Sharpe: Of larceny and loss

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To the parents of the high school girls who stole from my daughter, there are a few things I want you to know.

I want you to know that, while my 10^th grader was at her lacrosse practice, your daughters rummaged through her backpack, which she thought was safe in the girls’ locker room.

They found her wallet and opened it, sifting through the contents.

Then they decided to remove several gift cards.

They left the MacBook, AirPods, credit card and debit card. They even left the cash.

But they stole the gift cards, a couple hundred dollars’ worth — my daughter’s Christmas gifts.

These were treasured prizes she was saving for some day in the future, the means to purchase new clothes or a special lunch, items that my family would consider treats.

Does your family consider new clothes or lunch out something special? Does a few hundred dollars matter in your world?

We live in the town that Bloomberg recently named the second wealthiest in America.

Certainly not a place where one would expect larceny in the high school locker room.

Are your daughters stealing because they are hungry? Did they need gift cards to Dunkin’, Chik-fil-A, or McDonalds because you would not provide those for them?

Perhaps they wanted new clothes from Lululemon, American Eagle and Nike, because you would not buy these brands for them.

No, I don’t think your daughters were thieving because of necessity or parental neglect. We live in the wealthiest town in the state, after all.

So, what motivates the privileged to steal? What drives kids who have everything to violate the rights of their peers?

How, in a high school with the motto “non sibi” — not for self — can we have students who pilfer from their classmates?

Parents, I want you to know the pain your daughters inflicted.

They caused my daughter’s heartbroken cries and tears that eventually faded to a despondent stare.

Not just because of the material loss, but the violation of trust, an attack on personal property in a place that was supposed to be safe. In one selfish, callous act, her innocence was taken forever.

I want you to know that those gift cards can’t just be replaced. A few hundred dollars isn’t just disposable income in my family.

I want you to know that, because of what your daughters did, my daughter learned what it feels to be a victim of crime. She filed reports with the school and local police department. She was lectured on how to better secure her possessions.

From now on, she will avoid leaving her belongings in the locker room. If she must, she’ll use a locker with a lock — shutting out tomorrow’s thieves while protecting herself and guarding her trust.

I want you to know that my daughter will overcome this personal attack, this violation. She will emerge from this hurt, but with new wisdom, awareness and understanding of the evil that is in this world, evil that even walks the halls of her high school beside her.

I want you to know all this because, as a parent, I would want to know if my child did this to someone else.

I would want the opportunity to correct my child’s behavior, teach them right from wrong, let them own their mistake and learn from it.

In today’s world, we must strive more than ever to uphold our humanity.

Jennifer Sharpe is the director of communications at Oklahoma City Community College. Formerly the deputy editor of The Journal Record, her column “On the streets of Philadelphia” was the 2023 winner of the Oklahoma Press Association ONG Column Sweepstakes Award.