On Friday, she comes home with the backpack. She packs it full of overnight clothes and hops in Dad’s truck to go to Grandpa’s. I go to Black and White Night with the ladies.

On Saturday, Dad goes to Grandpa’s to pick her up. As they are leaving, she has her backpack on but she takes it off when she puts on her shoes. Grandpa gives the backpack to Uncle to give to Dad at work figuring that will be the fastest way to get the backpack back to her.

Monday. She realizes her backpack is at Grandpa’s. I call Grandpa and he says he gave the pack to Uncle. She goes to school with no planner or folder and a temporary backpack. She brings home a temporary folder but no planner. Dad and Uncle forget the backpack.

Tuesday. Dad and Uncle forget the backpack.

Wednesday. No school because of Veteran’s Day. Kids have a playdate at Grandpa’s. Dad brings backpack home. I unpack all of the clothes that Grandpa sent back home. There is no planner or folder. I assume both are at Grandpa’s. I put the temporary folder we’ve been using in the backpack and put it in Dad’s truck just in case kids stay the night. I check Grandpa’s house for planner and folder. No planner or folder.

Thursday. Dad leaves super early with backpack and temporary folder still in his truck. I tear the house apart, looking for the planner and original folder. Find nothing. I empty out my car. Find only anger, frustration and too many toys. On the way back to the house with two armfuls of crap, I see the dog has chewed up yet another toy. More anger. Resisting the urge to throw everything away, including the dog, I now demand she remember as much as she can about her planner and folder. Every time she replies, the answer is ever so slightly different. I finally admit, FUCK IT! She’s in the second grade, I’m trying to teach her responsibility not how to freak out, and a missing planner and folder are not the end of the world despite what I’m feeling right now. I hustle her into the car with the temporary backpack and no folder and no planner. On our way to school, she is still giving me possible scenarios of what happened. Five minutes from school, she says she will look for her planner in her desk and in other people’s desks. I tell her she cannot just start looking in other people’s spaces for no reason. She says they did an exercise at the art table yesterday (remember yesterday was a day off from school) and when they were done, she remembers seeing someone else take her planner.

Wait. What? The planner is at school? And now that I think about it, there are a few other things… Like, I don’t really know for sure if her planner or folder actually came home on Friday. I never saw it. The temporary folder might actually be the original folder with every additional thought I put into this whole merry-go-round. And if her folder and planner were at school the whole time, WHY AM I STILL LOOKING FOR HER FOLDER AND PLANNER?!?!?!