My child is stealing money, I need help?

Q: My son is 12 years old studying in the 8th standard of a co-ed English school in Delhi. Recently he has got into the habit of stealing money from the house. Otherwise he is a good and responsible child both at home and school. He is normal in his studies too. We think this may be due to the outside glitter and also we are hardly able to make our ends meet. Can you suggest some solution? We are thinking of meeting a child psychologist for this. Can you suggest some one?

A:I can understand your concern if your son is taking money from the home to be able to show off to his friends and spend it in school. He is at an age when the approval of his classmates is more important than anything else. But knowing that does not mean that you let it go. Do see a counselor. At the Lady Irwin College on Sikandra Road, New Delhi 1, there is a counseling centre at the Rajkumari Amrit Kaur Child Study Centre. Please make an appointment and try and see someone there. They have a team of trained people. But this centre will probably remain closed from Dec. 24th to Jan 9th 2005.I will give you the residence number of a Delhi-based Psychologist, Dr. Neerja Sharma, who might be able to guide you to the right person. Her numbers are: 2874 4349 and 2874 2577. Please mention that you got the numbers from me. Thanks and all the best.