One in Four Parents Are Thieves

In a survey of nearly 400 parents of children under the age of 17, it was found that one in four steal money from their children. The survey, by Bankwest in Australia, also found that 20% of child thieves use the money to pay for utility bills. An astonishing 16% put the money toward a new car or holiday.

"If you can't find any money, you know the one place you can always rely on is the kids' piggy banks,” says Paul Vivian, head of retail deposits for Bankwest. “But my wife always makes sure I put it back - with interest."

I’m sure she does Paul, but then she probably only makes you do that because she knows that she’s twice as likely to steal it back again. Some 35% of mothers steal money from their kids as opposed to just 16% of dads.

You can just picture Mr crack dealer waiting outside the family house for payment, while an 8 year old girl pokes her finger forlornly at what remains of her piggy bank: porcelain and dust. Meanwhile mum and dad are doing lines of coke off the spoiler of their brand new Ferrari, probably enroute to some sort of sex cruise.