11/8/12 Losing it

I patted Julian's knapsack today, and it was light. Where was the nifty fabulous pocket fold-up rain-jacket I got from Land's End, that fit perfectly into a knapsack front pocket? Missing, of course.

This is infuriating. Julian has already lost 3 lunch bags this year too. Even aside from the confusion of two homes, he leaves things behind like no one's business. Katrina and Gabriel combined have lost half the number of things Julian has.

So what to do? It's easy to say "fine, let him go without a jacket" -- but in practice, that's not so easy. Teachers and other parents make comments; it affects his going on field trips, being outdoors, whatever. A cold kid is far less cooperative, and making him "suffer" all winter long with no jacket has no practical effect -- he still loses stuff right and left.

The lunch bags are also annoying -- I could give him paper lunch bags every day, but those are a much bigger hassle for me than real lunch bags (that he keeps losing), and I'm not about to reward him with pizza-hot-lunch and chocolate milk for losing lunch bags. Fortunately, those are inexpensive enough that I can insist he "buy" new ones with lost allowance.

Last summer, for daycamps, I tethered sunscreen to his knapsack, by punching a hole in the crimp and using a coil keychain to attach it to his knapsack. Great idea, right? Except then he left behind his whole knapsack, tethered sunscreen and all!!

Is there a remedy for a chronic loser?!

11/8/12