Every month or two I deposit money into my kids' lunch account for them to draw from. When it starts to get low I get an email letting me know so that I can deposit more.
Today I got an email saying that SS's lunch account was getting low. I had just sent $120 to be divided among the three girls at the first of February. And I only received a notice for SS, when the girls' accounts should have been reduced equally.
So I logged into the lunch payment system and quickly learned that SS had decided that she needed ice cream every single day since the first of the year. I immediately called the cafeteria manager and had a block put on her account so she can't get ice cream any more.
Then I had to come up with a creative punishment. (Yes, she knows she is not supposed to add snacks to her lunch, we have been over this in the past.) So tonight I brought home ice cream for everyone her and said, "OK, any idea why everybody in the house is getting ice cream but you? Because you have been getting ice cream every day and the rest of us haven't."
She was a little miffed at me, but got over it pretty quickly.
I also informed her that she will be brownbagging it for the next 3 weeks until she pays off her $30 debt. I'm not sure how much of a punishment that is because the kids generally enjoy taking their lunch--but I'm hoping that after 3 weeks PB&J will be getting pretty old. And I won't be buying any fun stuff for her lunch.
Yeah, I'm totally the meanest mom in the world.
3 comments:
Well, good for you! And kinda good for me, to be shown how to stand firm. Thanks for this post.
Oh, when my kid's account gets low, they call our home number and leave embarrassing voicemails. And they make the kid eat shredded lettuce or whatever...the kid isn't given a real lunch! Yeah, that gets the bill-payer's attention!
I can't believe that they don't give the kids a real lunch if their account gets low--that's awful! And the voicemails--wow!
We have been through this with E, who is 12. Our school doesn't give ice-cream rights to kids before 5th grade, but now J is in 5th grade, too, so they both have the access. E is allowed to choose a snack once a week, but owes us the $$ back. We don't think lunch money includes ice cream and cookies, either.
Also, our school system will let us get into debt with them, and still lets the kids get lunch and snacks. We have been up to -$15. They have just started with automatic voice mails, but at least they don't cut the kids off!
~Zuska
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