Last night was Back-to-School night at Ryan’s middle school.  For two hours parents rotate through their child’s class schedule to get the low-down on the upcoming year.  For me, it’s also a chance to see people I haven’t seen in a while.

So there I was, sitting in the gym setting up a carpool for cross country, when the PE teacher began his schpeel.  I happen to be very pleased with the program at the school.  It’s well defined and all kids are exposed to a variety of ways to get phycially fit.  Then he started talking about the lost and found bin.  Twice a year, once at Christmas and once at the end of the year, he fills up five garbage bags of gym clothes and sweatshirts and hauls them to a needy charity.  I think it’s great.  There are probably some really nice clothes in those bags.  What I don’t think is great is that twice a year, once at Christmas and once at the end of the year, he fills up five garbage bags of clothes and sweatshirts.

One of the requirements to the PE clothes code is that all students have their last name written in the designated spot on their PE shirt and their “number” gets written on their shorts.  Like many schools, they have specific PE attire that they purchase, apparently throughout the year…we’ll get back to that.  Ryan has two sets of PE clothes.  One set he wears all week and brings home to be washed on Friday.  The second set he puts in his backpack right after he dumps the smelly ones in the laundry basket.  The second set is for the times I simply do not feel like doing laundry on the weekend. 

I buy both of my boys their first sets of PE clothes.  After that, they’re on their own which means, if they lose a shirt or pair of PE shorts, it’s their responsibility to buy themselves a new one.  And yes, they need to buy a new one.   Not wanting to do laundry on the weekend happens to me a lot.

This is Ryan’s second year in middle school and Nathan is a sophomore in high school.  That means Ryan has been through one complete year of wearing school PE clothes, and Nathan has been through three years.  Not once have either of them lost a pair of shorts or a PE shirt.  We did get a little scare when Nathan was in the eight grade.  He “lost” his PE shoes.  I had him check the lost and found in the boys locker room and they weren’t there.  For grins he had one of his friends who is a girl check the girls locker room.  Sure enough, they were in the girls bin.  Oh happy day because I don’t buy a second pair of shoes, either, unless they’re worn out or outgrown.

So here’s my response to the overflowing lost and found bin.   Apparently kids are “losing” their PE clothes on a regular basis.  And since it is a requirement to come to class dressed appropriately, parents must be purchasing new clothes throughout the year.  And although I’m happy that the “lost” clothes are donated, I’m not sure how excited a kid is going to be to be wearing a shirt with a middle school logo on it and “SMITH” in big, black letters.

First, have your kids check the lost and found.  When they come home from school and say their shirt wasn’t in the bin, tell them that they will need to buy a new one.  Then pat them on the back the following day when they come home with the original shirt, wrinkled and smelly.  (Really, the best way for this to work is to set it up from the beginning.  I buy the first set, anything else is your responsibility.)

Then go through your clothes at home twice a year, once at Christmas and once at the end of the year.  Put them in a large garbage bag and send them to school.