Gym-short mayhem

The background info: It costs $15 per set of P.E. (gym) outfits at my daughters' school. A gym outfit consists of a t-shirt, and a pair of shorts, each with the school logo. Hardly worth $15, but okay, we'll get over that part. They have gym two days per week, and they change back into their school uniform after gym. So we're talking an hour or two in their gym clothes on gym days.

Now on to our story...
Last year, Darby -- the responsible one -- lost her gym clothes outright, about two-thirds through the school year, so we bought a second set with money from her piggy bank since she lost them. Lesson learned, right?

Well, not quite. A few weeks ago she lost her gym shirt. So for these few weeks, I've had her going to gym in a different school shirt, while insisting every day that she check the lost and found. Mind you -- her name is all over this stuff, so it's not like someone can pass it off as theirs.

No glory. Last week I decided to buy another shirt, though I hadn't actually done it yet. So last night, as I'm getting her school stuff ready, I can't find her gym shorts. Darby, I say, you did put your gym shorts in your school bag last week, right? She says she did, so I go through her school bag, the recently washed clothes in the laundry basket and dryer, and through the dirty clothes. No gym shorts.

Great.

So I express my dissatisfaction with her and we finish the bedtime routine. The next morning at school, we go to the place where one might find additional gym clothing, and purchase another set for the low low price of $15. For those of you that haven't been following along, this is our THIRD (3rd) set of gym clothes. We used a marker to again unmistakably identify the clothing as hers, and we put them in her school bag and trotted off to class. I remind her that the $15 will again come out of her piggy bank for her irresponsibility.

So we're all settled. We have gym clothes again, and equilibrium has been restored, right?

Maybe not quite.... so I arrive to pick the kids up from school, and as we're getting Darby's homework supplies into her school bag (since she never has it ready like I ask her to), I notice there is only a gym shirt.

Grrrrr.

Darby, I say, why on earth is there only a gym shirt in this bag? Please tell me you didn't lose your brand spanking new third pair of gym shorts. She says she knows she put them in there... show me, I say. Alas she cannot.

Find them. Right now.

So we go on a gym-short quest. Up and down and side to side we sweep the school for gym shorts. (eew)

As you might imagine I am oh so pleased at this point. But then I realize that this is not my duty. So I tell her to keep looking until she finds them and that I'm taking her sister to the car to wait.

Ten minutes pass and no Darby. A moment later I see her pacing at the glass door. I step out of the car to flag her down, she comes to me and says she looked EVERYWHERE. But still no gym shorts.

Grrrr.


So I again express my dissatisfaction and we get in the car and head home. In the car I tell her for her irresponsibility she is to do her homework, eat dinner, and go to bed when we get home. I explain that Thursday is her next gym day and that she has tomorrow to find her shorts, or we spend more piggy bank money on a fourth pair of shorts.

[snip]

So I'm making pork chops for dinner, and we are way behind schedule given the delay at school, and Darby comes into the kitchen. Daddy, she says... Don't daddy me, I say, have you finished your homework? No, but I found my gym shorts....

REALLY?!?


And where might your gym shorts be?

Under my skirt, she says.


Grrrr.




Apparently the one parental duty I neglected was to advise my daughter to first check under her skirt when seeking the whereabouts of her gym shorts. But that was a pleasant exercise and we are now well trained in gym-short hunting. If anyone ever assembles a rapid reaction gym-short recovery task force, sign us up. Hoo-ah.