AITA for filling a few faux Amazon packages with my dog’s s**t to teach the two theiving neighborhood kids who have been stealing my packages a lesson?

A Redditor, frustrated with a series of package thefts by two local children, took matters into their own hands by filling a few Amazon boxes with dog poop to teach the young thieves a lesson.

The Redditor had caught the children, aged 8-13, on video stealing packages on multiple occasions, including items like puppy pee pads, work scrubs, and a Bluetooth speaker. Unable to involve the police and tired of unhelpful parents, they left the poop-filled packages with a note reading, “Dear Children, Stop stealing my shit!” Invite people to read the original story below…

‘ AITA for filling a few faux Amazon packages with my dog’s s**t to teach the two theiving neighborhood kids who have been stealing my packages a lesson?’

This has been going on for a few months now, ever since school let out. There are two girls in the neighborhood who are about 8-10 and the oldest about 10-13… I have a video camera outside our apartment and have caught them red-handed.

The first package they stole contained puppy pee pads and garbage bags, second package contained a pair of scrubs for work and last week they got a Bluetooth speaker. Amazon replaced all my packages and I would rather not get the police involved and their parents are real asshats that don’t supervise their kids,

so I decided to fill a few packages with dog s**t and leave them something special to steal to hopefully teach them a lesson. I also taped notes that said ” Dear Children, Stop stealing my s**t!” in the boxes along with the turds. Some of the turds are petrified, some were juicy and wet. AITA or am I a diabolical genius?

Check out how the community responded:

[Reddit User] −  NTA, this is great. I hope they smell it and hate life in that moment but you might open your door to a burning box of s**t someday.

[Reddit User] −  NTA. Nothing better than a thief getting a little karma. But you aren’t a genius. The guy who built the contraption to spin glitter all over the thief’s room, spray fart smells all over, and catch the reaction on camera… that man is a genius.

avocado__dip −  NTA. But you really should file a police report on them.

EclecticSpree −  NTA. It’s not going to harm them and it might teach them a lesson. Be prepared for backlash though. Feral children being raised by asshats are just the type who might come and throw the s**t back onto your porch. (If they do, take all of the video to the cops!)

[Reddit User] −  NTA but you have video evidence, even if youre not looking to press charges you should start a paper trial by filing a police report. I definitely get not wanting to call the cops on the kids, but without getting the police involved you have no power other than talking to their parents, who can sometimes be biased towards their children or just s**tty in general

SirEDCaLot −  NTA. But I think the puppy crap isn’t the way to go. Get video of them stealing your packages. Every one. Save receipts. Go to the useless asshat parents and say you have evidence of their kids stealing your s**t, here’s the receipts, here’s one or two of the videos, and you want to be repaid for the packages. That will of course go nowhere. Do this over email or text so you have a record.

When it goes nowhere, file suit in small claims court. For small amounts of money lawyers are not required or often allowed. File the suit against ‘Jane Chapman and her parents, Dave and Martha Chapman’. That way if you win, the parents are required to pay and the kid can’t just claim that they have no money. Yes, you can sue a minor. This way, they don’t get a police record. But, they do end up having to go to court. Or at least the parents do, which may be enough to get them to tell their kids to cut the s**t.

bigkinggorilla −  YTA based on a couple of comments you’ve made. They are stealing many ppls items not just packages… But I don’t like the idea of going right for the cops with kids this young… It will be my final recourse if it continues though I will use my video footage but I would rather not…

The kids have stolen other neighbors stuff like bikes or other kids toys. Other ppl in the neighborhood have tried talking to the parents and they just don’t care, won’t even open the door or answer their phones most of the time. The parents are the talk of the neighborhood unfortunately so I see no point in reaching out when others have not had a response… I figured try something new and see if that makes a valid point.

It sounds like you may be the only person with evidence of their thefts and rather than using it to maybe help get stolen property back, you’re using it to justify petty retribution. It’s not clear whether stolen bikes and toys have been returned, but without knowing the financial situation of your neighbors, it’s entirely possible some of the stolen items are going unreplaced.

You’re lucky that amazon has replaced your goods, but there may very well be kids who just don’t have a bike anymore. As an adult it is your job to set a good example to children, and show that when you see something wrong happen you should do something about it. “The indifference of good men” and all that.

Further, the girls in question are clearly not getting the attention, structure or discipline they need at home. Their parents are ignoring the problem and you are facilitating this by not getting the authorities involved. Police aren’t going to arrest the kids and throw them in jail, their names will be put in a system.

It will be a hassle for their parents to deal with, and frankly that hassle is usually just what’s needed to get the parents to pay attention and maybe start parenting again. At the very least it shows the girls that all adults don’t just ignore their actions and let them do whatever they want whenever they want, because that’s how you get s**tty kids that grow up into s**tty people.

ElsaClack −  Validation post.

[Reddit User] −  ESH. The kids obviously s**k for stealing, and you s**k for not turning video evidence to the police.

jonthemaud −  I am so sick of this pandering b**lshit. Come on OP, did you really think anyone was gonna call you the a**hole? No, you were just looking for validation for your childish behavior.

Do you think the Redditor’s method of teaching the kids a lesson was too harsh or an understandable reaction to repeated theft? How would you handle a similar situation in your neighborhood? Share your thoughts below!