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
