Parents shouldn’t have to fight their child’s battles—but sometimes, they do. That’s exactly what happened when my daughter’s classmate stole her lunchbox, and the school did nothing.
My six-year-old adored the bento box her aunt gave her—until Audrey, a classmate, took it. When my daughter asked for it back, the teacher dismissed her. “It’s just a lunchbox,” she said.
I wasn’t about to let that slide.
The next day, I confronted the teacher and principal. Audrey was brought in, still holding the stolen box. I asked her to open it—and there was my daughter’s name.
But instead of returning it, the teacher asked if Audrey could keep it “just for today.”
No way.
I gave them five minutes to fix it. When they didn’t, I dumped Audrey’s lunch in the trash and took back what was ours.
Some said I was too harsh. But why should my daughter lose something because a spoiled child wanted it? Audrey’s family could afford their own. This was about principle, not a lunchbox.
Now, my daughter is changing schools. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
