Lunchless, almost

This is the third week of school.  For the first two weeks, Drew left her backpack and lunchbox in the car after school every single day.  Every night when I went to make the kids' lunches for the next day I'd have to ask her where they were and then send her out to the car to go get her backpack and lunchbox.  As each day went on it pissed me off more and more.  She is responsible for one thing, that's it.  Chris asked me why I didn't just make sure she had it when she got out of the car in the driveway.  I told him that I cannot be responsible for 3 kids, my pocketbook, the mail, a grande skinny caramel macchiato AND their backpacks.  Let's keep it real.  Plus, she's 7.  Bring in your own backpack! 

Over the weekend I told Drew that if I went to make lunches and her backpack and lunchbox weren't in the kitchen where they were supposed to be, I would not be making her a lunch.  She'd be lunchless at school the next day.  Pretty simple.

Yesterday, Monday, she left her backpack and lunchbox in the car.  I went to make lunches last night and there was nothing pink to be found.  I stood for a minute in the kitchen wondering if I should really send her to school with no lunch.  From a practical point of view I know that this is going to do nothing but cause grief for the teacher who will scramble to put enough snacks together for her to eat.  Her school has no hot lunch so that's not an option. 

I went to take a shower and do my thang before finishing up in the kitchen for the night.  I came out probably 30 minutes later to find... Drew's lunchbox.  The kids were in bed, how could this have happened?  Well, Miss Drew realized once she was in bed that it was in the car.  She made Chris a big I LOVE YOU DADDY card or some bullshit and brought it down while I was in the shower.  Not knowing the enormous life lesson I was about to pull off, she asked him to go to the car and get her stuff and he did.

This morning. 

Stinker.

So, she headed off to school this morning, lunchbox full and unaware of how close she came to really being lunchless.  I've decided that shall it happen again, and it will, that I'm sticking to my word because she's like her mommy.  She enjoys a good meal and one day without one will turn this girl into the most responsible backpack/lunchbox keeper in the land.