School has started and we are all back in our routine. Adolpha started Kindergarten so I finally have both kids at the same school. Ahhh!!!
It's so interesting to see the differences between my kids now that they're both in school. Gomer is cautious and a rule follower. He makes the smallest waves possible and keeps his head down. Adolpha has never flown under the radar. She prefers to make a splash every where she goes. Adolpha is settling into Kindergarten like she owns the joint and today she proved that to me.
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| I could see losing a juice pouch in this thing. |
I sent her a lunch, but when she couldn't "find" the juice pouch I packed she promptly got on line and used her little debit card to buy a juice. When she told me in the car that afternoon I said:
Me: Excuse me??
Adolpha: Yeah, I couldn't find the juice you packed, so I just bought another one. It's OK, Mom.
Me: No, it's not OK. How could you not find your juice?
Adolpha: I don't know. I just couldn't find it.
Me: But you finally found it once you ate everything in your lunch box.
Adolpha: Yeah. In fact, as soon as I bought the new one I saw the one you packed.
Me: OK, so where is the one I packed?
Adolpha: Oh, I drank it.
Me: You drank that one and the one you bought?
Adolpha: Yeah.
Me: That's two juices. That's too many. You shouldn't buy juice or anything else without our permission.
Adolpha: I needed a juice.
Me: You need to look closer in your lunch box.
Adolpha: I was thirsty.
Me: There's a water fountain.
Adolpha: I needed a juice. It's OK. I did it by myself. I learned how yesterday.
Me: Well, don't do that again.
Adolpha: Well, I will have to do it again if I can't find the juice you pack...
Adolpha: Yeah, I couldn't find the juice you packed, so I just bought another one. It's OK, Mom.
Me: No, it's not OK. How could you not find your juice?
Adolpha: I don't know. I just couldn't find it.
Me: But you finally found it once you ate everything in your lunch box.
Adolpha: Yeah. In fact, as soon as I bought the new one I saw the one you packed.
Me: OK, so where is the one I packed?
Adolpha: Oh, I drank it.
Me: You drank that one and the one you bought?
Adolpha: Yeah.
Me: That's two juices. That's too many. You shouldn't buy juice or anything else without our permission.
Adolpha: I needed a juice.
Me: You need to look closer in your lunch box.
Adolpha: I was thirsty.
Me: There's a water fountain.
Adolpha: I needed a juice. It's OK. I did it by myself. I learned how yesterday.
Me: Well, don't do that again.
Adolpha: Well, I will have to do it again if I can't find the juice you pack...
Where should I start? First of all, her lunch box is a normal sized lunch box. How in the world could she not "find" her juice pouch? It's not like I pack her lunch in a 100 quart cooler on wheels. I could see how her juice pouch might get lost in there. Secondly, she just took it upon herself to go purchase a juice? Who does she think she is?
Gomer would have NEVER done that as a Kindergartener. I'm not even sure Gomer would do that now as second grader. I think if he couldn't locate his juice pouch in his lunch box he would sit there and gum down his dry sandwich and dream of a Big Gulp. I'd hear about it at the end of the day, but never in a million years would he get up and go buy a juice. He would be sure he'd be in trouble.
Gomer would have NEVER done that as a Kindergartener. I'm not even sure Gomer would do that now as second grader. I think if he couldn't locate his juice pouch in his lunch box he would sit there and gum down his dry sandwich and dream of a Big Gulp. I'd hear about it at the end of the day, but never in a million years would he get up and go buy a juice. He would be sure he'd be in trouble.
He confirmed this later that night when he heard about Adolpha's spending spree:
Gomer: I can't believe you did that, Adolpha. We can't buy juice unless Mom told us to buy lunch.
Adolpha: I couldn't find mine.
Gomer: But when you did find it, you shouldn't have drunk it.
Adolpha: I had to. I was thirsty.
Gomer: (looking shocked) That's why we have water bottles, Adolpha. We're supposed to fill up our water bottles when we're thirsty. You're breaking so many rules, Adolpha.
Adolpha: No I'm not!
Gomer: Yes you are. I saw you yesterday when you bought hot lunch. You bought two juices with your lunch.
Me: You bought two juices yesterday??
Adolpha: They're small.
Me: Adolpha, this is crazy. When you buy hot lunch from now on you must get milk. One hot lunch and one milk. If you're still thirsty then fill up your water bottle from the water fountain.
It seems so strange to me that I have to actually explain these guidelines to her. I thought they were understood. They've always been understood with Gomer. I have a long road ahead of me if she's already maxing out her lunch card. It made me realize that as a teenager Adolpha will never be allowed to have an "emergency" credit card.
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97 comments:
Just wait until they get to middle school where there is such a thing as the "ala carte" line that sells smoothies and PB rice krispie bars and single slices of pizza and hot pretzels and oh yeah, apples. It's amazing how quickly that lunch account dries up...in addition to the packed lunches. Damn fast food nation. Where's Jamie Oliver when we need him??
Your kids sound like they have the same personality as mine. My oldest also follows the rules to a tee while my second will say "rules, what are rules?" I raised them both so I just don't understand where I went wrong. Perhaps it's a girls vs boys debate as well as my daughter is also the be who struggles with rules. All I know is I am in for the long road with you!!
On the bright side, at least you know she'll never be *that kid* who cries when she can't get her boots off by herself, or accidentally calls the teacher "mommy" in front of the whole class.
Don't ever get her a credit card! LOL!
I didn't find out about my K-Kid's spending spree until I got an email notice telling me her account was overdrawn. That was because I had never put money in it, in the first place as I packed her lunch EVERY day. Come to find out she was buying icecream at $1.00 each for 5 straight days and they were letting her overdraft!
I'm impressed that their school even offers juice. My kids are stuck with milk if they buy school lunch. I am certain that my kids will not be allowed any sort of credit card until they are 40 for this exact reason. Ugh.
lol sitting her giggling.. now how do i explain that to the Boss. terri
I was like Gomer at that age so I have no advice. I guess you can take solace in her self-sufficiency? I know teachers have a lot on their minds but is it possible her teacher can help monitor it? Or when her lunch money is gone, no more juice until she can "earn" it or something?
That's my sister and I to a t. I'm the youngest,so I've always been a "what rules?" Kind of girl. But my sister has always followed them. Also got The better grades. You probably have that to look forward to, too. I never got an emergency credit card, either. Everything would have been an emergency! Good luck!
Very true! Thank you for showing me the "bright" side.
I totally feel your pain. Our school allows them to buy desserts as well. After my oldest spent $20 in about a week on lunches I had to call the school and put a block on his account. No more desserts for my boys! :) Good luck traversing this new independence!
Oh yeah. My kindergartener did the almost same thing. I had put $20 in her account. A week later it was gone and I got a letter. The $20 was for milk ONLY so of course I'm like "What?!?" Apparently she decided that she needed a few other extras as she went through the line as well each day. We put an end to that real quick. Now as a 4th grader she still isn't allowed 'extras' and asks me each year to let her have them. I still have the bitter taste in my mouth from Kindergarten!
I fixed the middle school problem. I give my kid $50 every 5 weeks ($2/day). She can use it up as fast as she wants, but once it is gone it is gone. she has to wait the full 5 weeks to get more money. She can also pack her lunch and pocket the $50. She finally figured out that deal in 7th grade and made a ton of money. Needless to say, she packs her lunch almost everyday now.
Just wait until your little rule follower (Gomer) goes nuts in college!
This happened to me last year. My 3rd grader & 1st grader had the same amount of lunch money in their account, and only buy rarely & on same days. So I received a notice about her low balance, but not his (her balance was NINE dollars lower than his!). Checked online & it shows what she buys. She had been buying treats/ice cream & we''d been working very overtly on minimizing sugary treats. She'd come home & after dinner ask for dessert saying she hadn't had a great all day, but meanwhile had been "sneaking" ice creams at lunch & other treats. Of course when she realized I could see info online she was horrified, also claiming she didn't know she had to ask (even though they always have to ask at home). Good luck!
*hadn't had a treat all day, not great all day :/
This sounds JUST like my 6 year old. She was in kindergarten last year and after about 2 months of her "needing money" for lunch every few days, we found out that she was eating breakfast twice! Her 10 year old brother wouldn't dream of doing that.
This sounds so familiar. My son's school offers breakfast, and anything unwanted is put on the back table. I found out about halfway through the school year that my son and some of the other boys were eating all of the leftovers. I said, "why in the world are you eating all of this extra stuff? I fed you breakfast at home!" He explained that my breakfasts were unsatisfactory and he was still hungry. I never thought in a million years that I would have to say to my second grader, "listen, don't eat other people's unwanted food, okay?" Geez.
Easy! Make her put everything inher lunch box herself! Then she should know exactly what is in there and where!
Lucky for me, our school doesn't allow "ala carte" for kindergarteners.Of course, it also doesn't offer juice or desserts....hmmmm
I admit I laughed, but that is awful!
Mine blew through her lunch account buying ice cream. And cookies.
Our cafeteria has a lunch only or a lunch and snack option. I tried to trust them, but they blew through their account buying snacks. So when they ran out of money for lunch and wanted a special hot lunch that day,sorry, kid! (one cared, the other one shrugged.)
Meanwhile, they were amazed that I knew what they bought and even who was on line first...we can check their accounts online so I could see who bought what when. When I confronted them, the look of shock and surprise on their faces was priceless. They thought they were getting away with something...
needless to say I haven't added money to their acount in months.
WOW, things have changed since I was a kid. At lunch, we were only allowed to have a packed lunch OR a bought lunch. If you had a bought lunch, you ate what the ladies served (you could exchange the hot lunch for a sandwich, but you had to get a token at the beginning of the week) You were allowed milk: Chocolate or white. If you were allergic, your parents had to pack your lunch. We didn't get "extras" until senior high school...LOL!
i disagree! i'm totally a "rule follower" and i'm a sophomore in college... i def haven't gone crazy like a lot of my friends thought i would have......... because i'm terrified of what would happen if i got a drinking ticket!!
We have the same dynamics in our family - our oldest is a boy and a rule follower and the youngest, a girl, a rule breaker. In any case, the boy chose chocolate milk the first day at lunch (even though he also selected a hot entre, a veggie and fruit) so we told him sternly that he could only do that on Fridays (my husband said never but I cut the kid some slack). So every day since he came home telling us that he chose white milk! Of course he could be lying through his teeth but probably not given his personality. While the lunch choices are pretty impressive (and mostly healthy) I wish they just wouldn't include choices like "corn dog and french fries" or "french toast" for lunch (or even juice for that matter unless the child has a note from home saying that they are lactose intolerant!). Of COURSE they are going to choose what sounds the best ("donuts for lunch - I LOVE this school!"). I'm dreading the day that my son finds out he can choose crustables or yogurt and blueberry muffin for lunch every day. Heck, even when we go to restaurants I only give the kids their choice of the healthier items omitting mention of corn dogs (what they don't know about they won't argue about). Of course this tactic won't last once they start to read...
My boys have to use their own money to pay for extras when they do that. Funny his when they are spending their own $ to pay on the debit card how quick they learn a lesson! Btw sounds exactly like my boys, I have a rule follower and a limit pusher!
Today is the first day of high school for my older ones. Junior and Freshman. Last week my youngest started first grade. This is the first time the little one will be having lunch and I opened his account with $20. He hasn't used it yet. We'll see what happens with him. High school is more expensive and you get a lot to choose from. I had to go to the rule of only ONE hot lunch per week and the rest of the time you bring lunch. Only so much money on the account for the month. When it's gone that's it until next month. Well I look at what he is buying and he gets milk and cookies everything as an additional snack to the one that gets packed from home and sometimes buying a bottle of water for $1 each. Some of the friends were treated as well and they would give him the cash back later! What the what??
Now I wonder what the freshman will do. Normally money burns a hole in his pocket. I have to wait and see.
My nephew kept blowing his lunch account. Come to find out, he was getting the whole lunch every day, eating only the corn, dumping the rest of the tray and getting back in line again for more corn!
To be fair, they changed the policy about a month into school so that kids could only buy 'goodies' with cash and no longer could use their lunch account. I don't think that would have saved the 'two juice incident', but it saved us from the icecream issues.
I packed lunches for my oldest every day in school. I started getting notices from the school that I owed the cafeteria a bunch of money and was totally confused. Come to find out he was throwing away the lunch I packed and getting hot lunch with the "credit card" they gave him. I was furious, especially because I didn't even know that the option to charge a lunch was there.
Gotta love the fact that she has the cajones to
A. take it upon herself to handle perceived problem
B.To argue her case so coolly
chip of the old block, sounds like.
I am actually having to give assertiveness and problem solving lessons to mind. They are too shy and passive.Definitely watch the plastic around that one! lol
My son was in junior high and I kept getting letters sent home from the lunch staff about free lunch program. My sons friend told me that he would stand at the leftover table and wait for people to put food up there and eat it all. I was amazed since I packed him lunch. Lol! Apparently not enough. I was mortified btw.
We are done with elementary school but had a lunch room issue with our two boys back in the day. One took two of something each day (2 hamburgers, 2 hot dogs...) and was charged twice for the meal. So instead of $1.50, it was $3.00 a day. He blew through his lunch $ very quickly at that rate! Then shortly after I pointed out he couldn't do that anymore, he told us he found a solution: put one of the hamburgers in his hand but hide it under the tray so the lunch lady doesn't see it. Love the honesty, but little did he realize he was admitting to stealing... which prompted a face-to-face apology to the lunch lady. He remembers it to this day. Our other son added a small bottle of water to his tray each day and that was a great way to drain his account. Water from the fountain is still free, right? The same kid would eat a good breakfast at home and then get to school and buy breakfast. He wanted to hang with his friends. We did not have on-line access to monitor purchases back then so it wasn't until the low-balance note came home from school that I was even aware of it. The lunch ladies got to know me well. So, Jenn... stay alert! Monitor, Monitor, Monitor... daily if necessary!!! Or, just pack a lunch every day and leave not a single penny on the card. But most of all...good luck!
My kids never ever buy lunch because they're picky. :) But your comment about "emergency credit card" made me remember the girl I knew in high school who treated another friend to an ABORTION with her emergency CC. Now, in a way, I guess it was an emergency, but it sure made for an *interesting* conversation with her dad when the bill came.
Wow... so glad our schools only serve healthy meals. No juice. No ice cream or treats. Once a month as part of the hot lunch they get a cupcake or ice cream bar. Our schools have a secretary run thelunch line and each child gets scanned on the computer 1 time through the line. If they dont like the hot lunch option and dont have a cold lunch they get a sack lunch with a sandwich, fruit and yogurt. They get 1 lunch overdraft if their account goes low and then that secretary is stamping their hand "needs lunch money" and calling and leaving you a message. If you child volunteers in the lunchroom they get their lunch for free. And the lunchroom monitors make sure they eat their lunches and dont throw them away or no recess.
Ditto...If following the rules is ingrained in your personality (even at an early age) rather than impressed upon you by overbearing parents, chances are you're going to continue following the rules once you're on your own. I know I did...and my younger sister, by the way? She has ALWAYS been the type to spend all of her money and ask for more, even now that she has a child of her own. She never got past the idea that money grows on trees, which is probably why my parents are still supporting her and her daughter. I wish my parents would have enforced the rules early on (as some of you have suggested) rather than giving her more money, because now all she knows is to be dependent!
I was informed my son was saving us money this year by eating off the extras table. "Don't worry, it's all healthy fruit and stuff that no one but me likes". Can you roll your eyes and be mortified too?
I am just glad my 1st grader only gets one option for lunch at school and no juice, all the extras, cookies and such have to be purchased from a different line with cash, so I only give him money once in a while and most days we pack the extras ourselves.
Adolpha will probably be asking for a credit card by the end of the year. You know to get an outfit or other things she may need. :)
I love it when we, as parents, think we have control over our kids. I'm a grandma - didn't have control then, don't have control now. I love your blog Jen - I look forward to it every day for my daily guffaws. (I also read the hubs' but you don't have to tell him)
WOW, that is a good friend!
Back when I was in school, there was no "extras" table or debit cards. It seems like these are commonplace now? Never heard of them before today. I guess I'll be learning a lot in a couple years when the boy starts school...
Cute story, but srsly, let the girl have an extra drink. She didn't buy a cross Atlantic plane ticket. It was a juice box and she was thirsty.
LOL! I agree. One juice box does not a deficit make. ;)
When I was a kid I hated school lunches. They were disgusting, cardboard flavored, imitation, sodium filled mystery foods. I brought my lunch everyday, and was very happy with it. I would be the perfect kid for you Jen. Haha!
Hilarious!!I have had this problem with my son every. single. year. since kindergarten!! He is in the 5th this year, and we told him that the first time I got "the call" from the automated lady telling me he had a school cafeteria balance that he would lose all his computer/ps3 priveleges for the rest of the nine weeks!! We're on the start of our 2nd week of school, and so far so good.
I teach 5th grade. Here are two good ones from last year:
1. Boy #1 was coming to class 10-15 minutes every day. Told me he needed to eat his breakfast. I told him to start bringing it to class if he couldn't finish. This continued for a few more days. Emailed mom. Boy was eating breakfast at home and then have breakfast #2 at school. Mom found out he had a balance of almost $40 and was pissed off. Boy #1 was never late again.
2. Boy #2's mom contacts me to look around form missing $$ in his desk. I find nothing. She had given him $50 cash to give to the lunch lady. He didn't. Instead he walked himself on over to Wal Mart and bought his "girlfriend" a necklace with the money. Boy #2 didn't walk quite right the next day:)
p.s. Jen, The juices are really tiny! I have to drink about four just to have a mouthful. Mmmm, tomorrow is Taco Tuesday! I love school lunch.
**10-15 minutes late!
she has the art of sticking to the story down pat!
As a second grade teacher, this absolutely cracks me up. I think I have some of Adolpha's clones in my class this year!
Second graders are typically rule-conscious and fair-conscious...except my class. I never thought I would have to once they reached second grade, but I told a student today, "We do not growl in the hallway." And to think, it's only the fourth day of school lol.
When my son was in kindergarten I kept getting letters from the cafeteria saying his account was overdrawn on a weekly basis even though I replenished it weekly. I was so frustrated I contacted the principal because I was certain the lunch lady was letting other kids purchase on my son's account. Turns out my son was buying breakfast everyday along with lunch, even though we fed him a good, healthy breakfast at home. When I confronted him about it, he said our breakfasts just didn't fill him up. ARGH!!!!!!!
Get use to it sister, I have two girls and they suck me dry!! At our school you just scan your finger!! I want to burn her fingerprints off while she ( i have one who is big trouble) is sleeping! Wait until the book fair and you get a receipt that you "owe" money after you sent them to school with more money to spend than you were comfortable with in the first place...Just love that boy to death!! Face it she is going to kill you!!!!!!
My 1st grader's school is kind of strict about what they let the kids buy. They won't let the kids buy bottled water or ala carte items (we're talking a granola bar or PB sandwich here) until they've been given permission from the parents. Let's not trust a 1st grader to relay this info so it was a couple months before I knew my kid was not being allowed to get extra food if she was hungry. Also, they serve a go-gurt & string cheese as a menu item.... how is that a meal???
Wait til she finds out she can buy "extra's" like cookies, slushes, chips, etc.... ahhh.. My daughter has to pack because she can't follow rules, lucky for me I can look online and see what she buys daily and if she deviates, it's packing for 2 months before she's allowed to buy again.
I'm a tax accountant and basically work like crazy for 3 months of the year. Last season, I was appreciating the "service" our school lunch system offers of emailing me whenever the balance in my daughter's (Adolpha's twin) account got low. Distracted, I kept throwing money on there. After, I checked out her purchases and questioned the MULTITUDE of "snack" purchases..found out she was letting her friends buy on her lunch account! What a generous daughter I have :)
I'm a teacher and I'll say this -- Those cafeteria directors are like used car salesmen!
Here's how it goes down:
"Oh sure honey, come on over here and let me show you what to do if you can't find (wink wink) your juice in that old lunch your mom makes you eat. Annnndddd... here's the ice cream line. I'm sure you'll need some dessert often since you have that healthy/homemade lunch there... (peeks in lunch box) Yep, you're mom must have been extra sleepy this morning. Your mom wouldn't want you to go hungry." SWIPE!
My kids school has a (cash only)snack bar, since I don't allow sugary snacks at home, I would never give them snack money, just send something healthy for dessert. Well, my youngest (and I have 2 boys) found a way around this. He pilfers change. Any and all loose change he "finds" whether it be in the couch cushions or laying on our dresser from where we cleaned out our pockets at the end of the day or from the change jar I keep in the utility room. He always had money and it took months to figure out where he was getting it! One day we were flipping his mattress over and it jingled, and we found where he had worked a hole in the side and was hiding his loot...over seventeen dollars in loose change!
That is too funny! My oldest is just like Gomer as far as the lunch rules go. Youngest doesn't buy extra juices (she gets chocolate milk, which Oldest would never have DREAMED of doing), but she bought 3 friends ice cream treats last year. I only found out because I happened to volunteer that one day. I work full-time, so I rarely volunteer. Luckily, I went and gave Youngest (2nd grade then) a hug while I was walking through the cafeteria and her friends all told me how nice she was to buy them all ice cream. We had to have a discussion about how it is nice to be a good friend, but Mommy and Daddy can't afford for her to buy all her friends ice cream anymore.
So THAT'S how the little one learned about the ice cream! I could not figure that out, as Oldest only got bold enough to buy ice cream in 3rd grade, while youngest was buying it in 1st grade. They both had the same kindergarten teacher, who is old-school and wonderful and won't let the kindergartners get anything but low-fat milk or water from the fountain as a drink and never let them buy snacks!
Ditto, see my later post!
By law you can contact your lunch room and place restrictions on your child's lunch card. Such as they can't have ala cart because it is all junk food, or ice cream. This is a great way to manage the lunch and their waistlines.
I found out last school year my daughter was sometimes buying two snacks when she bought hot lunch, or a snack when she was only to buy milm. See if the program has an option to limit what they can get. I was pleasantly surprised that I can limit her to hot lunch on only one day, how many milks and desserts, she can buy at a time...if she tries to use it on something she's not supposed to, it gets declined! That will teach her a very good lesson. Especially if you don't tell her about it first! ;)
One of my friends has a kid a year older than mine, so when her oldest went to middle school I heard this gem right before mine went--one day a kid bought ice cream for his entire lunch table--think $1.00 bars for 40 kids. He didn't realize that they were $1 each. He spent his whole month's food allowance in one day.
When my daughter started middle school, we changed the lunch policy for the kids--now they get a certain amount of money to spend each month and once they are done, they are bringing from home for the rest of the month. The first month my daughter ran out after 2-3 weeks, and my son lasted 2 months. I don't care what she spends it on since she has food allergies she is already limited to what she can and can't have so I figure she can have some treats and freedom for once.
That's why kids don't get any money put on their lunch accounts anymore and have to pack their lunches everyday. This bank is bankrupt!
First high school I went to... Pasta line bitches!! And a junk food "store" on the other side of the cafeteria. It was a fat girls dream (even though she rarely ate more than a granola bar at lunch... it's a high school thing). Who needs a salad bar?
Oh dear, you're going to have a hell of a time when she hits her teens. I'm predicting parties, sneaking out, illicit internet and phone use, all of it rationalised away like she's a professional lawyer.
I could totally see both my kids doing that. In fact, if hot lunch started in kindergarten for my kids all my son would have subsist on would've been juice boxes and fruit snacks. Kids, you just can't trust em.
This is hilarious! I remember when my kids were this age and did this sort of thing. Isn't is strange how we can raise them all the same and yet they come out so differently---what one will do, the other would never dream of doing! Thanks for sharing the laugh!
You're fucked. Soup Nazi you aren't !!
Our school serves breakfast before school. Last year I found that after I dropped my son at the playground early (so he could play and I could be at work on time) he was heading to the cafeteria for a second breakfast. I have to fight to get him to eat with us in the morning but he's anxious to eat again at school. I was totally annoyed but then I figured, it's only a dollar and if it means he's fueled up for the day, why worry?
Our school serves breakfast before school. Last year I found that after I dropped my son at the playground early (so he could play and I could be at work on time) he was heading to the cafeteria for a second breakfast. I have to fight to get him to eat with us in the morning but he's anxious to eat again at school. I was totally annoyed but then I figured, it's only a dollar and if it means he's fueled up for the day, why worry?
Yep. My daughter's lunch money started evaporating. On further investigation she was buying an extra milk. A spare. "In case I get thirsty." She might take a sip or two of it and was amazed that I thought it wasteful.
It doesn't end. When our sons were in college, they were able to manage their money. Our daughter is a junior in college. She sent us her budget, not including rent. $150 a week!!! Not a chance, sister. I'm thinking $150-$200 a month. Nice try.
This year, I outsmarted my kids by sending checks for their milk money. Last year, when I sent cold hard cash for milk, my oldest (who is a rule follower) ratted out his little brother for using his milk money to buy ice cream or junk from the vending machine. Why they allow kindergarteners and first graders to even use the vending machines is a little suspect. My boys don't get junk at home very often so they're enthralled with the shiny junk food dispenser.
This is true...we had to...he was eating more expensive lunches than we were :D
I volunteer at my kid's school at the start of the year helping those Kindergartners through the lunch line and cafeteria time. You can tell a lot about a kid by how they act during those first couple of weeks. There are always a couple of kids who stand out because even as brand new kindergartners they are not the least bit nervous about disregarding school or parent rules. I'll walk around help kids open milks or yogurt tubes and invariably come across one with 2 ice cream treats, a chocolate milk and maybe they took the hot lunch too. I'm that parent that will tell them they have to start with their lunch, not their ice cream. But it will melt, they say. I don't care, I tell them, lunch shouldn't come with dessert anyway. But my mom said I could... Did your mom say you could buy 2 ice creams and skip eating your lunch? Ummm I think so, they say. Ok I say, I'll go call them and check, I'm sure they would like to know.
I of course use their name, Which they forget is on a tag around their neck and they think I must know their mom too.
I also tell them I'll be back tomorrow to see what choices they make and I let them know their parents can get a list of what they buy for lunch.
It works for a little while at least.
OMG, I am sitting at my desk laughing out loud at this post! My kids are the same exact way - older son- does everything by the book - younger daughter- complete rule breaker! Love it!!!
put a block on her account. We had to do that with our first grader last year after she started stealing our money to buy snacks at lunch.
This is so like a kindegartener at school. Our school started to serve hot breakfasts becore school. (Because that's what they do in Eastern Jack) My now second grader would eat breakfast at home and then go and buy breakfast at schools. She thought when the principal got on the bus to see if anyone wanted to buy breakfast it was OK. I didn't find out about that scam until she started taking a friend with her and the friends mom couldn't understand why the debit card was over limit. You just gotta laugh. By the way, my second grader sounds just like Adolpho down to being a bag lady.
That's hilarious!! Gotta wonder who's watching over these kiddos during lunch!!!
A woman after my own heart! I swear I did this exact same thing all last week when I helped out in the cafeteria at my new kindergartener's school. Fortunately, there is no ice cream or treats available... but I was harping on the kids to eat their sandwich or main protein item so that they'd be able to make it through to the end of the day. Sheesh -- they eat lunch at 10:20 am!! Some of those kids must have thought I was the devil, haranguing them to each their sandwiches and not the cookies first!
When my now 7 year old was in kindergarten - I had just had my twin boys and was home on maternity leave so I would make good breakfasts every morning. Pancakes, eggs and toast ect.... Well one morning after her and her sister were at school I got a phone call from the counselor. She said, your daughter has been coming late to class every morning. She gets off the bus and goes to the cafeteria and eats breakfast, she said you won't feed her at home. So we have been letting her eat....make her 15 minutes late this whole week. I was speechless. She said, well don't worry - when she said you won't feed her I talked to her sister (in 2nd grade) and she looked at me like I was crazy and said you cook every morning! I said um ya! Do NOT allow her to do that anymore without my permission and I will talk to her. She said, ok and by the way - she is negative almost 50 in her lunch account. Come to find out she was throwing her lunches away as well and eating at school! I almost beat her when she got home!
When my now 7 year old was in kindergarten - I had just had my twin boys and was home on maternity leave so I would make good breakfasts every morning. Pancakes, eggs and toast ect.... Well one morning after her and her sister were at school I got a phone call from the counselor. She said, your daughter has been coming late to class every morning. She gets off the bus and goes to the cafeteria and eats breakfast, she said you won't feed her at home. So we have been letting her eat....make her 15 minutes late this whole week. I was speechless. She said, well don't worry - when she said you won't feed her I talked to her sister (in 2nd grade) and she looked at me like I was crazy and said you cook every morning! I said um ya! Do NOT allow her to do that anymore without my permission and I will talk to her. She said, ok and by the way - she is negative almost 50 in her lunch account. Come to find out she was throwing her lunches away as well and eating at school! I almost beat her when she got home!
It cracks me up how you refer to Adolpha juice buying as her little spending spree! Hilarious! I only have one at the moment and thankfully, she is a rule follower...but I'm sure at some point I will get a rule breaker! lol
Kindergarten Credit
Our lunches are 2.65 and on the first day of second grade my youngest (of course because the oldest never takes those kinds of risks) spent $4.75 - he thought you could just keep asking for stuff.
I think you mean terrible friend.
Great stuff! Story of a 2nd born girl! Look out...you're in for it! Love this story!
no, a great friend. Imagine finding yourself in that situation and having nowhere else to turn. Yes underage sex is a big issue but so is underage motherhood.
I had to talk to the lunch ladies at our previous school (which is the same district your kids are in) because apparently they can buy seconds with that handy dandy little lunch debit card they have and they were going through crazy amounts of money. I had the lunch lady put a "stop" on seconds so anytime they tried to buy them it wouldn't let them.
Brilliant! Stealing this plan...
This reminds me of when my son was charging breakfast at school when he would get breakfast at day care. So I tell him to stop charging breakfast at school because he does not need two meals and we are not the Rockefeller's. He in turn tells the school he cannot buy breakfast because we cannot afford it and we have no food. They called C.P.S. It was not amusing, and I do not suggest living in CA.
This makes me so thankful we don't have hot breakfast or lunch or vending machines at our school! Everyone packs. 2 Thursdays a month you can get a slice of pizza for lunch for $1 that they bring in from the local pizzeria and only 1 of the 3 kids is even interested in that....
This is too funny. My youngest son started Kindergarten this year as well. After the first week, I noticed he wasn't drinking is juice boxes. At first, I thought he was just drinking his water but finally asked him about it.
He said "I buy chocolate milk", to which I responded, "you can't buy milk, you don't have any money. He let me know how wrong I was when he told me "I just stand in line and they give it to me".
I can't wait to see his lunch bill.
Wait until she is a teenager and you give her your debit card... Our youngest is the same way, I gave her my debit card to go to Buffalo Wild Wings with friends, thinking it would be a $8-10 meal. The charge was $17.95!!! I thought, well, ok, someone needed some money, that's fine, nope, it was all for her, she got a lemonade and the "sampler platter"...geez. I told her she could have gone to Long Horn steak house and eaten cheaper. She does that to us all the time....she's killing us, the last of three girls, the other two were never like that!
You totally stole my kids. Older rule-abiding, heart-of-gold autistic boy and younger machiavellian, brilliant mastermind, adopted-from-china gal?
She's kidding with these names, right? I'm new to this blog so I can't tell if she's serious. But Gomer and Adolpha?...she must be kidding.
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