Kids can be sneaky when they really want something.

So what would you do if, after firmly saying no to toys, you caught your child trying to smuggle one out anyway?

Would you quietly let it slide to avoid a scene?

Or would you step in and make sure they learned the seriousness of what they were doing?

In the following story, one retail worker witnesses this situation play out in real time.

Here’s what happened.

Little Girl Gets Caught Stealing

Okay, this happened yesterday, and I thought I’d share the story. It’s not too exciting, but it’s the first time I’ve witnessed something like this.

A little background: I work at a crafts store as a cashier. I started about a month ago and have been working only two to three shifts a week.

Near the cash registers are aisles where we keep magazines, bags of candy, and some colorful kids’ toys (small stuffed animals, squishy toys, keychains, etc.).

It’s not uncommon for me to see little kids begging their parents for a treat or coming up to the counter with one.

The kids wanted toys, but their mothers said no.

So, yesterday I was working at the register at the Guest Services counter, cashing people out. In line come two mothers who both speak Spanish to each other and to the four little girls they have with them.

The little girls were running around and begging their moms to get them some small toys.

The moms were very assertive and gave them firm ‘no’s the entire time they were being cashed out.

I felt kind of bad for the little girls, but I understood why the moms were so insistent on saying no.

These two women were spending over $200, mostly on ribbon!

Not to mention that these little girls weren’t behaving very well, running around in circles and whining (I understand little kids are impatient, and it was after 7:30, so I can imagine everyone was just tired, too).

Fortunately, the mother caught her daughter in the act.

I get the two moms checked out, and they gather the little girls, all with pouty faces, to leave.

I handed one of the moms the $200 worth of items while the other mom got down to the level of one of the little girls standing behind her.

This mom noticed before I did that the girl had a hand up her shirt. She got to her level and pulled her arm out, revealing a squishy unicorn keychain!

The mom put the unicorn on the counter near her and scolded her daughter in Spanish.

I don’t know much Spanish, but I recognized the word ‘policia,’ which was enough for me to understand that she was basically telling her daughter that she’d get in trouble with the police if she stole.

I applaud that mom for catching her daughter because I probably wouldn’t have noticed at all!

Wow! That’s some good parenting.

Let’s check out how the fine folks over at Reddit relate to this situation.

That’s one of this person’s biggest fears of parenthood.

Here’s someone who appreciates the good parenting.

According to this person, their child stole a toy once.

This person’s mother made them return the item and apologize.

What an excellent mother!

And she’s very observant, too!

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.