All right, I did feel remorse. I wish I hadn't done it. But I did, and there's nothing I could do. I needed some money (to be honest I got a habit I need cash for, nothing serious like an addiction, but a habit) and I decided to check out a group of backpacks I knew belonged to annoying b! chy girls. I wanted money more than anything. Revenge was a smaller part of the act.

I guess I really didn't feel anything.

"I'd like to know if you have stolen before please?"

Yes I have. I have done a lot of petty shoplifting. I've taken ones that were lying around my sisters room that I knew she'd forgotten about. Minor offenses.
Now I've come clean.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joyousfailure

Yeah, I know Im a bad person in the back of my mind. And yeah I know whats right and wrong. But there was a whole other side to the story! Those girls are real b!!ches.

---

I'm going to go out on a limb hereand say that you are not a bad person, you are making bad choices. For some reason you are acting out and showing your a$$. These habits are not good for you to form, it is not okay for you to be rude on this site either. What's wrong boo boo?

Hello J,

You mentioned that you stole 20$ from someone's backpack, and that you don't even knows who's it belonged to. Then, in another post, you said that they are all "B!tches", so how do you even know who you stole from? How do you know that the person you stole from is mean?

Stealing is stealing, no matter what you steal or from whom! I just think you are pulling the B!tch card to justify what you did...

We all agree that you did a bad thing, which, by the way was your initial question. My heart goes out to you, because I do think you are sorry for what you have done, but doesn't know how to handle it, and are looking for guidance.

Do I think you're a bad person? I don't know. Do I tink what you did was bad? Yes, I do. Can you rectify this preoblem? Yes, you can, by giving back the money, and NEVER do anything like that again!

Also, I did read everyone's posts, and what people are trying to say, is that you never know what somebodys situation is, as far as money that they worked hard for, which I agree and understand where they are coming from, not you!

Please try and get the help you need, so you don't end up in jail for stealing in the future... You got away with it this time, but next time, you might get caught...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joyousfailure

Woah woah woah-"You are not tough. You are not "Robin Hood"."

"yeah, she's proud of $20"

"You want to be a thief, be a thief. Don't go bragging on the internet about petty pilfering, though. When you get away with some large, we'll applaud."

WHERE did that all come from?! I never said anything like that. How is it on one hand its "just 20 dollars", but on the other hand I'm robbing somebody of Christmas gifts, food for the week and a 20 they "worked their a$$ off for"? Get it straight. Enough hypothetical situations and double standards.

---

How do YOU know what that $20 meant to the person you stole it from? You don't even know who it was, let alone how they got or what they were going to use it for.

Nowhere in the rules does it say we are not allowed to present hypothetical situation. Therefore, you can't tell us not to.

A double standard would be if we were congratulating someone else on stealing $20 and then condemning you for the same thing. There have been no double standards.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joyousfailure

All right, I did feel remorse. I wish I hadnt done it. But I did, and theres nothing I could do. I needed some money (to be honest I got a habit I need cash for, nothing serious like an addiction, but a habit) and I decided to check out a group of backpacks I knew belonged to annoying b!!chy girls. I wanted money more than anything. Revenge was a smaller part of the act.

I guess I really didn't feel anything.

"I'd like to know if you have stolen before please?"

Yes I have. I have done a lot of petty shoplifting. I've taken ones that were lying around my sisters room that I knew she'd forgotten about. Minor offenses.
Now I've come clean.

---

By definition, if your 'habit' causes you to steal money in order to support it, it DOES make it an addiction. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can work to prevent it from ruining the rest of your life.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by joyousfailure

I needed some money (to be honest I got a habit I need cash for, nothing serious like an addiction, but a habit)

"I'd like to know if you have stolen before please?"

Yes I have. I have done a lot of petty shoplifting. I've taken ones that were lying around my sisters room that I knew she'd forgotten about. Minor offenses.
Now I've come clean.

---

If it's not an addiction, then it must be kleptomania. A counselor can help with either one.

Since you're saying you don't want to be a thief, try therapy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by joyousfailure

All right, I did feel remorse. I wish I hadnt done it. But I did, and theres nothing I could do. I needed some money (to be honest I got a habit I need cash for, nothing serious like an addiction, but a habit) and I decided to check out a group of backpacks I knew belonged to annoying b!!chy girls. I wanted money more than anything. Revenge was a smaller part of the act.

I guess I really didn't feel anything.

---

You said you did feel remorse, and then you said you didn't feel anything, would you like to clarify?

When are you going to hit rock bottom and realize you have more than a 'habit'? You go from an invasion of privacy that resulted in a theft to admitting to looking in the backpack to see what you could find to steal. You have several problems and I suggest that you see your school counselor tomorrow to get help. You are a thief and a liar and apparently have a 'habit' that you have to support. All of that can change IF you want it to change.

I would hate for your actions to result in another person being accused and/or convicted of your crime(s). How would you feel if an innocent party got caught up in your problems because you won't take responsibility for your own actions?

Getting defensive and attempting to justify your actions are symptoms of a greater problem than just a 'habit'. How far are you going to allow yourself to fall? How many lives besides your own are you willing to destroy? Almost all addicts start saying, "It's just a habit. I can control it. I don't really have a problem. Everyone else made me the way I am." Are you going to be stereo-typical or are you going to be the one in a thousand who listens to the advice she is given and gets help before she ends up in jail/prison? That is where you are headed as long as you keep stealing to support your 'habit'.

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/addictions/

Do I personally think that what you did makes you a bad person - no. People make mistakes, some bigger then others and more often then others but no one is completely guilt free. What matters, what makes you a good or bad person, is what you do about the mistakes you make. What you do from here can only answer that question.

If you don't want to be or be thought of as a bad person then you have to make this right while you have the chance.

You don't know who the girl is - but you should remember the backpack. If you don't want to have to face the victim you can at least put the money back. You said the girls were b*tches, maybe they are, maybe they aren't - how many people would you think would see you as a b*itch? Not everybody is going to like you. That's the same for anyone. Does that mean that you its okay for them to steal from you because they don't like you?

Furthermore you don't truly know what you just stole or who you stole from in the end. Its almost Christmas - you might have just robbed a baby of the present that money was going to buy.

You may not think that this is a problem habit or will develop into anything more or lead to anything bad. Who ever does? It's a simple fact that the more we do something and the more we get away with it, the more likely we are to do it again and eventually get caught. Getting caught is inevitable when you test the limits enough. A metaphorical game of Russian roulette every time you do it. Whether the mistake may be - steal, lie, do drugs, etc.

You still have plenty of time to avoid going down that road and becoming a bad person, so long as you are willing to turn around now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joyousfailure

Woah woah woah-"You are not tough. You are not "Robin Hood"."

"yeah, she's proud of $20"

"You want to be a thief, be a thief. Don't go bragging on the internet about petty pilfering, though. When you get away with some large, we'll applaud."

WHERE did that all come from?! I never said anything like that. How is it on one hand its "just 20 dollars", but on the other hand I'm robbing somebody of Christmas gifts, food for the week and a 20 they "worked their a$$ off for"? Get it straight. Enough hypothetical situations and double standards.

---

YOU stole the $20 off someone who YOU don't like. Don't try and justify it as it can't be justified. There will ALWAYS be people you like and those you dislike. Suppose someone dislikes YOU and decides to steal something off you? That will be different exactly how?

If you steal from them then you are no different than they are. If you want to think yourself better then you will not do that sort of thing. IF you want to be better you have to hold yourself to a higher standard.

And incidentally... what did you do to earn that money? And what right did you have to take it? It wasn't yours, you don't know what they had planned for it, you don't know how they earned it because it wasn't found on the street, someone earned it, and it wasn't you.

Honestly... maybe it will have to take someone stealing your stuff before you see what is wrong here and why.

A good person would not have thought about theft to "get even" much less actually done it. Can you change? Most definitely... but you can also continue down this road thinking you are entitled to take what you want and eventually you will end up doing time for it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joyousfailure

All right, I did feel remorse. I wish I hadnt done it. But I did, and theres nothing I could do. I needed some money (to be honest I got a habit I need cash for, nothing serious like an addiction, but a habit) and I decided to check out a group of backpacks I knew belonged to annoying b!!chy girls. I wanted money more than anything. Revenge was a smaller part of the act.

I guess I really didn't feel anything.

"I'd like to know if you have stolen before please?"

Yes I have. I have done a lot of petty shoplifting. I've taken ones that were lying around my sisters room that I knew she'd forgotten about. Minor offenses.
Now I've come clean.

---

NONE of this is justified. If you need money, get a job and work for it. You NEED food, you NEED shelter. You don't NEED whatever you stole that money for.

Get yourself into counseling NOW... talk to your parents about this issue. Otherwise you WILL end up getting caught and doing time in the Jail for it. Which would YOU preffer?

I think we're dealing with a troll - very apparent (at least to me) if "you" read through the thread. Will post whatever gets a reaction, including contradicting herself.

Is it Christmas break already?

Troll alert!

Yes, it's Christmas break already Judy!

If the OP has a "habit" and has to steal to support it, it is anADDiCTION. Duh!

Hello again:

I don't think she's a troll. I think she did exactly what she wanted to do, which is draw attention to HER. That's what stealing is about - thinking YOU are more important than the owner of certain property is.

She's a CLASSIC case of the psychological game called Cops and Robbers*. It's VERY much like the children's game of hide and seek. If you remember, it really wasn't fun if you hid too well. The fun of it was getting caught, and racing back to base. If you DIDN'T get caught right away, you'd rustle some leaves, or cough, or something to let the seeker know where you were.

Like hide and seek, the objective of Cops and Robbers is to get caught. Can you see it in play here?

excon

* Games People Play, Eric Fromm, PhD. Or maybe it's Eric Bern. Whaddya want from me?

"Furthermore you don't truly know what you just stole or who you stole from in the end. Its almost Christmas - you might have just robbed a baby of the present that money was going to buy."

Well a baby wouldn't remember whether it got a present or not. And this girl is 14, and everyone would know if she had a baby.

Actually I don't remember what the backpack looked like. That's why I said there's nothing I could do to fix this seamlessly.

I actually don't think I'm entitled to anything. That's a common idea, but I am a thief and I know thieves, and most of us don't think of ourselves so highly.

And I'm neither a troll nor an attention whore. So.. yeah.

And it really is no addiction. Its pot- its physically impossible to get addicted to pot. And I have a "habit" of buying and using it. Therefore just a habit.


"And incidently....what did you do to earn that money? And what right did you have to take it?"

Nothing and none. I know this.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joyousfailure

"Furthermore you don't truly know what you just stole or who you stole from in the end. Its almost Christmas - you might have just robbed a baby of the present that money was going to buy."

Well a baby wouldn't remeber whether or not it got a present or not. And this girl is 14, and everyone would know if she had a baby.

Actually I don't remeber what the backpack looked like. Thats why I said theres nothing I could do to fix this seamlessly.

I actually dont think I'm entitled to anything. Thats a common idea, but I am a theif and I know theives, and most of us don't think of ourselves so highly.

And I'm neither a troll nor an attention whore. So.. yeah.

And it really is no addiction. Its pot- its physically impossible to get addicted to pot. And I have a "habit" of buying and using it. Therefore just a habit.


"And incidently....what did you do to earn that money? And what right did you have to take it?"

Nothing and none. I know this.

---

Total BS... it IS possible to get addicted to pot... otherwise you wouldn't have so many potheads out there.

Pot IS drug... if people can get addicted to anything else... they can get addicted to pot as well.

Of course a stoner will argue otherwise... but then... anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol aren't completely rational anyway.

If you take something you do feel a need to take it... like its yours to take.

And you are trying to rationalize theft. What that money was for is of no matter to you. If it was to buy their baby sister a gift, feed the homeless, buy lunch, or to play video games. It doesn't matter. It wasn't yours to take.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joyousfailure

Well a baby wouldn't remeber whether or not it got a present or not. And this girl is 14, and everyone would know if she had a baby.

Actually I don't remeber what the backpack looked like. Thats why I said theres nothing I could do to fix this seamlessly.

I actually dont think I'm entitled to anything. Thats a common idea, but I am a theif and I know theives, and most of us don't think of ourselves so highly.

And I'm neither a troll nor an attention whore. So.. yeah.

And it really is no addiction. Its pot- its physically impossible to get addicted to pot. And I have a "habit" of buying and using it. Therefore just a habit.

---

Nobody said it was HER baby. Good try at redirection. It doesn't work any better than blaming the victim.

Yes, you can get addicted to pot. Not necessarily the pot itself, but the way it makes you feel or not feel. If it were a social thing, then you wouldn't feel the need to steal to support it. So that means you are self-medicating and the self-diagnosed problems aren't going away. You're just putting a small bandage on gaping wound. Soon, you are going to need a bigger bandage because the pot won't be helping as much. Running away through drug use doesn't solve anything. I have watched it happen too many times to count to people who ended up breaking all trust everyone had in them because they wouldn't get help before the five dollars from a stranger became 20 dollars and jewelry from a friend.

Any time you have to steal to pay for a habit, it is more than a habit. It doesn't matter if it is pot, crack, alcohol or going to see movies.

Just because you can't remember who you stole from doesn't absolve you from attempting to make amends. 'Seamlessly' is a cop out. You can put someone else out but not yourself. That puts you in the seeking to get attention and not actual help and advice column.

Quote:

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Well a baby wouldn't remember whether it got a present or not. And this girl is 14, and everyone would know if she had a baby.

---

What does this have to do with anything? It was a hypothetical, look up the meaning of the word.

Quote:

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I actually don't think I'm entitled to anything. That's a common idea, but I am a thief and I know thieves, and most of us don't think of ourselves so highly.

---

Then why post about it? Why tell over 600,000 people that you stole something and you don't feel sorry about it?

Quote:

---

And I'm neither a troll nor an attention whore. So.. yeah.

---

Again, then why did you post?

Quote:

---

And it really is no addiction. Its pot- its physically impossible to get addicted to pot. And I have a "habit" of buying and using it. Therefore just a habit.

---

You couldn't be more wrong. Pot can be addicting, just like alcohol, cigarettes, chocolate. If you're stealing to support your "habit" then it's no longer just a habit, it's an addiction.

Personally I agree with Judy and J, this thread has troll written all over it. She posted to get our attention and now we're giving it.

Personally, I think it's time to shut down the thread, take away her audience. She got the answer to her question, she's not willing to listen to good advice, so let her figure it out on her own.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joyousfailure

And it really is no addiction. Its pot- its physically impossible to get addicted to pot. And I have a "habit" of buying and using it. Therefore just a habit.

---

I joined N.O.R.M.L. in 1975. I can't get addicted to marijuana. Human bodies can't get addicted to marijuana. Weak personalities can. Some would argue that makes them less than human (Frank Herbert - Dune).

So for twenty bucks you get what, two doobies these days? How long does that last you?

If petty theft is the best you can do to get herb, you're really sad.

Good-bye bogus baby, you don't want help, you want validation. I don't do validation.

I wish there was some way for you to understand that you are headed in the wrong direction.

But no, you have to make mistakes of your own.

You are going to keep stealing, for whatever reason, because you have found out that you can get easy money without working for it.

You are going to smoke pot until you either get caught, or go on to stronger things. That's the way it works.

At your age, 14 or 15, you think that you are grown, and have all the answers. When you get older, you will see that you were wrong, very wrong.

I hope something will change in your life so you can get back on track.

There are many things that you need help with, like counseling. But you're not going to do that either are you?

So, go do what it is that you do, and keep going the way you are going.

One day you will see that people are generally good, and they don't put up with the kind of crap that you are trying to pull.

Don't forget your homework.

Is anybody else annoyed with this selfish child?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ohsohappy

Is anybody else annoyed with this selfish child?

---

I shouldn't respond, it will probably be pulled.

If this was my child she'd be in a world of trouble. I don't put up with stupidity and illegal behavior. I have to wonder where the OP's parents are. Judging from her posts, I'd say that she's around 13, maybe as old as 15. Are her parents aware that she steals? Are they aware that she steals to do drugs?

Every time I meet a teen that makes me thing that our world isn't doomed, I meet ten like the OP that crush that dream.

If this is the future of the world then we might as well throw in the towel now.

"Is anybody else annoyed with this selfish child?"

Ow... you only know one side of me.

"If this was my child she'd be in a world of trouble. I don't put up with stupidity and illegal behavior. I have to wonder where the OP's parents are. Judging from her posts, I'd say that she's around 13, maybe as old as 15. Are her parents aware that she steals? Are they aware that she steals to do drugs?"

14 yrs old, parents unaware of pot use but found out about my shoplifting which started and pretty much ended in the summer. Now as to WHERE my parents are. Dad isn't home most of the time, moms depressed and on pills for it, god-awful sister and 10 yr old brother.

"Every time I meet a teen that makes me thing that our world isn't doomed, I meet ten like the OP that crush that dream.

If this is the future of the world then we might as well throw in the towel now."

This is what has been said about every generation. Most of us are like this now, but we've got time. We are young, and we want to live our lives before we get old gray and suddenly responsible for other people (kiddies.)

Quote:

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This is what has been said about every generation. Most of us are like this now, but we've got time. We are young, and we want to live our lives before we get old gray and suddenly responsible for other people (kiddies.)

---

And you probably view me as some gray haired granny that never lived. You'd be wrong. I do have kids. I color the gray. Most of all, it wasn't that long ago that I was your age, and yes, I made mistakes. There's a difference though, I was willing to learn from those mistakes.

Is there hope for you? I really hope so, but not until you stop doing what you're doing. Drugs, stealing, you're headed down a rocky path. You're only 14 and you're already headed to jail, when you get caught, and trust me, you will.

No, I wasn't an angel when I was your age. I did a lot of stupid things. Heck, I dabbled in drugs too. I never stole though, to me that was crossing the line, and trust me, there weren't many lines I wasn't willing to cross. To me a thief is the lowest of the low. Stealing from people that work hard, just because they want the money.

So no, you're not the original bad teen. You're not the first, you won't be the last, you're right about that. The thing is, I don't see a lot of room for improvement based on your post. No regret, no remorse. You claim a bit of it, but when pushed you say the girls deserve it.

You're a thief. I put thieves in the same category as rapists, they take what isn't theirs, because they don't care about anyone but themselves and what they want.

I've been the victim of both, thieves and rapists, and yes, to me they're one and the same.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joyousfailure

"Is anybody else annoyed with this selfish child?"

Ow... you only know one side of me.

"If this was my child she'd be in a world of trouble. I don't put up with stupidity and illegal behavior. I have to wonder where the OP's parents are. Judging from her posts, I'd say that she's around 13, maybe as old as 15. Are her parents aware that she steals? Are they aware that she steals to do drugs?"

14 yrs old, parents unaware of pot use but found out about my shoplifting which started and pretty much ended in the summer. Now as to WHERE my parents are. Dad isnt home most of the time, moms depressed and on pills for it, god-awful sister and 10 yr old brother.

"Every time I meet a teen that makes me thing that our world isn't doomed, I meet ten like the OP that crush that dream.

If this is the future of the world then we might as well throw in the towel now."

This is what has been said about every generation. Most of us are like this now, but we've got time. We are young, and we want to live our lives before we get old gray and suddenly responsible for other people (kiddies.)

---

How do you KNOW that you've got time? People perish every day, some younger than you.

No, not "most" kids your age are like you. I am around kids every week, at church, that give me hope that your generation is not wasted.

You are disrespectful. Respect is something that all the generations before you had.

You don't respect the property of others.

You don't respect your elders.

And most importantly, you don't respect yourself.

You are 14. Two years before you can drive. Four years before you can vote. Seven years before you can have a drink of alcohol.

You are still a child. Don't come here and try to argue with adults about what is right and wrong. You are doing wrong, and you know it.

Go be the most that you can be in your life.

Legally, that is.

"How do you KNOW that you've got time? People perish every day, some younger than you."

I don't. That's why Ive got to live my life.

"No, not "most" kids your age are like you. I am around kids every week, at church, that give me hope that your generation is not wasted."

HAHAHAHAHA! Oh you got to be kidding me there. Typical beloved, perfect church kid? Not so. My sister goes to a church almost every week. The b!tch is even going on a missions trip to Jamaica. Who would ever guess that she is a verbally abusive A###hole who has ruined our family with TRUE selfishness (not this crap you're accusing me of)? No one at church, no one at school. But I know.

"You're a thief. I put thieves in the same category as rapists, they take what isn't theirs, because they don't care about anyone but themselves and what they want."

That is completely unfair. That is wrong, wrong, wrong. That is astounding to hear. So someone who takes MATERIAL POSSESSIONS which can be REPLACED is the same as someone who does something like rape? Oh, hell no.

You don't know me, for all you know I'm just like YOU with a different lifestyle (stealing and herb aside.) You never can guess with people. Don't you love that?

Why are you even here wasting people's time? You're a foolish little brat that needs to grow up and realize that something's are just wrong. Like stealing. And you should feel remorse when you do something wrong. Why don't you learn to take some responsibility for your actions. And if things are so awful at home, you should be talking to a therapists, or maybe a school counselor who can help you find healthy ways of coping.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by justcurious55

why are you even here wasting people's time? you're a foolish little brat that needs to grow up and realize that somethings are just wrong. like stealing. and you should feel remorse when you do something wrong. why don't you learn to take some responsibility for your actions. and if things are so awful at home, you should be talking to a therapists, or maybe a school counselor who can help you find healthy ways of coping.

---

As long as there are answers this thread will continue. The OP is here for the attention - and she's getting plenty of that.

"why are you even here wasting people's time?"

I never made anyone respond. Not my fault if they do. The choice to write back was theirs.

"you're a foolish little brat that needs to grow up and realize that somethings are just wrong."

You have no right to call me that. No right to call me selfish, no right to insinuate I'm immature, none of you do.

"and if things are so awful at home"

Don't mock me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joyousfailure

"why are you even here wasting people's time?"

I never made anyone respond. Not my fault if they do. The choice to write back was theirs.

"you're a foolish little brat that needs to grow up and realize that somethings are just wrong."

You have no right to call me that. No right to call me selfish, no right to insinuate I'm immature, none of you do.

"and if things are so awful at home"

Don't mock me.

---

This is my last response on this thread, then I'm going to ask the mods to shut it down, take away your audience.

You are selfish, that's a fact. Only a selfish little brat would steal from others. Also, you're immature. You think that "living your life" includes doing drugs and stealing. That not only makes you immature, it makes you pretty dumb too. But hey, you're 14 right, so it's okay? NOT!

As for the comparison between rapist and thief, why did you find it so offensive? Do you know what a rapist does? He/she takes what isn't theirs to take. They don't give the victim a choice, they just do what they want. What's the definition of a thief young lady? It's the same thing. You may not like being compared to a rapist, I didn't think you would be. What I find really shocking is that you don't mind being called a thief. Sad. Very sad.

On that note, I'll say what I said a few posts back. This little brat is a troll. She wants attention, we're giving it to her. My bad, I posted again as well, twice. It's hard not to, because deep down we all want her to see the light, we all want her to be a better person. Sadly I think this one is a lost cause. Let the court system deal with her, maybe a few years in jail will make her grow up and accept responsibility. If not, then hopefully jail will become her new home, get her off the streets and away from people that actually live good decent lives.

Mods, I really think it's time to shut this down.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joyousfailure

That is completely unfair. That is wrong, wrong, wrong. That is astounding to hear. So someone who takes MATERIAL POSSESSIONS which can be REPLACED is the same as someone who does something like rape? Oh, hell no.

---

On the off chance that you aren't an attention seeking troublemaker, I am going to add one more thing:

Not all material possessions can be replaced. Recently in my community, a house was broken into. The thieves stole some electronics from the house. One of the items taken was a camcorder. Yes, a camcorder can be replaced. The tape that was in it can't. The tape was of the day that the homeowners brought home their beautiful baby boy from the hospital at the beginning of the Summer. Their beautiful baby boy who passed away due to SIDS just a few weeks ago. These people who felt like you apparently do took away something very important and irreplaceable. Hopefully, they haven't destroyed it and will listen to the pleas to return the tape. Hopefully, they still have some idea of what compassion is.

Get help before you do something like they did.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cat1864

On the off chance that you aren't an attention seeking troublemaker, I am going to add one more thing:

Not all material possessions can be replaced. Recently in my community, a house was broken into. The thieves stole some electronics from the house. One of the items taken was a camcorder. Yes, a camcorder can be replaced. The tape that was in it can't. The tape was of the day that the homeowners brought home their beautiful baby boy from the hospital at the beginning of the Summer. Their beautiful baby boy who passed away due to SIDS just a few weeks ago. These people who felt like you apparently do took away something very important and irreplaceable. Hopefully, they haven't destroyed it and will listen to the pleas to return the tape. Hopefully, they still have some idea of what compassion is.

Get help before you do something like they did.

---

Cat, your story brought back memories.

A few months after hubby and I were married we were robbed. The thieves took a few bracelets that my Uncle and Aunt from Germany had given me. My Aunt died 2 months before my wedding. The bracelets weren't expensive. Yes, they were gold, but pawned they wouldn't have fetched much. They were all engraved. I was heartbroken.

They also decided that stealing our hard earned possessions (and boy did we work for them) wasn't enough. They took all our food out of our fridge so it would rot. They stole wedding gifts we'd gotten, money we had saved up, you name it. To add insult to injury, they took underwear out of my drawer and masturbated in it. I felt raped. It was like being raped all over again. They may as well have raped me, I think it would have hurt less, and yes, I know what being raped feels like.

When I was a young teen, a little older then the OP, I was at a dance rehearsal. What you don't know is that I worked for 3 years, babysitting, cleaning office buildings on the weekend, paper route, dog walking, shoveling driveways in the winter and mowing lawns in the summer. Every job I could find, I took, just so I could take jazz lessons (that's what they called it then. Today they probably call it hip hop).

My friend and I were at the rehearsal. I had 20 dollars in my purse. It was money I had earned. It was hours worth of my time, my sweat. I brought it along because I still owed $20 on the costume I was required to buy for the recital.

While we were on stage, someone came into the dressing room and stole wallets out of everyone's purse. My $20 was gone. That was it. The teachers were sympathetic, but they simply couldn't give me the costume without the remainder of the payment, and I couldn't be in the show without the costume. So I had to miss the show. My parents couldn't afford to pay the money. It broke my heart. It broke theirs too.

All because some greedy person decided that they had a right to steal what I worked so hard to earn. They probably used the money for drugs. :(

"On the off chance that you aren't an attention seeking troublemaker, I am going to add one more thing:"

I'm not anything you said, but I hear you all well.

"Not all material possessions can be replaced. Recently in my community, a house was broken into. The thieves stole some electronics from the house. One of the items taken was a camcorder. Yes, a camcorder can be replaced. The tape that was in it can't. The tape was of the day that the homeowners brought home their beautiful baby boy from the hospital at the beginning of the Summer. Their beautiful baby boy who passed away due to SIDS just a few weeks ago. These people who felt like you apparently do took away something very important and irreplaceable. Hopefully, they haven't destroyed it and will listen to the pleas to return the tape. Hopefully, they still have some idea of what compassion is.

Get help before you do something like they did."

JC, I would never do something like that! I know compassion. I used to have a lot of it, I don't feel much anymore, but the person I used to be is still in me.

Altenweg I am sorry for what happened to you. If I seem uncompassionate to you all, its not cause I don't care. It's just that I know more of what the "thief" and the "stoner-loser" goes through and my heart tends to go towards those kinds because I feel what they feel. I know they feel small, I know they are alone, I know that they could never even muster the energy to dance even if they long to. We always are called stupid worthless people who probably shouldn't be alive. There is no one for us. In the back of our minds we think what people call us (the awful things you called me, others have called me) are true, but we have to believe its not.

We long to be happy and carefree, and we try to get that through pot. Personally, I have succeeded. Pot is my life, I actually get my LIFE through pot. Im not talking keeping busy or a social life. But all the good things that are life. It makes me joyful, patient, open-hearted, loving, and dumb in a good way. I like myself when I'm on pot. I'm angry, hateful, short tempered and I hate myself when I have no pot. And I haven't been able to smoke it in a month. So forgive me, soon I will be better as I will be getting more.

And whoever the girl is I took from, I know she has friends because she was one of the girls whose backpack was in the group. I don't have that. I don't mean to run some sap story by you all- but since we were getting personal I thought I'd throw my side in.

I'm going against my better judgment and I'm going to respond.

I'm going to tell you something that to most people I know well on this site, is common knowledge. If you really wanted to check you could look up old threads of mine and find the info, but most people don't and I don't usually mention it, unless I think it needs to be mentioned.

You talk about feeling alone, being called names, being worthless. Do you really think it's only you and your group of people?

When I was 5 (and for many years after that) I was molested by my cousin, my babysitter, someone my parents trusted because they never would have guessed in a million years that she was capable of doing it. Yes, she. She did things to me I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Because of her, I am who I am. Some days that's not a bad thing, but I do have issues. I'm still a work in progress.

Because of her I decided that I was worthless. I decided that I'd rather give boys what they wanted (sex) then have them take it from me by force. I didn't care about myself. I didn't care about them. I was just something to be used. Not a person, nothing. That's also when I experimented with drugs. Pot would have been a really mild thing to do back then.

When I was 18 I was raped. He was a friend of an ex. I won't go into details, but needless to say, it didn't do well for my already low self image.

It took a kind, caring, loving person to show me that I was worth it. My husband. I met him when I was 19. I liked him, he was a sweet guy. When he told me he loved me I did everything in my power to get rid of him, to make him leave. He couldn't love me, there was nothing to love. He showed me that I was wrong.

Almost 20 years later we're still together. I have two beautiful kids. I have self esteem. I have me. I happen to like me. It took me a long time to say that.

If you're doing drugs and stealing because you think that you're worthless, trust me, I know how that feels. I can help you deal with that. The thing is, you have to listen to what I'm saying. You actually have to absorb everything I'm telling you. You have to open to change.

If you really want that, I'm here, and so are many others. Why do you think most of us are on this site? We've all been through life. We lived to tell the tale of our youth. It wasn't easy. I didn't even begin to tell you everything I did back then.

So, what about it? Do you want to wipe the slate clean? Do you want to accept that what you're doing is wrong? Do you want help? Do you want to stop? Because it's in your hands. I can take your hand if you reach out, but that's your choice and yours alone.

When I was in elementary school I had no real friends, no support at home, no self-esteem, and an entire school making fun of me. People I had never met would call me names and torture me for no reason. Boys would ask me if I wanted to date their dogs, then laugh while saying I was too ugly even for a dog to date. The one time I decided to ride the bus home from school instead of walking, I walked into the gym to wait for the buses and was met by a chorus of name calling and thrown objects while all the kids in there laughed at me. Teachers did nothing to stop any of it.

Home wasn't much better. My brother took every opportunity to make it clear that I was fat, ugly, stupid, and worthless. My mother's only response was to tell me to stop egging him on when I tried to fight back, and to send me to my room. When he wasn't demeaning me verbally, he was usually beating me physically. I was stabbed, punched, kicked, slapped, and hit with every object he could think of. There was more than one occasion where I honestly thought he would kill me. Once again, my mother would just send me to my room and tell me to stop aggravating him.

When I was 10-11, I tried to kill myself. I was sitting right next to my mother and tried to strangle myself. I wanted to die, I just didn't realize that once you lose consciousness your hands loosen and you start breathing again. My mother just looked at me and asked me if I was done throwing my fit yet and told me to stop acting like such a baby.

The teasing at school only ended when I ended up moving middle schools. A few people I had gone to elementary and part of middle school with picked up the teasing again when we got to high school.

The torture at home only ended when I moved out. I went to college. My brother went to jail, several times.

In college I got threatening notes on my door on several occasions. One of the girls in the dorm didn't like that fact that I happen to like girls, so she felt it her right to call me names and make threats where everyone could see them. She was just told to apologize to me, which she never did.

Three months ago the only friends I had, and people I had grown to see as closer than family, told me to get out of their lives. I was told to never try to see or contact them again and to never connect their names with mine again. Since I had been living with them, that meant that I became homeless and lost everything I owned. I spent almost three months in a homeless shelter, until they told me that I couldn't stay there anymore.

Do NOT think you are the only one who has every felt alone or victimized or worthless. Do NOT think that those feelings are an excuse for the way you acted. You aren't, and they aren't.

You don't think that I needed money when I became homeless? You don't think I couldn't have used just a couple bucks to buy some food or shampoo or some clothes so I wasn't hungry or greasy or wearing the same outfit all the time? You don't think that when I had an entire school making fun of me that I didn't want to get some sort of revenge? You don't think that when my brother stabbed me in the leg with a knife I didn't want to return the favor?

Instead, I found ways to ignore the teasing. I found organizations that could help me get food and clothing and basic hygiene goods. I learned to live with my brother as best as I could, and then left so I wouldn't have to live with him ever again. I found a job so I could have money to buy things like shampoo and deodorant and winter boots. I didn't steal because it was easier and I needed it more than they probably did. I didn't stoop to their level and call names. I decided who I wanted to be and then did my best to become that person. I'm still not her, but I might be someday.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joyousfailure

If I seem uncompassionate to you all, its not cause I dont care. It's just that I know more of what the "thief" and the "stoner-loser" goes through and my heart tends to go towards those kinds because I feel what they feel. I know they feel small, I know they are alone, I know that they could never even muster the energy to dance even if they long to. We always are called stupid worthless people who probably shouldn't be alive. There is no one for us. In the back of our minds we think what people call us (the awful things you called me, others have called me) are true, but we have to believe its not.

We long to be happy and carefree, and we try to get that through pot. Personally, I have succeeded. Pot is my life, I actually get my LIFE through pot. Im not talking keeping busy or a social life. But all the good things that are life. It makes me joyful, patient, open-hearted, loving, and dumb in a good way. I like myself when I'm on pot. I'm angry, hateful, short tempered and I hate myself when I have no pot. And I haven't been able to smoke it in a month. So forgive me, soon I will be better as I will be getting more.

And whoever the girl is I took from, I know she has friends because she was one of the girls whose backpack was in the group. I dont have that. I dont mean to run some sap story by you all- but since we were getting personal I thought I'd throw my side in.

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Do you know why I am still here willing to give you a chance? Because I think there is more to you than a thief or pot-head. Even if you are a troll or attention seeker there is more to you. However, like Altenweg, all I can do is take the hand you reach out.

I have said just about everything I can. The next step is up to you. Are you going to continue being defensive and, well, bratty or are you going to listen and attempt to learn a new way of dealing with your problems? One that works better than self-medicating and mentally running away.

I'll let you in on a badly kept secret. A lot people in groups feel just like you do. They think they have to be part of a crowd to get validation for living. All the time they are a part of the 'crowd' they are alone in their own minds and hearts.

Are you serious this thing is still going on.

Maybe it's just me but it seems as if this kid is just making you guys dance in circles.

I don't think she'll change her views, she'll always say something to keep you guys going..

..but that's just my thoughts...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mudweiser

Are you serious this thing is still going on.

Maybe it's just me but it seems as if this kid is just making you guys dance in circles.

I don't think she'll change her views, she'll always say something to keep you guys going..

..but that's just my thoughts...

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On the off chance that we're wrong, I'm willing to try one last time.

I already RIP'd it, after my second last post.

It's in the mods hands now. Her last post made me think that maybe, just maybe, she really does need help.

If that's the case, then that's why I joined this site. I'll be here if she decides to listen.

One more post of attitude and I'll call it a day.

This girl reminds me a lot of my brother. Nothing worked for him, but I'm hoping that, maybe, something will get through to her.

My brother has been in and out of jail since he was 14, mainly for theft. He started stealing money out of our mom's purse and the occasional candy from the store. When he was 14 he was caught breaking into cars. He was in jail for a little more than a year. He went back a couple times for violating probation and once or twice for new theft charges, all before he turned 18. After he turned 18 he went to jail a few more times, for theft. He is currently facing a theft charge that may send him to jail again.

Even going to jail didn't convince him to stop. Maybe she's different, but I'm not holding my breath. She reminds me too much of my brother. No remorse, convinced she's a victim, and a sense of entitlement.