Not so trusting anymore!

Last night, K went skating at our local skating rink as she often does on Friday nights. She was extremely excited to try out her newly purchased skates, which are an early Christmas present. She was creeped out at the thought of wearing skates other peoples feet have been in, so we decided to buy her, her own skates. At around 9:00 p.m., she called to tell us someone seems to have stolen her tennis shoes. They are not in the "cubby" with her friends shoes. Her friends shoes were still there, but hers are gone. Announcements were made, lockers were searched, skate boxes were searched. Every nook and cranny of the rink was searched by her, her friends, me, and the staff. These are not just any shoes. These are the Nike Shox shoes she earned for getting straight A's first quarter at school. A group of girls about her age, left earlier in the evening. After this massive search, we all concluded one of them stole her shoes. These shoes are not cheap. They run $100.00 or more. They are in pretty high demand. We would normally not spend this much on tennis shoes, but they were a reward for the grade card. K came home early,crying the entire time in the car, and again on her Dad's shoulder when we got home. She went to bed crying. "Why would anyone steal a pair of shoes?", she asked. K is a very trusting kid. This is really the first time she has been a victim. She is honest, and would not even conceive of the idea to take anything that is not hers. She learned a very expensive lesson tonight. Don't leave any valuables in the open for dishonest people to steal. She also learned to take advantage of any kind of "locker". They have quarter lockers available, but she has always just put her stuff in a cubby with her friends and never had a problem. Our 11 year old has finally learned that you cannot trust anyone who has not earned your trust. I learned this lesson a long time ago, but she has learned it early enough that hopefully, she won't be a victim again. It is disturbing to have to think this way, but in this day and age, it's the only way to protect yourself and your possessions. We will go out today to buy a new pair of tennis shoes. This was not her fault, and she did earn these. Fortunately, we have the resources.