Dear Massi, My wife is so embarrassing. She has this mental thing where if she gets something for free, she absolutely milks it.

When we got to weddings, she'll get the kids to take unopened bottles of coke and 7up, hide them under their jackets and brings them home.

She brings a larger handbag so she can stock up on anything free, even small individual sugar packets.

In Nando's she actually stuffed cutlery in her handbag. I only realised when I heard the cluttering on the way out.

When we went to a friend's house for a khatam, she even stole four rolls of toilet paper from their bathroom. She says it's harmless, but I hate it.

Massi says, Your wife may see her behaviour as 'harmless' and perhaps she feels that she is in some way entitled to these items, but it is setting a very bad example to your children.

The children will see these actions as the norm.

Talk to your wife and explain that her behaviour makes you feel very uncomfortable because you feel it us unethical. 

However, it is important to note that Kleptomania is a condition where someone takes items that don't belong to them for psychological fulfillment rather than anything else.


This condition is quite a common compulsion and is known to affect more women than men.

If this is Kleptomania, it needs to be treated like a disease.

People who suffer this disorder often fear being misunderstood. 
If you are unsure, speak to your GP about your wife to determine the correct course of action.