are my parents right to punish me with a prison type punishment for stealing ?

sally1234 · Saturday at 12:08 AM

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Posted 20 hours ago
last thursday i stole a bottle of vodka from my local shop, it was a dare from my friends, well i got caught as the shopkeeper knows my parents they called them and not the police, my parents went mad saying stealing is a serious sin and requires a strict and harsh punishment, my parents said that those that steal go to prison, my parents said they dont want me to go to prison so they are going to give me a taste of prison life as my punishment, they have sentenced me to 3 days locked in my room,starting yesterday friday, i will have to get up at 6am no lying in, and i will be locked in my room at all times, i will eat in my room and will only be allowed out to shower and bathroom breaks, as i have exams next summer my parents have said they expect me to study, i also have to write a letter of apology to the shopkeeper and thank her for not calling the police , my parents are setting me 2 four page punishment essays to write each day, yesterday i had to write an essay about why its a sin to steal, and another on unaceptable behavour and punishment, the weather is warm and sunny outside and i am shut in i am finding the punishment hard, my parents said thats the point of the punishment to make me learn a lesson, what do you think ? do i deserve to be punished or should i be let off please be honest ?

timothyu · Saturday at 12:45 AM

Consider the option. You are getting off easy and your future hasn’t been ruined with a record. Sadly that record would follow you long past any punishment the courts hand out. Much of what you take for granted will be lost and your friends will move on without you. Please don’t test this for yourself.

sally1234 · Saturday at 1:23 AM

timothyu said:
Consider the option. You are getting off easy and your future hasn’t been ruined with a record. Sadly that record would follow you long past any punishment the courts hand out. Much of what you take for granted will be lost and your friends will move on without you. Please don’t test this for yourself.

i know you are right, my parents said i dont know how lucky i am that the shopkeeper didnt call the police, but the punishment is tough its not nice being locked up ?

Servus · Saturday at 1:58 AM

sally1234 said:
i know you are right, my parents said i dont know how lucky i am that the shopkeeper didnt call the police, but the punishment is tough its not nice being locked up ?

How old you are makes a difference in determining the situation.

sally1234 · Saturday at 2:22 AM

Servus said:
How old you are makes a difference in determining the situation.

15, i dont like the punishment ?

Servus · Saturday at 3:14 AM

sally1234 said:
15, i dont like the punishment ?

Okay. Sometimes in situations like these the person posting is in their 20s or even 30s. So needless to say you don't fall into that group. No one likes punishment. I've certainly experienced punishments I considered too harsh and or unfair. At least at the time. However I did learn from those punishments. The last thing you want are soft parents. Probably most of the adults you see who are homeless, junkies, in prison etc had parents who let things slide and or neglected them, especially when they were teenagers.

Dave G. · Saturday at 3:52 AM

Real Prison is a worse punishment, though at your age you would more likely get community service in lieu of prison, on a first offense. I don't feel your parents are too strict, you're let out for showers and bathroom. It's only two days more. Prison is about re-framing your thinking. Your parents have details for you to tend to in your room. And it's your room, familiar territory, your own bed etc..

When one of my wife's daughters was young she stole a candy bar in a store while shopping with her mom. My wife drove her and her sister to the police station and asked for them to go through a mock procedure ( the candy bar had been returned). The police were accommodating, showing the girls the holding cell and police procedure, To this day and the daughter now 40ish, this sticks in her head.

Let me ask you this, have you learned anything out of all this in regards to store theft? Don't dwell on the hurting part to answer that question. In God's economy you and my wife's daughter would both be guilty, theft is theft and one who steals is a thief. By knowing Jesus and confessing your sin to God you are set free, but there are still real life consequences in our flesh. That is to say, punishment in the here and now in our physical bodies. Our social sentence needs to be fulfilled. That's a real old school store keeper you encountered, you're fortunate. Many today would just call the police.

sally1234 · Saturday at 3:55 AM

Servus said:
Okay. Sometimes in situations like these the person posting is in their 20s or even 30s. So needless to say you don't fall into that group. No one likes punishment. I've certainly experienced punishments I considered too harsh and or unfair. At least at the time. However I did learn from those punishments. The last thing you want are soft parents. Probably most of the adults you see who are homeless, junkies, in prison etc had parents who let things slide and or neglected them, especially when they were teenagers.

the weather outside is so nice and i am shut in, i know i have to be punished but does it have to be this misreable

sally1234 · Saturday at 5:09 AM

Dave G. said:
Real Prison is a worse punishment, though at your age you would more likely get community service in lieu of prison, on a first offense. I don't feel your parents are too strict, you're let out for showers and bathroom. It's only two days more. Prison is about re-framing your thinking. Your parents have details for you to tend to in your room. And it's your room, familiar territory, your own bed etc..

When one of my wife's daughters was young she stole a candy bar in a store while shopping with her mom. My wife drove her and her sister to the police station and asked for them to go through a mock procedure ( the candy bar had been returned). The police were accommodating, showing the girls the holding cell and police procedure, To this day and the daughter now 40ish, this sticks in her head.

Let me ask you this, have you learned anything out of all this in regards to store theft? Don't dwell on the hurting part to answer that question. In God's economy you and my wife's daughter would both be guilty, theft is theft and one who steals is a thief. By knowing Jesus and confessing your sin to God you are set free, but there are still real life consequences in our flesh. That is to say, punishment in the here and now in our physical bodies. Our social sentence needs to be fulfilled. That's a real old school store keeper you encountered, you're fortunate. Many today would just call the police.

i will never steal again i know its wrong, my parents say they have forgiven me and they generally believe i will never still again, so why do i still have to suffer a punishment ?

Maria Billingsley · Saturday at 6:29 AM

sally1234 said:
Toggle Members Info

Posted 20 hours ago
last thursday i stole a bottle of vodka from my local shop, it was a dare from my friends, well i got caught as the shopkeeper knows my parents they called them and not the police, my parents went mad saying stealing is a serious sin and requires a strict and harsh punishment, my parents said that those that steal go to prison, my parents said they dont want me to go to prison so they are going to give me a taste of prison life as my punishment, they have sentenced me to 3 days locked in my room,starting yesterday friday, i will have to get up at 6am no lying in, and i will be locked in my room at all times, i will eat in my room and will only be allowed out to shower and bathroom breaks, as i have exams next summer my parents have said they expect me to study, i also have to write a letter of apology to the shopkeeper and thank her for not calling the police , my parents are setting me 2 four page punishment essays to write each day, yesterday i had to write an essay about why its a sin to steal, and another on unaceptable behavour and punishment, the weather is warm and sunny outside and i am shut in i am finding the punishment hard, my parents said thats the point of the punishment to make me learn a lesson, what do you think ? do i deserve to be punished or should i be let off please be honest ?

Well, you only have one more day left. Hang in there and most importantly repent( turn away) from stealing.

Be blessed

Servus · Saturday at 7:18 AM

sally1234 said:
the weather outside is so nice and i am shut in, i know i have to be punished but does it have to be this misreable

Being made miserable is the whole point of punishment.

MForbes · Saturday at 7:59 AM

Your parents should've also taken away your ability to access the internet and/or social media.

Richard T · Saturday at 8:24 AM

Seems more than fair. In Singapore you might be caned for that.

Dave G. · Saturday at 10:04 AM

sally1234 said:
i will never steal again i know its wrong, my parents say they have forgiven me and they generally believe i will never still again, so why do i still have to suffer a punishment ?

Well these are consequences to your actions, Sally. I'm sure at 15 it seems drastic. This is a valuable lesson for you to carry through life. My suggestion ? Go through it, then follow through on your statement that you will never steal again. Your friends daring you just is not worth the consequences. Remember that. Your parents love you, there is forgiveness as well, which is evidence of that love.. This could have turned out so much worse in several ways.. Much more so than missing a couple fair weather days.

Servus · Saturday at 10:32 AM

MForbes said:
Your parents should've also taken away your ability to access the internet and/or social media.

Back in the stone age when I was 15 the only source of entertainment I would've had was a radio.

Aldebaran · Saturday at 10:41 AM

sally1234 said:
i will never steal again i know its wrong, my parents say they have forgiven me and they generally believe i will never still again, so why do i still have to suffer a punishment ?

Sally, trust me when I say that what you're going through right now may seem harsh, but is nowhere near as harsh as it would be if this had happened when you were over 18 years old. Your parents are trying to teach you about what life would be like as an adult under the same circumstances, and are being quite lenient at limiting it to only three days. If you were over 18 and the legal system were involved, it could involve months or even years in an actual jail or prison (as opposed to your own bedroom at home) with real criminals that you have to live with. By learning this lesson now, you will be able to avoid having such penalties in the future.

timothyu · Saturday at 1:53 PM

No harm in knowing there are consequences to our actions. You will notice your friends used you to protect themselves. Better you get caught than them, to their thinking. Personal gain at the expense of another. You will run into this all through your life. Consider it a lesson learned. Be discerning. It's not worth ruining your life to please those who have no problem throwing you under the bus. Your parents and the shopkeeper showed more love than your 'friends' did.

com7fy8 · Sunday at 11:40 AM

Hi, Sally . . . I am 78 years old and not your mother or father. I would say you should show what I write, here, to your mom and dad.

One thing I see is that you could be more concerned about if what your parents are doing is right.

What you really need to think about is what you are doing.

And if a person could get you to go to steal liquor, even at your younger age when it is illegal to have alcoholic beverages > you need to evaluate how you were able to let that person influence you like that.

There is what matters so much more than if you stay in your room . . . and so much more important, than if what you did was legal or not.

Do you want to be a person whom other people can trust? Part of loving people is that we are trustworthy.

And Jesus wants us to love any and all people. So, you needed to love that store person, by being trustworthy with that person.

Whether or not we love people is more important than what is legal.

And the one who got you to do that was not being trustworthy. That person needs to get a functional conscience so that person knows how to love and not to get people to do what is wrong. That person needs to get attention, too, about this.

Sir Joseph · Sunday at 11:44 AM

I'm glad to see the responders' support for the parents' actions. It is unusual, but good to see.

Sally1234, if you were my child, the punishment would have been much more longer lasting and unpleasant. I think you've gotten off quite easy.

As for your comment on aquitting the penalty because your parents forgave you, unlike Jesus, society generally doesn't work that way. Your parents can love you and still discipline you, just as they can forgive you and still discipline you.

Now, rather than complain about the event to your friends, thank your parents for teaching you a good lesson in a creative, effective way, and chock it up to a valuable lesson learned with no serious, permanent consequences.

Minister Monardo · Wednesday at 9:02 AM

sally1234 said:
Toggle Members Info

Posted 20 hours ago
last thursday i stole a bottle of vodka from my local shop, it was a dare from my friends, well i got caught as the shopkeeper knows my parents they called them and not the police, my parents went mad saying stealing is a serious sin and requires a strict and harsh punishment, my parents said that those that steal go to prison, my parents said they dont want me to go to prison so they are going to give me a taste of prison life as my punishment, they have sentenced me to 3 days locked in my room,starting yesterday friday, i will have to get up at 6am no lying in, and i will be locked in my room at all times, i will eat in my room and will only be allowed out to shower and bathroom breaks, as i have exams next summer my parents have said they expect me to study, i also have to write a letter of apology to the shopkeeper and thank her for not calling the police , my parents are setting me 2 four page punishment essays to write each day, yesterday i had to write an essay about why its a sin to steal, and another on unaceptable behavour and punishment, the weather is warm and sunny outside and i am shut in i am finding the punishment hard, my parents said thats the point of the punishment to make me learn a lesson, what do you think ? do i deserve to be punished or should i be let off please be honest ?

Following scripture for a guideline, retribution should have been made.
Instead of sitting in your room for 3 days,
You should have worked 3 days for your parents friend at his shop. Exodus 22
:12 But if, in fact, it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to the owner of it.
:1 If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it,
he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.
Working to an equivalent of perhaps a case of vodka. Do a good job, and you may
have earned one for the summer, if your work reflected Christ.
Ephesians 6:5 Bond servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh,
with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;
All things work for the good for those who live the Lord.
You just may have earned a favorable reference for your next job.
Just a few thoughts to consider, inspired by God's Word.

are my parents right to punish me with a prison type punishment for stealing ?

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