“Boys will be boys.” How many times has that tired little phrase been used to excuse bad behavior and let kids off the hook? The problem is, if no one holds them accountable, they’ll start believing they can get away with anything.
One Redditor got completely fed up with his entitled teenage nephews, who kept stealing from him. Their latest stunt was the final straw, so he decided he was done letting it slide and called the police. Read the full story below.
The teenage boys kept stealing from their uncle without ever really being held accountable
Eventually, he decided it was time to teach them a lesson they wouldn’t forget
Peer pressure, poor judgment, and acting on impulse can push teenagers toward stealing
Of course, everyone knows stealing is wrong. That doesn’t stop people from doing it, though, and teenagers are no exception.
One study of nearly 4,000 high school students found that around 15% said they had stolen something in the previous year. Another survey of teenagers found that roughly one in five had stolen something worth less than $50 during the past year.
Of course, stealing can mean very different things depending on the teenager and what is actually happening. Someone pocketing a candy bar once because their friends dared them to is very different from repeatedly breaking into a relative’s property and taking things to sell.
Still, there are a few reasons why teenagers might be more likely to make choices that leave adults wondering what on earth they were thinking.
Part of it comes down to being a teenager. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) explains that the parts of the brain involved in reasoning and thinking through consequences are still developing during adolescence.
That can make teenagers more likely to act impulsively or take risks without fully considering what might happen afterward. It certainly doesn’t mean teenagers don’t know right from wrong. It can, however, help explain why a terrible idea sometimes seems strangely appealing in the moment.
Friends can make those decisions even harder. Peer influence becomes particularly powerful during the teenage years, and young people sometimes go along with risky behavior because they want to fit in or avoid being left out.
The AACAP specifically lists stealing among the behaviors teens can encourage each other to try. In this story, all three brothers were involved, which makes you wonder how much they were feeding off one another.
There can be other reasons too. According to the AACAP, some teenagers steal to impress friends or because they want something without having to ask someone for it. Others might do it out of anger or as a way of getting back at someone. So there isn’t one simple explanation that fits every kid who takes something that doesn’t belong to them.
What matters more is whether it keeps happening. Repeated stealing, especially when it appears alongside other troubling behavior, can sometimes point to bigger emotional or family problems that deserve attention.
One study found that teenagers who reported stealing were more likely to report other difficulties, including poor grades and substance use.
It’s important for teens to know that their actions can have consequences. A study of serious adolescent offenders found that when teens believed they were likely to get caught and punished, some were less likely to offend again.
Interestingly, making the punishment harsher didn’t seem to matter nearly as much. What mattered more was knowing that their actions would actually lead to something.
In this case, the uncle had realized that his nephews weren’t going to stop, while their parents kept making excuses instead of doing much about it. So he decided he had to get the police involved.
Do you think his reaction was appropriate, or should he have tried to sort things out privately with the family? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Readers agreed that the boys needed to face the consequences of what they had done
The man later returned with an update, revealing that he had also filed a lawsuit against their parents
Readers were glad to hear he eventually got his money back
But in an unexpected turn, the eldest nephew seemed to spiral even further
Readers were saddened by how the whole situation had played out
In another update, the man shared more about what his eldest nephew had done
Readers hoped the boy would eventually manage to turn things around
