#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Living In Thailand Forum >  >  > The Family Room >  >  My 5 1/2 year old son the extortionist.

## Cujo

I'm a bit concerned about this and not sure how to handle it, whether it's a one ff thing, a passing phase or a portent of things to come I don't know.
he came home from school with a red eraser and told me his friend had given it to him.
My wife told me he had told her that he noticed another kid at school had two and he liked them and asked the kid for one but the other kid said no so my boy, chip off the old block, told the kid that if he didn't give him one he would tell the teacher and the teacher would confiscate both, so better to part with one and keep one than lose both. 
 Now, while I appreciate the intelligence of  a 5 1/2 year old to come up with a scheme like that, it's nasty and evil, not to mention criminal.
 I don't want to tell him that his mother had told me what he told her, and destroy his trust in mum, but I asked him about it tonight and he reiterated what he told me, that his friend had given it to him.
I said I was going to have a chat to mum about it.
Talk about panic, he came up with half a dozen different reasons I shouldn't talk to mum about it and looked a very worried boy when I left him to go to sleep and think about things.
I can't imagine where he would even get the idea to do something like that, let alone think it was ok.
 We've always tried to teach him to be polite, kind, honest, sharing, charitable, helpful and a generally nice boy, not always with positive results but pretty good so far, where this little devil has come from I don't know.
Any ideas, thoughts or suggestions welcomed.

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## sabaii sabaii

He seems honest enough, he told his Mom what he did.

Maybe her reaction to him for what he did, has stopped him from telling you.

I would let it go, he seems to know he has done wrong by giving you all the reasons why not to ask his Mom about it.

Get his Mom to tell him not to do that again.

Buy your son some stationery too. And make sure he gives that kid a pencil sharpener  :Smile:

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## alwarner

The other kid shouldnt have been such a pussy and should have told your lad to get bent.

imo.

that said, i was loling when I read your story.  It does show a cetain devilment.

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## sabaii sabaii

> It does show a cetain devilment.


The guy with the Pig Farm Franchise probably started out with erasers  :Smile:

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## nigelandjan

Believe me mate you have far bigger events to come  :Smile:

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## OhOh

March him round to the victims house and offer to pay for the missing rubber.

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## Cujo

> He seems honest enough, he told his Mom what he did.
> 
> Maybe her reaction to him for what he did, has stopped him from telling you.


Yes, I encourage him to be honest by not tearing him a new arsehole when he fesses up, so he should know I'm not going to punish him. ( I do if I find out something he hasn't been honest about)


> I would let it go, he seems to know he has done wrong by giving you all the reasons why not to ask his Mom about it.


He definitely knows he's done wrong.




> Get his Mom to tell him not to do that again.


She's explained the serious consequences of such activities. (prison)




> Buy your son some stationery too. And make sure he gives that kid a pencil sharpener


A very excellent idea. Done. Thanks.

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## Cujo

> March him round to the victims house and offer to pay for the missing rubber.


I was thinking to ask him if he could get me a motorbike.
I'm going with Sabais suggestion of a gift. Of course there's no guarantee it'll get to the intended recipient.
He has a grand future as a Chinese businessman ahead.

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## nigelandjan

> I'm going with Sabais suggestion of a gift.


     Hope that aint a big jelly fish

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## Cujo

> Originally Posted by Koojo
> 
> I'm going with Sabais suggestion of a gift.
> 
> 
>      Hope that aint a big jelly fish


what?
I was thinking a pencil sharpener.

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## Chairman Mao

Erasers?

I robbed 80 quid cash out of my dad's wallet when I was five. Had it for a few days too. Unfortunately 5 year old kids with 80 quid in cash arise quite a bit of suspicion and when I played 'I've got more money than you' with my sisters, aged 10 and 15 at the time, the gig was up. Went to split it but they weren't having it.  :Sad: 

And hey, I turned out fine.

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## can123

Shave his head and look for a "666" marking. Daggers may be purchased at Chatuchak.

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## Stinky

He sounds like a bad egg to me, you need to put the lad into a temple to get some positive Kama from the monks before he turns your life into a scene from Scarface  :Wink:

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## nigelandjan

> I was thinking a pencil sharpener.


  Sab might have other offerings

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## nigelandjan

^ Happy NY Digit

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## Stinky

Back at ya NigeorJan  :Smile:

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## Bazzy

Ask leading questions that illustrate the moral perspectives of the actions he has taken. When he does a similar thing again, ask questions again. Hopefully, in future, he eventually starts asking the questions in his own mind, reaching the right conclusions, before he acts.

A 5 1/2 year old is not evil by nature, he needs parenting to help him on the right path. Good luck with it Koojo.

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## ENT

As you say in your post # 1, he's a chip off the old block.

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## nidhogg

> so my boy, chip off the old block, told the kid that if he didn't give him one he would tell the teacher .


being a grass is a chip off the old block?

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## Cujo

> Originally Posted by Koojo
> 
> 
>  so my boy, chip off the old block, told the kid that if he didn't give him one he would tell the teacher .
> 
> 
> being a grass is a chip off the old block?


I should have included the sarcy roll eyes smiley with the 'chip off the old block' comment, and it's not grassing, it's extortion.

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## DrAndy

now now, don't get all pedantic

but you will have to get him to tell you the truth - it is no good him only telling his mum

so a nice sit down with him and have a chat, let him know that he lied to you some way, and maybe make him return the eraser to the other kid

that is a loss of face and very embarrassing - I remember making my daughter take back a couple of postcards to a shop where she had just lifted them when she was 5, she never did it again (to my knowledge)

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## laymond

no drama,sounds like you and mum have it sorted.

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## Cujo

> Originally Posted by Koojo
> 
> 
>  so my boy, chip off the old block, told the kid that if he didn't give him one he would tell the teacher .
> 
> 
> being a grass is a chip off the old block?


I should have included the sarcy roll eyes smiley with the 'chip off the old block' comment, and it's not grassing, it's extortion.

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## Aussie Tigger

Your boy is normal,he negotiated for the eraser,he opened up to his Mum as most young kids will as their bond is strongest at his young age with their Mothers.
He obviously respects you as the head of the family hence his reluctance to admit to you.
Good communication is the key so he can build up the confidence to discuss these issues with you.
At his age he is testing the water and will as we all do tell the occasional white lie to cover up minor indescretions.
You sound like a good Dad, he is lucky to have a caring parent.

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## Marmite the Dog

He goes to school with Chinese. He'll have no morals by the time he leaves school.

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## ENT

That's most likely, judging by the number of Chinese students cheating at western universities.

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## VocalNeal

I would add that he should be told that what goes around comes around. So if he continues to perform the "I'll tell teacher..." stunt, eventually someone will do it to him. 
Tell him that if he really wanted a red eraser he should have come home and asked for one as, although he cannot have everything he wants, they are not expensive and can be justified as school supplies.
Buy him two green ones and tell him to give one to the other kid in exchange.

That being said I am probably spiritually the "other" kid, I would probably have simply given him one and as I had two and only really need one.

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## ENT

^
Red's the party colour.

Green's not a popular choice for budding hierarchists in China.

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## Cujo

Update. He's just turned 9 (that seems to have gone quick) and recently he's been doing pictures of a cartoon character called Knucklehead and selling them at school. he's very happy about that because he says he uses the other kids paper and pencils so his outlay is nothing.
And by the way, the kid he's been trading comics with for for the encyclopedias (almost has the whole set now) said his mum said he better get those encyclopedias back. 
He has the attention span of a knat and just gets by his exams so I don't think he's going to be a lawyer or a doctor but I'm starting to feel I don't have too worry to much.

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## Kurgen

Shoot him and grow a new one.

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## Horatio Hornblower

Lets kids be kids,just show them the right route.

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## BaitongBoy

He should be in Amusing Pics Ripped From China...

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## billy the kid

> it's extortion.


fast learner.  inherited gene. maybe from the mother.

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