I (35F) have a 4-year-old son, let’s call him Ben. I pack lunch for all my kids and bought Bento lunch boxes for each of them — they’re around $50 each on Amazon. I also label everything they take to school: lunches, bottles, clothes, bags — everything.
A few weeks ago, when I went to pick up my son from school on a Tuesday, I noticed his backpack felt unusually light. When I looked inside, his Bento box was missing. No big deal — I mentioned it to one of the after-school teachers, and she said she had accidentally sent it home with another kid who has a similar name, let’s say Ken.
I’ve never met this kid or his parents, but I told the teacher it was fine and just asked her to have the parent return the lunch box the next day.
The next day, the teacher told me the parent had messaged her saying she would bring it the following day since they only attend school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fine.
Thursday comes around… no lunch box. The teacher says the parent forgot but would definitely bring it next Tuesday. I was a bit annoyed, but I figured I’d give her some grace.
Next Tuesday rolls around — still no lunch box. Now I’m properly irritated. I mention it to my son’s daytime teachers and ask them to reach out to the parent directly because, honestly, this is getting ridiculous.
Fast forward another week. Still nothing. Apparently, the mom is postpartum and “very forgetful.” She even joked to one of the teachers that “the lunch box is getting closer to school” because she had placed it by her front door.
At this point, I’m done. Just… put it in your car or your kid’s bag! My husband suggested I confront her directly, but the teachers wouldn’t give me her name, and I could never catch her at pick-up.
So I sent a very stern email to the principal, admin, and all my son’s teachers explaining my frustration and asking them to please help me get my kid’s belongings back.
Finally — nearly four weeks later — the mom shows up at school, meets me, and returns the lunch box. She apologized and tried to joke about the situation, but I was so annoyed I just stared blankly and said, “Okay,” took the lunch box, and left.
Now she’s apparently telling other parents that I was “rude” and “ungrateful,” saying I should’ve been more appreciative that she brought it back.
Like… Ma’am. (Eye roll.) You kept my kid’s $50 lunch box for a month and acted like it was a favor to return it.
So… AITA for not saying thank you?
