Morning Fix

Pepsi's slogan used to be "Something For Everyone". Well . . .everyone must include kindergarteners.

Every morning I check Jensen's backpack before he heads to school to make sure he has everything he needs. This morning I picked it up to check it and it felt kind of heavy - then I noticed it felt wet. I asked Jensen if he had brought more rocks home (Yesterday when I checked his backpack he had brought home giant rocks). He got a funny look on his face and shook his head no.

I asked him if he had his water bottle had leaked. He still had a funny look on his face. I opened the back pocket and pulled the water bottle out - - - sure enough, it had been leaking and was nearly empty. (For the record, it is blue metal . . .not transparent.) Wondering why his backpack was so heavy I opened the front pocket.

Inside, I saw 4 cans of Pepsi, the top can had been opened and I could tell it was empty. I asked him if he had started collecting cans for his aunt (who cashed them in). He got an even funnier look on his face and said no. So, I took the can out to put in a bag to take to his aunt. I reached in to get the next can, and it was still full and hadn't been opened, same with the next two cans. The following conversation then occurred:

"Jensen, why are their cans of pop in your bag?"

Silence.

"Jensen, where did you get these cans of pop.

Silence. Pause. Finger pointing to the storage spot.

"Did you get them from out on the cement?" (BJ's old stash from when he used to drink the stuff.)

Nod.

"What were you going to do with them?"

Silence. Pause. "Take them to school to drink."

"Jensen bud, you can't take Pepsi to kindergarten."

Silence.

"I am pretty sure the rules are that you can only take water in case the drink spills. That way it won't ruin the carpet or anything it might spill on. "

Silence.

"Did you already take a can to school?" (thinking of the already empty can.)

Shaking of head "no."

"Did you already drink one?"

Shaking of head "no."

"Then how come there is an empty can?"

Silence.

Stern look.

"I put that one in my water bottle to take to drink today during school".

"So that is why is your bookbag is all wet?"

"I don't know."

"Well, let's get you a different bag to take today, and we will wash this one out and get it ready for Monday, hurry quick or we are going to be late."

Are you kidding me? My kindergarten student needs a pepsi in the morning to make it through the day? The funniest part, is that BJ doesn't even drink pop anymore, I occasionally buy a Dr. Pepper at the store, but we aren't a huge pop-guzzling family. I don't know what the boy was thinking, other that Pepsi must take better than water. We don't even let him buy Pepsi when we get the kids drinks. . . we usually try to stick with the kid friendly flavors. Can you image the phone call from the principal? "Mrs. Grover, we need you to come and get Jensen, it seems that he is smuggling PEPSI into the classroom." AI am so glad it didn't get that far!!! Although it probably wouln't have gotten to that point. His water bottle is metal, no one would have seen it, and I never would have looked at the Pepsi supply to see that it was dwindling. He may have been bouncing off the walls, but I doubt his teacher would have put the blame on Pepsi.

BJ was in Tooele at a cowboy competition, so I called him as soon as I dropped Jensen off to school and told him the story. He was laughing SOOO hard. Funny funny funny boy. He just makes my heart happy. I honestly couldn't even be mad or upset, it was all I could do not to bust out laughing. What a planner . . .what a thinker . . .he had seriously thought this one out. Gotta love him!!!