Ugh...the dreaded situation that we all face as parents...having to tattle on someone else's child. Let me try to make a long story short. Yesterday, all the kids went on the easter egg hunt in the front yard. Some of the eggs were filled with candy, others with money. the kids got inside and I asked my daughters to put them away and we'd sort thru it all later, etc. Well, an older girl (12yr old) was in my youngest dd's room sitting next to my dd's basket, the eggs were opened, and her purse was next to her. My Mom walks in and was going to see my dd, and she saw this 12 yr. old get up really fast and move to another part of the room. My Mom told her it was ok for her to sit there, and the 12 yr old said...I think "unnamed 5 yr old cousin" took her money. So my Mom went in and said to my oldest DD that if she saw anyone trying to take anyone's money that my dd was to come and get mommy and daddy. Then the 12 yr. old came into that room and my Mom reiterated that she had told my dd to come get mommy and daddy if she saw anyone trying to take anything. And the 12 yr. old goes..."What?!? What?!" and got a real nervous look on her face. Anyway, my Mom told me what had happened, so today I told DH and he called this little girl's Dad just to give him a heads up and on that "hey I'd want to know if that were my child" level. My DH was really cool about it, handled it very well. Well, apparantly, she says she didn't take it and that she was trying to protect the money, etc...
Ok fine, we will accept that, but did we do the right thing by calling?DH didn't accuse her of being a thief, he was more interested in telling her dad so that he didn't end up hearing it third party in case anyone else overheard the conversation my Mom and that girl had. Ugh, I just have that sick feeling in my stomach. don't you hate when you have to do things like this??

Yes, you did the right thing. Most people want to know those kinds of things, and even if they don't want to know, they SHOULD know. As a teacher, I feel like I tattle on kids pretty often. It's never fun, especially when I worry how a parent will react. But, we need to do what is best for the kids.

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I would totally want to know if my child were suspected of something like that. It doesn't make her a bad kid, we all did things growing up that were possibly "not so great", but it does give her parents a teachable moment. Perhaps next time she'll see the benefit in honesty.
It sounds like you approached it in a very mature way, I think you guys did the right thing!

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"Children are the most important Natural Resource"

I think you did the right thing, too. Urgh, I know exactly what you are feeling.

Yes, this morning I feel better about it and I know we did the right thing. I guess it's the same as teaching our kids that sometimes doing the right thing makes us an outsider, but that's ok. It's possible we're helping to keep her from a life of stealing by letting her parents know there was a potential situation. Had we not said anything, she may not realize there are consequences to her actions.

You know what that parent needed to know even if he did not want to know! Good job.

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"It's one of the most beautiful compensations in life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
Ralph Waldo Emerson