It took a whole three days!!!

[MRJmama]

Yep, three days this year for my DD to lose her lunch box along with the containers in it. I so want to give her reusable stuff, but this is getting really old and I end up having to replace way too many things!

She is 10 by the way.....anyone know how to instill a bit of responsiblity into someone who just does not care :

[CarrieMF]

At 10 she can earn money to pay for new ones. I'd also stop using the reusable stuff for her until she replaced them & showed some responsibility. Get brown paper bags, use wax paper or parchment paper instead of plastic bags if you don't want plastic bags.

[mommajb]

cool reusables and embarrassing disposables?

[mtiger]

She gets to buy lunch until she can show she's responsible enough to being her dishes home.

[lorijds]

Originally Posted by CarrieMF

At 10 she can earn money to pay for new ones. I'd also stop using the reusable stuff for her until she replaced them & showed some responsibility. Get brown paper bags, use wax paper or parchment paper instead of plastic bags if you don't want plastic bags.

This.

If she gets an allowance, I also wouldn't give it to her, using it to buy her a new lunch box and reusable containers. Alternatively, I'd give her extra jobs until she worked off the lunch box. I'd try to express to her the bigger picture--this is about respect for the environment, respect for others' work, and personal responsibility. I'd emphasize to her that if she can't take responsibility for a little lunch box, you'll be less likely to give her bigger responsibilities as well--walking to the park by herself, pets, an expensive musical instrument, that sort of thing.

[Ruthla]

I think I'd make her pay for her lunch containers. She can decide if she wants disposable or reusable stuff, but she needs to pay for it out of her own money. You already purchased lunch supplies that should have lasted the entire year, so it's her responsibility to replace them.

Once she's buying her own lunch stuff, I think she should select what she'd prefer to use. If that means disposable paper bags and plastic sandwich bags, I wouldn't fight her on it. I would educate her about the reasons you selected reusable stuff, but let her make her own choices now that she's the one paying for the replacements.

[mild_adventurer]

10 years old is old enough to make her own lunch. Our kids are 8, 10, 10 and 12 and they all make their own lunches.

Very simple natural consequences here.

If she loses the lunch containers/lunch box that you bought her, she has to figure out another way to pack her lunch. Plastic grocery store bag, old gift bag, shoe box, whatever.

And in the meantime, she's raising the money to replace the ones she lost (that is if she minds packing her lunch in a plastic grocery store bag).

[Oriole]

I vote for mercy over here...
I used to lose stuff, and always felt terrible. I couldn't help it. Amazingly enough, my mom occasionally let it slide with "don't worry about it".
Does your daughter show any remorse?

[Teensy]

A PSA for everyone: Make sure your child's name is on lunchboxes and thermoses (as well as sweaters & jackets). I used to help sort the lost and found at my child's school. We would look for names and return items that were labeled. But hundreds and hundreds of items came into the lost and found with no name on them (or just a common first name, sigh) and ended up (after a few weeks) going to Goodwill. Grab your label maker or Sharpie and label things!

[Dandelionkid]

Originally Posted by Oriole

I vote for mercy over here...
I used to lose stuff, and always felt terrible. I couldn't help it. Amazingly enough, my mom occasionally let it slide with "don't worry about it".
Does your daughter show any remorse?

I was the same way. I would forget my lunch and my mom would bring me an even better one. I loved it at the time but I would have gained so much more if she had trusted me to work it out on my own. I would have benefited from learning that I could be more responsible.

[bugsmom007]

At 10, my son would forget or lose his lunchbox pretty regularly....now, at 15 he only leaves it at school once every 2 weeks or so...we have backup lunchboxes and insist he brings home 2 the day after he forgets :

[bestjob]

My kids never lose anything. It wasn't because of what I did or didn't do. We're just a practical group of people.

My two young friends who are 12 and 15 lose all kinds of things. They are what we used to call day-dreamers. They're very nice kids.

I'd say cut her some slack. Either reduce what she has to remember, or else let her forget the little things like her lunch bag.

Maybe she has a friend who is like one of my kids and who could be enlisted to help her get her lunch stuff back and forth. In payment, she'll inspire them to day dream a bit more! That's what my kids' friends do for us.

[Labbemama]

My kids are forgetful. I would take her back up to the school and try to locate it.

If you can't find it I think it's fine for her to pay to replace it. (Lucky you lost it now, they are half price but can still be found) mid-year a lot of places stop selling them. (have lost a few).

I got so sick of lost mittens I stitched elastic to their sleeves to attach them. But yeah walking back up to the school to retrieve lost/forgotten items during play time will nip it really quick. Also works for math books. :-)