Ohio Mom Calls Cops On Her Shoplifting 6-Year-Old
Mom Says She Was Trying To Teach Daughter Lesson
ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS, Associated Press Writer



An Ohio woman who asked that police be called after she caught her 6-year-old daughter shoplifting a package of stickers said Wednesday that she was just trying to teach the girl a lesson early in life.

Diane Lyons said she doesn't believe she overreacted when she discovered the girl, Shiane, had taken the $3.11 package of stickers used to make temporary tattoos. Lyons' 10-year-old daughter told her about the theft.

Chief Ronald Yeager of the Carrollton Police Department in eastern Ohio arrived at the Discount Drug Mart Dec. 15 and took the girl to the police station in his cruiser before releasing her to Lyons, according to Yeager's report.

Yeager told Lyons the girl sat quietly in the car on the way to the police. A phone message was left with Yeager on Wednesday.

"I don't think I went too far," Lyons said in a phone interview. "You've got to catch them when they first start if they do something wrong."

Lyons, 31, asked about collecting a $30 reward for turning in shoplifters but decided not to follow up because she felt bad about doing it.

"People think that I set her up or something to get the reward," Lyons said.

Lyons said she's seen parents give children a light spanking in similar situations but felt that wasn't enough in Shiane's case. She's confident the girl learned her lesson.

"I don't think Shiane would do it again, I really don't, because of all that I did," Lyons said.

A Discount Drug Mart spokesman said Wednesday he was not familiar with the case. Chief Financial Officer Tom McConnell said he could recall at least one other time in a store where parents also asked that police be called on a shoplifting child.

A parent's own discipline is typically more effective when dealing with a young child's wrongdoing, said Stanley Goldstein, a child clinical psychologist in Middletown, N.Y.

"You're asking police to do something that's not in their training," said Goldstein, author of "Troubled Children/Troubled Parents."

"They're not experts on kids; they're experts on policing the community."

Gosh, when my kid did that, I took her back to the store and called the manager and had the scary talk about calling the police, but that was enough for her. No cops. Her dang cousin told her to do it, tooooo!! Geeeeeeeeeeeez!!

Mine did that. I made them go back in and return the candy and apologize. They were totally embarrassed and that seemed to do the trick.

it well be 50 years in a doctors care to un do what this mother did to that little kid . what is she brain dead or just thinks she cute . there should be some way to test people before there are allowed to have children .

lol,,,clever mom. If the cops were gingerly with the little girl and it was handled tenderly by all adults involved, I think it served as an excellent lesson that will stick with that little girl and she wont be doing it again.

I think the mom doesn't have much of an imagination to handle it that way... this is a 6 year old. Mom needs to get more creative. Scared strait...at 6. Sillyness!

Mom wanted the reward money.

I guess it depends upon the mom, the kid, and the relationship. Some moms have the threat of dad to keep their kids in order, some threaten removal of material things, this kid was threatened by a police officer. If the mom gives this child an equal share of love and positive enforcement, I doubt any harm will come of it. Its all about balance.

That is a good way to handle it. Makes them own up to it.

My problem with the article is that the cops are expected to do the job of the parents and wastes time that could be used for other things.

If it was a teen, I could understand it more, but not a 6 yr old.

sometimes, it totally depends upon the child and their environment, In some communities, a teen in the same situation would only receive street credit and be seen as even cooler. Children that age USUALLY still have more of a tie to family than to peers and popular community values.

That's awesome.

true but if a mom has to resort to that when the child is 6....something is wrong

Mine too!

sorry but I see more and more parents these days expecting others to do their jobs....school, police, relatives, etc

Sounds like Mom is over reacting to me, and really doesn't understand developemental markers because 6 is still a little young to understand the whole pay for ownership concept, but maybe she sees her local officer as part of the community that it takes to raise a child. Parenting doesn't happen in a vacume.

What seems ignorant is the store policy that would reward people for turning in others for shop lifting. Seems like a rather jaundiced form of policeing.

It is a cops job to arrest thieves, that is the real life lesson. The mom didnt call them to babysit so she could go out. I think this girl got real time example of what ACTUALLY happens when someone steals, its not a joke, you dont just get to sit down for five minutes in a chair and go about your business...

Wow, she was only 6, she probably didn't even know you were suppose to pay for it. I'd take it back to the store and talk to a manager there, apologizing. No need for cops lol.

I guess it depends upon the child. My girl is going on three and she knows we have to pay before we take things from a store.

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I have 2 problems with this . Now the kid is scared of of the cops . 2 Second the cops hate her for interrupting the break time before the shift was over .

I turned my son into the security guard at the door and let him take my son into the holding room and all that.

He was about 6-8.

It didn't work for my son. He kept stealing.