My 4 year old stole a Pokemon card from a 11 year old?

Question

My 4 year old son, Jalen, goes to Preschool along with our nextdoor neighbor Riley. One day while Jalen and Riley were outside playing in the sandbox, a 4 1/2 year old girl named Kaitlyn walks by with her chubby 11 year old brother, Jonathan, who is holding a stack of Pokemon cards. Jonathan had accedently dropped a card, and didn't realize it. Jalen picks up the card and looks at it. Jonathan walks by again, realizing Jalen is holding a Pokemon card. He looks at the card threatning him to give it to him. When we got home, I got several phone calls from Jonathan's mom ordering me to take the card from Jalen and give it to Jonathan. I don't want Jalen to be upset or him crying all night, but what should I do?

Answer 1

Personally, what i would do is go out with your son Jalen shopping and buy him his own little pack of pokemon cards. They only cost about 3-5 bucks. Then after give Jonathan his card back.

Answer 2

If Jalen gets upset or cries all night - so be it. Just return the card and give an explanation to your son.

Answer 3

Give it back. Your son needs to understand some things are shared, some things belong to him and some things belong to other people. Try to think of something that he really loves and ask him how he would feel if he dropped it and some one else picked it up and kept it. He will get over it quickly he is only four!! Tommorow their will be a new drama!! But this is an opportunity to help him to learn an important lesson in life. You know the right thing to do just do it and don't be emotionally blackmailed by a four year old

Answer 4

I have 3 kids and I think what i would do is teach my 4 year old now about returning something that doesn't belong to him.  None of us wants our kids to be hurt( or cry all night long!) but it's up to us as parents to do what we need to in order to teach our kids right from wrong.  Jalen will get over it and will love you all the more later on for teaching him how to be the better person.  Good luck :)