Am I being mean to do this?

[QueueCue]

Ds is in year 5. Since September he has lost two sets of pe shirts at school.
I refused to buy another pair and said he'd have to take his own shorts in which are the same colour as the school shorts but adidas....he lost them after one pe session.

I refused to buy another pair and asked him to contribute £5 from his own money to buy another pair of school pe shorts. Which he did. I thought maybe he'd take more care of them seeing as he'd paid towards them....he lost them after one session.

All these shorts are named and I've looked in lost property myself and they're not there. He has a locker so his pe kit is locked away when he's not wearing it.

Aibu to buy another pair of school shorts and embroider his name, in a bright colour to the outside of the shorts on one of the legs? No one can possibly take them then can they? And if they did by accident, surely they'd get back to him?

[QueueCue]

That should say pe shorts

[JonesyAndTheSalad]

Are you going into school to help him look for them? Have you checked lost property?

[Universitychallenging]

You know that wouldn't be fair but I understand the frustration. I'd be going to his teacher and asking that they ask around the other kids and see if they can find out where all his stuff is going.

[QueueCue]

I've checked the lost property myself they're not there-there are lots of lovely winter coats though!

And I've spoken to the teacher and she's said she's asked the dc to check their kit but I've had none returned....

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Str you sure no one is taking them. How do you lose that many clothes between a bag and a locker...

Doesn't add up.

[Wishiwasmoiradingle2017]

Is he flush??
Sounds like he has a lucrative business going on!!

[QueueCue]

I do think someone is taking them. We've had one pair of shorts back and they were thread bare so a nice pair of new shorts prob seem a good opportunity. But surely they wouldn't take them if they had his name on the outside of them?

Ds is such a dolly daydream but it's so frustrating

[alltouchedout]

Is he being bullied?

[Newtothis2017]

I actually think that is a great idea

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Well you could so his name on. But I'd get inclined to deal with the school and the klepto kids first.

We all take someone else's stuff home occasionally. Usually u wash and return. Keeping it is just wrong.

[xStefx]

I feel your pain. Paid £12 for school cardigans and an extra £7 to have the school logo put on them. 3 were lost between September and Feb (all had her name on) . I told DD who is 5 that im not replacing them and that she will have to wear last years cardis (which aren't that small on her). Ive also forbid her to take off her cardi in school now (I do feel a bit man about that) but she hasn't lost one since lol

[QueueCue]

We talk every day about school and he tells me if there are any problems or incidents at school.

He's got a good character so he'll chat to anyone but he definitely gives as good as he gets! I'm pretty sure there's no issues at school.

He was laughing when I said that's what I was thinking of doing to his shorts

[QueueCue]

Oh he's lost two school jumpers too at £15 a pop. I'm not replacing those.

[TheMysteriousJackelope]

The PE coach at the DC's school has the children write their names in black sharpie in huge letters on the outside of their PE kits. We haven't lost anything in nearly three years and no one appears traumatized.

[ChocChocPorridge]

Not embroidery, that can be unpicked. Bleach pen. Nothing to be done about a bleach pen - better even than sharpie if there's a place it can be put (Leg on shorts is good, inside of jumpers on one of the bands)

[00100001]

lots of schools have initials on outside of shorts, tops etc, for this very reason!

[Itmustbemyage]

Well they haven't just evaporated have they? Unless the school is running a big second hand uniform black market ring not really
Even if your DS was just leaving them lying around, they are either in the school somewhere, or some other child has taken them home to parents who can't be bothered to return them. If the only way your son can keep his stuff is to hold it in a death grip it or watch it at all times I would be having a word with the school and asking it to be mentioned in the next parents bulletin, perhaps there could be a uniform amnesty where any one other parents could return any items that may have ended up at their house to the school with no questions asked. Then maybe your DS could be happily reunited with his belongings.

[cheesuskriste]

Where do you get bleach pens from?

[rogueantimatter]

Great idea Jackelope

Is wearing his shorts under his trousers a possibility?

DS got a slip paperclipped to his school diary every week when he was 8. 'DS did not have his PE kit today'. I used to reply saying, 'I know, he has lost it in school'. Nothing ever seemed to happen.

[scaryteacher]

You can get big name tapes jjcash.co.uk/index.php?sec=prod&prod=10&product=25mm-woven-nametapes to sew on the outside of sports kit...they work!

[Blinkingblimey]

How about just patching his initials onto the bottom of either leg of the shorts in a bright but sensible colour? A. Makes it obvious they're his and B. 2 initials is a lot less faff than a whole first and sur name😁😅!

[Lochan]

If he has a locker then for someone to be stealing them presumably they are actually breaking into the locker?

How is that possible?

I think it's more likely that your DS just doesn't bother putting them in the locker and they get lost that way.

Why would a thief steal 4 pairs of shorts?

Or do you think that there are 4 dishonest peers in his class?

I'm sorry to appear unsympathetic but I do find it interesting that some kids lose things all the time and some kids go through school never losing anything.

I suspect the difference is the responsibility the individual takes with their stuff rather than the prevalence of school age criminals.

[GeorgiePeachie]

What if this is not about him loosing them but other children taking them to get him in trouble. Weird bullying tactic? as the children aren't coming forward with who's taken them...?

Ask him what happens when they get back into uniform and why the pe kit doesnt go back into his bag?

[TisMeTheLadFromTheBar]

I would check if he is being bullied. It seems strange that he would lose two pairs and not notice. He might be an easy target if he is quiet or passive.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Of course it's possible they are stolen..he's getting dressed and has things on the bench or is putting them in a locker and nips to the toilet or goes to get his shoes which someone's tripped over and kicked under a chair and his kit is momentarily unattended.


Maybe he leaves the key on the table whike he's speaking to the teacher quickly etc

Or maybe he doesn't lock it properly or its broken.