Spouses Get Arrested After They Let Kid Steal Neighbor’s Toys And Police Do A Bit More Digging Than Needed

Most of us probably remember having a childhood toy we were particularly attached to—maybe a well-worn stuffed animal we’d sleep with every night, a Barbie we proudly kept in its pristine, original packaging, or Pokémon cards we’d collect and carry on every adventure. Sure, sometimes we had to learn to share some of our beloved toys with others—it is an important childhood lesson, after all. But learning to share isn’t quite the same thing as simply handing something over.

That’s something you’d expect adults to know full well. That is, unless they’re of the entitled sort… This Redditor discovered that at the tender age of 6, when a friend and her family decided to claim her collection of dolls as their own. Read on to find out how a relatively routine playdate turned into an ordeal far greater than anyone could’ve imagined.

A 6-year-old had spent 2.5 years building a doll collection she absolutely adored

magnific / magnific (not the actual photo)

Little did anyone know that playing pretend with them during a playdate would escalate into something with consequences a whole lot more real

mku018 / magnific (not the actual photo)

prostock-studio / magnific (not the actual photo)

breizhatao / magnific (not the actual photo)

YeetSkedeetYeehaw

wirestock / magnific (not the actual photo)

Entitlement can be learned

As kids, we surely all experienced some kind of green-eyed feeling when looking at a friend or sibling’s toys. Envy is a pretty basic human emotion, after all. But most of us were lucky enough to be taught that we shouldn’t take what doesn’t belong to us, that stealing is wrong, and that “no” means no.

In this case, however, it’s hard not to wonder whether the little girl’s behavior was influenced by what she saw at home. I mean, I’m not usually one to mom-shame, but just look at her mother. From pretty much the outset of all this drama, the woman was practically the walking, talking definition of “entitled” (and Dad would later prove to be no better).

We’ve probably all seen enough entitled people to recognize the behavior when we see it—those who somehow seem to believe that simply by existing, they’re owed some kind of special treatment or privileges. They can be self-absorbed, show little empathy or regard for others, and become particularly dramatic when things don’t go their way. They “expect the world to cater to their demands,” as Arlin Cuncic writes for Verywell Mind.

Being raised by someone with that mindset, experts explain, can mean “seeing your caregivers make unreasonable demands and act out when those demands aren’t met because they feel the world owes them.” Parents who feel this way may believe the rules don’t apply to them and expect special treatment for themselves or their children. Their kids, meanwhile, may emulate that behavior, developing a bad attitude, throwing a tantrum, fully melting down—or, in this case, taking something that isn’t theirs—when someone tells them no.

And look, that’s not to say that every child with an indulgent or entitled parent will grow up to be the same way—that would be far too simplistic. In fact, as Caroline Bologna sums up for HuffPost, “Many children of entitled parents make a point to distinguish themselves from the people who raised them.” Rather, it’s to point out that the way adults respond to their children’s wants and frustrations can matter. If a child learns that wanting something is enough reason to demand it, and that “no” is simply an obstacle to be overcome, they may have a harder time understanding boundaries when they encounter them.

teksomolika / magnific (not the actual photo)

And that brings us to the juiciest part of this whole story. Because a child struggling to accept a “no” is one thing (and, frankly, it’s hardly Reddit-worthy). Kids have tantrums, get jealous, and sometimes have a hard time understanding boundaries. But swearing at a child, accusing them of hitting your own kid, and demanding that they hand over their belongings? That’s a whole different matter.

When the poster’s friend decided that “no” wasn’t an acceptable answer, the adults around her didn’t exactly reinforce that boundary. Instead, her mother stepped in and made it clear that she expected the Redditor to give her daughter what she wanted. When the poster refused (politely, I might add), the situation escalated until her parents had to call the police to settle the dispute.

But even the cops weren’t enough to convince the other family that they’d crossed a line. Rather, they doubled down on their claim—and then tried to turn the tables on the poster’s father. This had gone way beyond just a case of a child struggling to accept “no.” Some pretty serious boundaries had been crossed—and it seems some more serious issues were about to be unearthed, too.

Some commenters had questions, which the poster answered, and others recalled their own childhood experiences

Others were pleased that the parents got what was coming to them

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