Sorry About The Stealing!

Another Wally adventure, and learning opportunity for all has come our way! Yesterday a couple of hours after we got home from the store Wally came to me with a blue mouth and we had a conversation that went a little like this...

Wally: "That was really good mom."
Me: "What was good, and why is your mouth blue?"
Wally: "From the blue candy that I put in my pocket at the store."

Me telling Wally to go get the wrapper and staring in disbelief as I realized it must really have been something that my four year old stole from the store.

Me: "Wally, when you don't pay for something before you take it from the store that is called stealing and it is really not good to steal."
Wally: "But I was getting hungry."
Me: "It doesn't matter. When you don't give the lady money for the candy you can't have it. That is stealing.
Wally: " But I didn't have any money."

I told him that we were going to have to go back to the store and give the lady money and say that we were sorry for stealing because Jesus has told us not to steal.

Wally, "How about YOU go back and tell the lady we are sorry, and I stay home with dad."

I know that all of this is not funny considering my four year old was a petty thief yesterday, and I don't want this to lead to a life of crime, but he was honestly so innocent about his stealing! If that makes any sense. So when Del got home, he drove Wally back to the store and made him say sorry and pay. Wally hid behind Del's legs and was really embarrassed, but did say sorry. Del said as they left the store Wally yelled, "Merry Christmas!"

I really hope that it all sunk in. I don't know how many more times we can say, "You are never going to do that again, right?" But when he got home he did come up to me and say, "Sorry about the stealing mom." Lesson learned by all.