How do you forget a 50 pound backpack? LOL

[Disney1fan2002]

My DS14 has a 50 pound backpack, I swear! (ok, it has to be at least 20 pounds anyway) It is HEAVY.

Today, I see that he went out the door without his lunch bag AGAIN. *sigh*. So I go upstairs and tell DH I am tempted to let him go hungry, not bring the lunch to the school. Then when he gets home at 2pm, he can eat it, and maybe he will start remembering his lunch. DH asks me if I hung it on the doorknob? What? He explains that when he gets DS off to school, he hangs the lunchbag on the doorknob so when he goes out the door, he can't miss.

Well, no freakin wonder he always forgets it when I send him off!! Geez.

So, I decide to go back to bed, because DS doesn't have lunch until 11:40. If I decide to bring it, I have time to take a little nap. Well, my cell phone signals I have a text message. I ignore it, then realize 30 seconds later that I have it set to signal me every 30 seconds. Grrrr. I read it, it's a text from DS telling me he left his lunch bag and backpack at home. How does one walk out of the house...walk 50 yards to the bus stop carrying nothing, without realizing he should be carrying his cinderblock of a backpack????

So off to school I went with his cinderblock and lunch.

 

[crashbb]

The same way that my friend, when we were in the 3rd grade, left his shoes at my house. You'd think that, even at age 8, he'd notice that he was walking home in his socks.

 

[katesorad]

When I was a senior in high school, I somehow managed to fit my giant sousaphone case in my car one Friday on my way home from school. On Monday morning, I couldn't fit it back in there. So, I just left it in the driveway.

A few hours later, my mother comes to my school's band room, all sweaty and in spandex (after leaving her exercise class), with my sousaphone case. Yikes! That's the last time I left my instrument at home.

Different than a backpack, but it worked!

 

[tlbwriter]

I think if you had said "Oh, that's too bad," he might be more likely to remember it next time.

 

[Handbag Lady]

If I had to carry a 50 or 20 pound backpack every day, I'd leave it at home, too.

 

[ENSOCK]

Cause he is a boy and they can't remember anything! My DS11 forgot his bat bag at the house yesterday. I got the bag to school late but he did not have time to change so he practiced in his school uniform. up side they were not practicing sliding!

 

[mjkacmom]

Ds12 had a 50 pound one last year in 6th grade, when he only had to walk about 8 blocks (he kept all of his textbooks in it so he wouldn't forget anything). He now has a good 15 minute walk, so he manages to leave the books he doesn't need in his locker.

If my kids forget their backpacks or lunch, they are SOOL. In elementary, they'll let they buy and owe, and my kids in JH and HS are old enough to go hungry, a good reminder for the next day. I can drive to the elementary school in 1 minute, JH and HS in less than 5. In elementary school, dd14 and ds12 were pretty bad about forgetting things at home or at school, but by middle school, it's SO rare. A couple of zeros on homework assignments worked well.

 

[clh2]

If you keep bailing him out...he will never learn to remember it. I work and do not have the luxury of "dropping" off a lunch, backpack or musical instrument.

I made one emergency trip for something 1 time for DD - don't recall what it was. Used up 60 minutes of my "30 minute lunch break". Now - I'll come clean on this - I'm not a fan of brown bagging it - so I happily fork over the money for hot lunch. So - no worries about a forgotten lunch!

 

[hereyago]

I stopped taking things to school at 3rd grade, well actually the last thing in 3rd grade was my fault. i forgot to put a permission slip back in dd's backpack.

 

[poohfriend77]

He forgot the lunch and backpack, but he remembered his cell phone. At least he has his priorities in order.

 

[mamacatnv]

I hang DH's lunch on the door cause I married the absent minded professor. The kids are on their own, they even have to make it themselves!

OP - teenager = jello brain, truly that mush between their ears does not go back to resembling brain matter for several years

 

[MM27]

If you figure out how kids forget things like this, please let me in on the secret.

Every day at 11:40 we go to lunch. And every day I go through the same routine with my class. It goes something like this:

"Group 1, get whatever you need for lunch and line up, group 2, get whatever you need for lunch and line up..."
Before I lock the door, I always ask, "Does everyone have a jacket and lunch?"

Sure enough, we will get down to the cafeteria and someone will tell me that they forgot their lunch, their lunch money or their jacket.

And where did you think we were going when I told you to line up for lunch?

No lunch money, you get to eat a cold lunch and you can bring your money down later. Forgot your jacket? You don't go outside for recess. The only one I let them go back up for is the lunchbox, because the cafeteria won't give them a free lunch and they need to eat something.

 

[MrsPete]

Call me a mean mom, but I'm with the "let him do without for a day" camp. At 14, it won't hurt him to wait 'til after school to have his lunch, and I bet he won't do it again.

 

[cheshireqt]

I can relate. DS's school has made it clear with emails and notes home to all the students that they need a note IN THE MORNING for an early dismissal, or to pull a student from class, as it is far less disruptive. Yesterday DS (14 also) had a Dr appointment and I needed to pick him up early from school. Wrote a note and 3 times "harassed him" with "don't forget to turn it in to the front office." The third time I said this he actually took note of what I was saying and asked me "how"..."umm I don't know, maybe when you walk past the office on your way in you fork it over, or during your 1st period you tell your teacher you have a note for the front office." Anyway arrived just on time to pick him up and guess what, they never received a note. When he did arrive in the front office, I asked him where the note was. "Oh" he says sheepishly, "in my backpack." I had him apologize publicly to all the ladies in the front office and to me. Will he do it again, probably.

 

[shortbun]

He's 14 and he has other things on his mind. You are lucky he made it to the bus, lol. I have boys that age in my house all the time. I currently have a wallet, backpack and laptop here that belong to boys other than my son. And, there is a boy here spending the night. He always leaves me something. I keep saying I'm going to set up a lost and found box. Nice of you to take him his stuff Mom!

 

[hereyago]

I can relate. DS's school has made it clear with emails and notes home to all the students that they need a note IN THE MORNING for an early dismissal, or to pull a student from class, as it is far less disruptive. Yesterday DS (14 also) had a Dr appointment and I needed to pick him up early from school. Wrote a note and 3 times "harassed him" with "don't forget to turn it in to the front office." The third time I said this he actually took note of what I was saying and asked me "how"..."umm I don't know, maybe when you walk past the office on your way in you fork it over, or during your 1st period you tell your teacher you have a note for the front office." Anyway arrived just on time to pick him up and guess what, they never received a note. When he did arrive in the front office, I asked him where the note was. "Oh" he says sheepishly, "in my backpack." I had him apologize publicly to all the ladies in the front office and to me. Will he do it again, probably.

Hello Va Dis'er! This has been my DD a few times. When she walks in, the office is smack dab in the front. Then the receptionist ends up having to call up to the class to get her out because she doesn't have the get out of class slip. but it has been awhile since she has done this, but it drives me nuts plus I don't like having to disrupt the class with them having to call her.

 

[Cindy B]

You are a great mom, but too nice.

I'd make him learn to consequence. If he knows you forget you will bring it. Next time he needs to learn. If he can remember phone, he can remember the other things.

I used to make my kids either ride bike back for it or walk back. The middle school is 2.1 miles each way from my house. The high school is over a mile. If they forgot while DH and I were at work, well.. that is too bad so sad.

They won't starve at lunch. He will have well meaning friends, get a lunch fro the cafeteria on credit, or something like that.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Mine has forgotten to turn in notes but that's about it. With the new county Parental Portal, I know within 2 days so I can bug him to turn it in.
I guess I've been lucky.

And now I've just jinxed it.