the lol incident

 

The school where my two precious monkeys go every Monday to Friday from 8.45am til 3 in the afternoon, like every other school has canteen, which runs three times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  I rarely use the facility of the school canteen for my Boys.  Why? It's not because I am a perfect mother who loves to make lunch box  with home-made organic stuff  in it. Oh...no! I'm trying my best to give some healthy lunch and snacks for them.  But very often I fall into the chaos that seems to happen almost every morning at my household that Vegemite sandwich the only thing that I can master to put in their lunch box.  If I am allowed to put Nutella or Peanut Butter sandwich I will do too.  But nut is not allowed and Nutella is chocolate plus it has nuts too, so definitely my option is very limited.  Some days when I feel bright and get the energy and not lazy, I will make my home-made sausage rolls or mini Quiche or some pastry thingy for their lunch box.

But the reason that I very rarely send my Boys to the school canteen amid the chaos in the morning, because I still have time to make their lunch and I am the kind of mother who always wants to make sure that my kids are eating healthy stuff, not that I am saying the school canteen caters unhealthy food though. They actually very good with the menu, they rate their menu as (G) for Green Foods which is healthier everyday choice and (A) Amber Foods, limit intake and choose carefully, for example; hot dog, fish & hash and fish burger. And another reason if I can save couple dollars here and there why not?  Sometimes when the Boys ask if they are allowed to have ice cream or icy poles I would have no problem to give them money for it.

About a month ago one of my twins asked if he can have $2 to buy LOL drink (it's a fizzy fruit juice in different flavors) at the recess. I normally reluctant for my kids to have a fizzy drink, especially at school, but he begged and begged and told me that all his friends have LOL.  So, I gave up this time and he was very excited and couldn't wait to go to school that morning.

When I picked them up in the afternoon, in the car I noticed he was very quiet than usual.  Everybody who knows him, will agree with me that he's a quiet boy, shy, and always obey the rules and do exactly what the teacher says.  

I asked him how was school.  He replied that it wasn't good.  I said, why? And he told me that the lady in the canteen made him standing in the corner of the canteen in front of the other kids and accusing him of stealing the LOL drink.  Calmly I asked him to tell me how it happened from the beginning.  He said at recess time he went to the canteen and  gave the lady $2 and get the drink from the cooler machine, the lady took his money and later was busy talking with other ladies.  Then when he and his friend was leaving the counter suddenly a girl chased him and said that he hasn't paid for the drink.  The lady asked him to come back to the counter and asked him if he has paid for the drink.  

According to him, he explained to the lady that he had paid and he saw the lady took the money.  But the lady didn't believe him and accused him of stealing and made him standing in the corner for couple minutes before let him go with the drink!  I was pretty upset to listen to his story but I tried not to be emotional and I should think with my brain not with my boiling angry blood.  I said to him that I would talk to his teacher the next day.  I also asked him if he reported that incident to his teacher, he said no because he was too upset.  He even didn't want to drink that LOL and asked his friend to look after it, and later at lunch time he finally drank it. He told me that he never wants to go to the canteen anymore.  It was his first and last!  Poor boy.

The next day I spoke to his teacher and she said she would talk to the principal. She agreed with me that whoever that lady in the canteen didn't have the right to put him in the corner and accused him of stealing.  She should report Nathan to his teacher if she thinks he stole the drink.  I do understand, sometimes when you're busy dealing with customer (especially kids) you kind of forget whether you have got the right money or given the right change, etc.  And I DO understand while most the ladies in the canteen are volunteer mothers who sometimes while doing their job are also busy sharing some important information to each other, so mistake happens!  But, to accuse a kid of stealing and made him standing in the corner in front of other kids I think it is in appropriate!

 

Every day I had to ask the teacher whether there was news from the principal about my son's case.  After almost a week,  one afternoon I got missed call from the principal he left a message on my mobile said that he would like to meet me to discuss the matter.  I met him the next morning, to my disappointment that he just dismissed the case as it was not that important.  Casually he told me he had spoken to the lady in the canteen, according to the lady she didn't accuse my kid of stealing and didn't make him standing in the corner.  

So, whose lying here? My 6 years old boy or the lady with a brown hair??!! If there was a mis-understanding between my boy and the lady, I would like her to apologize to my boy.  If my kid lied, why he had to lie? While he was so excited to get $2 in the morning to buy the stupid LOL drink? Doesn't that lady think of the impact she made before she accused him? I wasn't happy with the solution.  I told the principal about the effect on my boy and he offered me if I would like him to talk to my boy personally, I said yes. Until this day, everyday I would ask my boy if the principal comes to talk to him about the LOL incident and apparently Mr. Principal is too busy dealing with more important issues.  Yes I do understant, he's busy.

 

He has more time chatting with mothers in the morning and before school pick up at car park than do his real job as a Principal of the school that I pay every term in time to educate my kids!

I asked my boy's teacher if I need to speak myself to the lady.  She didn't think I need to as the principal had already taken care.   I would like to advise the lady in the canteen to count her til and check if she's missing $2 before accusing a kid of stealing! And to the Mr. Principal I'm very disappointed.

Both my husband and I encourage my boy that sometimes incident like that can happen, it's life.  But we told him that he definitely did the right thing and he didn't steal the drink and he should not be afraid to go to the canteen if he wants to buy something.  His teacher also spoke to him and again firmly said that he wasn't a theft and if he needs to go to the canteen she would go with him.  

A week ago, I heard my other twin asked if his twin brother would like to have icy pole at recess time. And he replied, "No thanks, you know what happened to me last time I went to have the LOL drink".  I just hope as time goes by he would recover and forget about the stupid LOL!

Note:  I read about LOL drink that it's bad for children and some school has banned it. Read it here