's the latter, then maybe look into counseling as Goki says - not just for the TFs, but also because growing up as a petty thief isn't gonna be good for Klepto either. For now it's just annoying, but it could land him in real trouble one day.

So @irondude, I've got a few questions that'll help us get a clearer view of the situation here. Feel free to not answer them if they're stuff you don't want to talk about.
1: Are you the house owner/lease holder?
2: How old is Klepto, and how long has he been doing this for? Is he a troubled/problem child generally, and does he have any behavioural disorders like ADHD, Autism, etc? Were there any notable events that happened that might have triggered it off?
3: Why is Grandma looking after Klepto and his sister? Does his sister have any behavioural problems too, or is it just him? If you can tell us a little about the background story here (while avoiding any specifics you'd rather not share) it could help us understand what's going on.
4: Has Grandma tried doing anything about Klepto's behaviour, or is she pretending it's not happening and/or looking the other way and hoping it just goes away on it's own?
5: What's the makeup of your house? So far we know it's you, Mrs irondude's mother, and her 2 wards, but who else lives there?
6: What are the family politics here? Do you get on well with your mother-in-law? Do you think Mrs irondude might have a better chance of getting results here?

[kup]

i wish he actually lives with us.he and his sister are cared for by my mother in law.i've told her but thats also ineffective.

Lock the room where the toys are. This kid is clearly out of control because he has never been given any restrictions or made to understand that there are consequences to his actions.

He is going to end up turning into a sociopath that will most likely end up in prison. If not corrected now, it will be a lot worse when he is older.