The Case of the Krispie Caper

     Items have been going missing from the lunchbox of an OG student. “It’s been happening for a while now,” said the child, needing to speak up to be heard over his rumbling belly. “It just took me awhile to figure it out, since I don’t usually know what’s exactly in my lunch until I open it up to eat it.” The child’s suspicion grew daily, though, in direct correlation to his nagging sweet tooth.      

     “It was the day that both the Rice Krispie Treat and the Ritz crackers went missing that really made him want to do something about it,” said his mother. But what to do? The child talked it over with his dad, thinking maybe his dad was simply leaving out his favorite treats. But, no, dad reluctantly admitted that he does not pack only healthy food for his son. I asked the child what he wanted to do and he decided that he should share his woes, rather than his snacks, with the other children. He made a plan to talk with the Younger Group and the Older Group children.  

     The child addressed the group, stating the facts: “Things have been going missing from my lunchbox. It has been going on for awhile now.”

     “What kinds of things?” asked a curious classmate.

     “Always the best things,” replied the hungry child. 

     “Because maybe if we know what’s missing, we might know who’s taking them. You know, if it’s something we know that person really likes,” said the young sleuth.

     “Is that what you want,” asked another child, “to know who’s taking things?”

     “No,” responded the child, “I want whoever is doing this to stop. I just want to eat my lunch. The lunch my dad packs me.”

     Remarkably, that was the whole talk. Short and sweet. The room was quiet for a moment as the children digested the information and the request.  

     We still don’t know who took the treats. But “who done it” isn’t what is important here. One child does not need to be called out and made to feel bad publicly so that another can have his just desserts. Almost two weeks have passed since this issue was brought to the group and nothing else has been taken. The child who brought the issue to the group said what was bothering him. The other children heard what he said, asked for clarification, and honored his request. That takes the cake!