Locked Out

Of all the phrases I've yelled at the kids as they've headed out the door on their way to school, never once have I yelled (or thought to yell):

"Hey, take your father's Masterlock out of your backpack!"

Since *I* lacked such foresight, Brandon used his father's Masterlock to padlock his locker at school and then lost the key on the playground.

It happened on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend.

When his teacher showed me Brandon's locker, I didn't even have words to deal with it...I just laughed. Mostly because I knew how emotionally attached to the Masterlock Rich had been over the years. Brandon was most upset that he didn't have access to his backpack for three days.

Three days later, Brandon was exasperated that he had to give up recess time to write a letter of apology to the janitor of the high school, who had to give up an hour of his day to drive down to the elementary school with a bolt cutters in order to free the locker.

(Rich and I thought it was fantastic that Brandon had to write the letter.)

Brandon is still unremorsefull over padlocking his locker...it kept people from going through his stuff or worse...putting love notes in there.

Rich is still a little bitter a perfectly good Masterlock that was older than Jonathon is gone.

I'm trying to convince myself this kind of stuff isn't going to happen next school year, but failing miserably.