Alex's Answer
My friend has starting stealing from shops
Your Question
Hey Alex. My friend has been starting to steal from shops at first it was small things but now she is stealing more I have tried to tell her to stop but she won’t take me seriously we have been friends for a very long time so we are very close but I can’t get her to stopÂ
Answer
Hi there, and welcome to Ask Alex.
You have said that your friend has been stealing from shops and that you have been trying to get her to stop. That must be a really tough position for you to be in, especially when all you are doing is trying to help your friend.
You sound very brave for trying to get her to stop as this must have been a challenging conversation to have. It sounds like your friend’s stealing is making it hard to be friends with her but you don’t want to lose the friendship as you are very close and have been friends for a long time.
Unfortunately, we cannot control what other people decide to do. Of course, as you have said, you can try and support them but their actions are not your responsibility. This can be really hard to acknowledge, what may help is putting some boundaries on the friendship, you may find this article helpful: www.childline.ie/how-to-set-boundaries-in-different-areas-of-your-life/
If you feel like you would like to speak to an adult you have in your life, it may help ease how you’re feeling and may help shift the feeling of being responsible to get your friend to stop stealing. You could speak to a parent/ carer but if you don’t feel comfortable speaking to one of those adults, you can talk to a trusted adult about this through Childline, who are always there to listen. You can call on freephone 1800 66 66 66, or you can start a chat with us at anytime by going onto www.childline.ie and clicking on the Orange Tab on the right hand of your screen.
We hope that has been helpful for you and thanks reaching out to Ask Alex.
Take care of yourself,
Alex