Had a fun time hanging out with my son the other night. And the next day he shows his love .. By skipping school and shoplifting.. Nothing better than getting a call from the sheriff dept telling you we have your son.. Any suggestions on how to deal with this..Can't spank him.. Then I'll be arrested.. So far I just tripled his chore list ...
Talk to him. My son never wanted to have talks, he would say "Can't you just spank me to get it over with?" Get out the Bible, have him read aloud the verses he went against, you can have him write them out also. Discuss the root cause- what was he thinking (literally) that made him arrive at that decision before he put it into action. Then correct that wrongful thinking with its scripture.
Then have
him write down the amount of hours of school he skipped, and the amount of money (value) he stole. Have him use a calculator in front of you, and next to the time and money, have him write what amount that is times seven. For example, one hour of skipped school is now seven hours of skipped school. Ten dollars worth of stolen merchandise is now seventy dollars worth.
Now you have him do extra school studying in his free time- seven hours worth, or whatever it may be. And quiz him on it. Then sign his paper for every hour he paid back. Add more chores (extra, not child labor lol) and have him earn an allowance for seventy dollars, or whatever the amount was, and go with him to use that money to shop for toys for tots, or coats for kids, or some kind of charity, mentioning that you have to watch him do it cause he can't be trusted to act like a gentleman without supervision. Sign the paper until all the hours and money are paid back.
Then have an eye contact conversation, he must look you in the eye as you speak. Let down your guard, let him see you be vulnerable. You are now speaking to his conscience. Say "You know, you really hurt me. We had a great day together, and then I was so disappointed by your choices and actions. Someday your kids are going to depend on you, and look up to you. Are they going to see a boy in a man's body, or a true man? You have damaged the trust that I had in you, and youre going to have to repair that if you want the benefits that go along with it- such as your cell phone, your allowance, the freedom to go to football games, and hang out with your friends, without having to have me be right next to you. Everyone messes up, but you have to get right back on the straight and narrow, otherwise you will end up on a path that will lead to things that you do not want."