What do parents want retail workers to do when they drag their sobbing child into the store to confess to stealing something?

I work at a grocery store and this has happened a few times.

I'm a parent myself and I can't bring myself to be too harsh to a crying child and usually just tell the kid not to do it again or they might get into trouble.

I suppose if one my kids stole/consumed something without paying, I would make them go back to pay for it, but I wouldn't look at the employee like I expected something from them. I feel like that's a job for the parent, in private.