Kiting checks

I make it a point to pack a full and nutritious lunch for each of my children, including a snack. They take it from there. I know that kids trade lunches, and I know some things hit the trash, and yes, some food comes back home, but I still make the effort to keep the kids healthy and full.

However, this week, Rocky and Nita took their lunch battle to an all-time low. I went to Rocky's school conference last night, and the teachers mentioned how STARVED he is right before lunch and how he so politely asks every day if he can go buy a bag of chips from the cafeteria and while that is not a standard procedure, they sure didn't mind if I didn't mind.

Wait a minute--he's buying chips from the cafeteria? The same kid who had two sandwiches, beef jerky, yogurt, raisins, pretzels, peanuts, and carrots in his lunch BOUGHT chips because he's so daggone hungry?

Uh, no.

So I enlightened he teachers that, one, he is not to be carrying money, ever, as there is that little issue about stealing. Two, he is not to buy anything at school, ever, as he has little impulse control and blows his cash. And, three, I watch what he eats because of the additives.

Oh. They apologized and promised to watch him better.

So I came home and cross-examined Rocky, who then admitted that he had been taking money to school and had been lying about it.

So he's on blackout all weekend.

Then, today, EG calls me because Nita turned in a check for a hot lunch today. The check was from our account, yes, and it was pretty much filled out correctly, yes, but she had signed it with her own name.

Plus, she had followed the directions sent home each month by the cafeteria managers. These clearly state that you should write in the amount of money on the check. So, where the check says, "In the amount of...", Nita clearly and carefully printed, "money."

This reminded me of when Rocky's first grade teacher sent home a note about an infraction, one which required a parent's signature. He had neatly written "Mom Lastname" in his best imitation of cursive.