i need help trying to understand the odd behavior my son has engaged in, in the last year

[dearangelac]

why is my 3 year old boy stealing little girls underware and boys and girls socks. i asked him why he did it and he said he didnt know why. And then as we were leaving my sisters house he said to me 'momma lets hurry up and get out of here before someone else comes here and they see i have Abbys (
Abby is his cousin, my sisters daughter whos 4 and she has a 7 yr old boy, Corbin, that my son absolutely LOVES getting ahold of a pair of either of his cousins socks or Abbys underware, clean or dirty hes not picky! but a couple weeks ago after i picked him up from preschool i soon learned that my lil man had stolen his best friend in his class underware, a girl named Eva. i feel i need to add this cause it could be very important if not the answer; July 11th 2009 my son then had just turned 3 and was taken away from me and his father for drug addiction and he remained in foster care till December 12 2009 so im thinking that he may have seperation anxiety r something like that and feels if he goes around and collects the people he loves under garments (or just something very close to their person) then they will never be totally gone like what happened for those five months last year! so please tell me what u think cause im guessing i either have a very mixed up and confused little boy on my hands or a very emotional and scared little boy on my hands. Either way it will break my heart but i cant think of what else it may be so any of your PROFESSIONAL opinion is greatlt appreciated! Thanx, Angel Wonsetler

[yngdad]

Give him things from u guys and his cousins not big things but maybe a hair bow or a toy car stuff like that maybe a ear ring and give him a special box or bag for it that he can carry around all the time and make sure he understands y he's getting this stuff and knos that this takes place of the underwear and socks. My oldest sons birth mother is over in Afghanistan she left him a ring and he keeps that along with something of mine in a special bag so if I'm at work and he's lonely he will have those 2 show him we are still around and right with him. It works good luck!

[AnnieBrooke]

You might be right.  If so, you could try to address it by promising he will never be alone from you again, but if so you are going to have to live up to that.  Drug addiction is very tough and it creates a precarious situation.  If you are certain you and his dad will never use again, you can make this promise to your son, but you have to change a whole lot in a life to get the kind of regular schedule and calm approach to life that would reassure a toddler.  In other words, in his heart he knows the situation is iffy, and the only thing that will cure that, is it no longer being iffy.