How to stop a child from stealing?

Questioner: If we suspect that our child is stealing, should we allow him to continue because we do not want to say anything?

Dadashri: You should express your disapproval on the outside, but from within, you should maintain equanimity and remain undisturbed. You should not be ruthless towards him if he steals. If you lose equanimity, you will become merciless. The entire world becomes merciless.

You should tell your child to do pratikraman. He must be taught to apologize and repent for his actions and he should tell you how many pratikramans he does. This is the only way he is likely to improve  Make your child promise that he will not steal again. Keep explaining to your child from time to time so that he can come to understand. In his next life he will not steal because in this life he has accepted that it is wrong to steal. The act of stealing in this life is an effect from his previous life, which will come to an end, and no new accounts will be created because of his present understanding.

This young boy confesses all his mistakes to me. He even admits to stealing. People only confess to someone with extraordinary qualities and nobility. Tremendous changes will take place in India through this process of pratikraman.

Related Spiritual Quotes by Param Pujya Dadashri:
1) A father will not keep looking for faults in his children if he is very religious/pious. One should not see faults in a prakruti (relative self). When one does that, it reaches the God within that prakruti.  Prakruti is predetermined, it is vyavasthit (result of scientific circumstantial evidence).
2) No personality (prakruti) is a waste, but you have to discover what it is useful for. You do not have to keep saying, 'You do not know how to make this sweet. You do not know how to do this and how to do that.' But, instead discover what he knows.

Glossary: 
Pratikraman - Asking for forgiveness;Apology to the pure Soul of one you have 'hurt' coupled with the remorse of any wrongdoing; To recall the hurt caused, repent for it and resolve to not repeat it.

Did you know:  Teach children as how to do  pratikraman as shown by Dadashri.

Reference: Book Name : "Generation Gap" (Page #28 Paragraph #6 & #7 ; Page #29 Paragraph #1 & #2)