Stealing

Sooo...Mykaya did it. The thing all kids do at some point and usually stop after being scolded a time or two: she stole something. The circumstances are pretty sad though, and it made me wonder how many times she has actually done this and I didn't know.

The learning disabilities coordinator I mentioned in this post, Mrs. Serr (pronounced seer), took Mykaya into her office last week for a small portion of the testing they will be doing with her. I talked to Mykaya on the phone that day and she told me she had gone to see Mrs. Serr and that she had done so well, she was allowed to choose a prize. She chose a clear cube-shaped paperweight with a rose inside. When I got home that night, Mykaya had left me a note on the floor with the rose that said "Here is the rose I got from Mrs. Serr. Ainit beautiful? Love Mykaya". I thought it was really pretty but a strange prize for a child. In the morning, it was gone so I knew she had taken it to school or put it away. I didn't think of it again.

That afternoon I got an email from Mrs. Jahner. She said she had noticed Kaya with the paperweight and hadn't seen it before their field trip to the city library that morning, so she was concerned that's where she may have gotten it from. She said when she asked Mykaya where she got it, she replied "I don't know, I guess my house." I replied that she actually had gotten it from Mrs. Serr the day before for doing a good job. It was a red flag for me that she had been so excited to tell me she got it from Mrs. Serr but then told Mrs. Jahner a different story. I asked her to find out. She emailed later to say that Mrs. Serr had not given it to her and Mykaya had stolen it while she was in her room. Mrs. Serr was shocked and had no idea when she could have taken it-she was with her the whole time. Mykaya was walked down there and had to give it back. When they asked her why she stole it, she said "because it was so beautiful". If you know Mykaya, that probably just broke your heart. She is one of the most kindhearted people and obviously had no concept of the fact that it belonged to someone else. She wanted it, so she took it. I apologized and told her we would nip this in the bud.

When I got home that night, I explained stealing to her and reiterated what Mrs. Jahner and I had talked about. She told me Mrs. Serr had told her that was one of her favorite things because her daughter had given it to her. Yet, she still stole it. Sigh. I scolded and scolded and told her she would need to write her a letter to apologize. I told her what to say in the letter, and Laney helped her draw a picture of the paperweight. We sealed it all in an envelope to give to her the next time she sees her. I felt this was the most appropriate way for her to apologize because I am afraid Mykaya will have forgotten all about it by the next time she sits down with her, and I feel that Mrs. Serr deserves an apology.

Hopefully, this will not happen again. If it does, we know what to do. :)

With love,
The Schulz's