My daughter keeps accusing the boy she fancies of stealing from her… is this normal behaviour? Mumsnet users divided over hilarious dilemma
Some felt the 10-year-old could be guilty of 'clumsy flirting'... but others thought she was trying to get her pal in trouble
A CONCERNED parent has taken to Mumsnet to ask if it’s normal for her 10-year-old daughter to repeatedly accuse the boy she has a crush on of stealing from her.
The girl, who is in Year 6, hides her fancy pens in the tray under the boy’s desk – and then claims he’s stolen from her when he uses them.
Mum Pourkersa said: “I never knew anything about this until the end of the school year where the teacher finally said she caught her doing it and wanted to speak to me about it.
“This boy then uses the pen after break for his work and dear daughter will claim that he has stolen her pen, and he says it was his all along, and my daughter says she finds it funny to prove how it’s hers to the teacher.
“I'm not getting it. Do I need to worry about this kind of behaviour?”
Purple Daisies said: “It sounds like she's attention seeking. It's pretty deceitful behaviour and trying to get someone else into trouble isn't on.
“If she's stepped out of line a small punishment might be in order.”
Arfarfanarf agreed, adding: “Could be interpreted as bullying to be honest. She needs to know that her behaviour is not ok and to stop it.”
Leccy Bill advised the mum to ‘confiscate the pens’.
While Zzzzz said: “I’m not sure it’s common behaviour at all. It sounds really horrible. Poor boy. I would take it very seriously.”
But Violet Bam felt the boy could be equally to blame, adding: “I agree it's a weird game they're playing and it would worry me slightly.
“They are colluding to create drama?”
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Trafalgargal said: “It sounds like bullying to me, if the boy was confident he'd just say he'd found it in his tray.
“I could understand her liking him and putting it there as a gift to show she likes him, which would be quite age appropriate, but this deliberately getting him into trouble sounds very spiteful.
“I think the teacher is giving you a heads up before the school have to take action over a repeat action as it'd be treated as bullying and she'd be labelled that way so it's probably time to draw some very clear lines with her about acceptable behaviour.
“I do think this might be incredibly clumsy flirting but it doesn't make it alright. Not the sort of reputation she needs.”
To mum Anna Marlowe, the story sounded familiar. She revealed: “There was a boy in my class who stole my things for the last two years of primary school.
“In high school he announced he'd ‘loved’ me for years.
“He was shocked that I hadn't realised. I NEVER thought of it as flirting. I thought he was a horrible boy who made my life miserable.”