What Would Spiderman Have Done?

Stealing goes far beyond the actual act.  When the victim is a child, it is an even greater crime.  Many of you will remember my recent posts on taking care of my daughter's sheep, six dogs, and a cat while they went on their first family vacation.....to Hawaii. The morning Rochelle, Thomas and their two-year-old William left for Hawaii, I helped William pack his new Spiderman Bag from Gramma.

The bag carried as many Thomas the Train vehicles it could possibly hold, along with a small track. This would certainly provide entertainment on the long airplane ride.   William also packed an iPhone that had a few of his favorite movies downloaded. He was ready to go and excited.

The trip to Hawaii proved to be a wonderful vacation for Rochelle and her family.  They used William's iPhone to take almost a thousand pictures and were excited to have all those wonderful memories recorded.  

My experiences as Shepherdess and dog sitter provided me with some hilarious stories to share on my blog.  There were:
My New BFF, Hurley the Sheep  

Or....Flying Through the Air with the Greatest of East and the help of a big dog

And.... Will a Day at the Spa Remove the Smell of Sheep?  

The evening before returning home, Rochelle and family went out for Japanese where the chef prepares the food at your table. They shared the table with a family of four, including two young boys.  Of course, William had his Spiderman bag with him, packed with all his trains and iPhone. When it was time to leave, Rochelle noticed that William's Spiderman bag was missing.  She felt sick to her stomach and realized that even though her purse was sitting next to it, someone had specifically picked up William's bag. 

How do you explain this kind of behavior to a two-year-old? Replacing the bag and the trains could be easily done, but the pictures could never be replaced.  Immediately, they tried to find the phone's location using GPS but it was not turned on, as it was being used strictly as a camera.  

The Greatest Lesson We Teach Our Children:

EXAMPLE.....EXAMPLE......EXAMPLE

Tears trickled down William's cheeks when he could not begin to understand what happened.  "Where are my trains?  Where are my movies?  Where is Gramma's Spiderman bag?"  There were many more difficult questions to answer.   If a kid stole it, wouldn't you, as a parent, take it back to the restaurant? What possible lesson are you teaching a child if you do not return it?   

To add insult to injury, the next day Thomas looked at his iPad, where the iPhone had been synced and what did he see?  A snapshot of an ADULT HAND replacing the memory stick.  This memory stick would be of no value to the new 'owner' but would mean the world to the previous one.  

Little boys are a lot more resilient than parents or Grammas.  This Gramma was extremely angry and yet, there was absolutely NOTHING she could do.  Sure, the trains and the bag could be replaced but.....

We sit in a restaurant.  We share a table with another family.  We joke.  We chat.  They leave.  What message did they give their boys?   Years later, maybe they will wonder why their teenage sons are in trouble with the law.  

What do you think?

Photo courtesy of character.com