Jackets

MC keeps leaving his jackets at school.  I say jacketS because by now he has a collection of 4 or 5 jackets and sweatshirts hanging out somewhere at school.  The problem is, it's cold in the morning, so he'll wear a jacket, but by the time the kids are getting out of school, it's not as cool any more, and he doesn't think he needs it, so he just leaves it there.  What?!  Does he not realize that it's going to be cold again in the morning?

I remind him in the morning.  I tell him to take his jacket off and put it into his backpack when he gets to school.  I tell him he can take it out again if he needs it at recess.  I write notes to him in his assignment notebook: "remember your jacket!"  I scold him when he comes home without a jacket and remind him that he's going to need one the next day.  It's not working.  Nothing's working.

And we're running out of jackets.

OK, not really.  Have you been in our basement where I keep all the kids' coats hanging up?  Not kidding--we've got at least 25 of various sizes and weights down there (I buy them when they're on clearance in the spring or at Goodwill on Toddler Thursday).

But I am running out of patience or goodwill or something.

I've always been a natural consequences kind of mom.  If my kids don't put something away and can't find it, well good, I guess they just won't get to play with or use that whatever.  So I know what I should do.  But I'm struggling a little bit with this one, wondering if it's a health and safety issue.  I would love to send him out to the bus stop on this chilly 38*F morning wearing nothing but his T-shirt, so that maybe, just maybe, when it's time to come home, MC will remember to bring a coat or two home, too. 

But it's cold out there.  I don't want my baby to be cold.

But if he needs to be cold to learn this lesson, I would be doing him a disservice to let him take yet another jacket to school.

But what will other people (other people, who just happen to be mandated reporters for suspected abuse) think if I send my kid to school on such a cold day without a jacket? (Hopefully they would think, "hey, good parenting," but somehow I doubt it).

I'm not sure how this is going to turn out today--at least MC's wearing a long-sleeved shirt.  I think maybe he has another sweatshirt in his closet that might end up going with him.  And I know I'll be driving past the school this afternoon, so I'll probably pop in to raid the lost and found for our property (I can't imagine he would have all 4 or 5 of them hanging on his hook--there's not enough room).  I'll let you know.

No jacket.  He doesn't even look cold, does he?

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