The Cookie Jar Capers

A short story...

Mom was upset with Donny. She was pretty sure he took some cookies to his room from the cookie jar. She asked him about it.

"Donny, did you take a handful of cookies from the cookie jar?" asked mom.  

"No mom, why would I do that?"

"Well, we're missing quite a few of the cookies you and I baked yesterday."

"I don't know what to tell you mom."

This didn't seem right to mom. Donny was the only one home during the time frame the cookies went missing. She pushed and finally, Donny allowed her to search his room. She found a box in  Donny's closet full of cookies and one of her pieces of good china. 

Mom chided Donny, "You know these cookies aren't yours to keep just because you made them. They belong to the household. And, you know the good china is only to be used in the dining room and for special occasions."

As mom went to put the plate away, she found that several plates were actually missing.

"Donny, do you have any more plates?" queried mom.

"Of course not mom," came Donny, "I mean I have some plates, but they're my own. You know, some Chinet paper plates. Nothing big." 

"Hmm, I don't know Donny. I think I want to check your room again."

"No mom. Tell you what, I'll deliver the plates and any more cookies I might find to you," said Donny.

Donny immediately ran to his room and locked the door. Mom could hear him rustling in the room. It appeared that he was finding hiding places.

"Donny, you open this door right now or I will have your father pop the hinges," sparked mom.

Donny was silent.

Mom got dad and they gained entry into the bedroom, where they found the missing chinaware and several more cookies, and plenty of crumbs strewn between the corners of the room and the closet. 

"Donny, you go sit your butt on the couch and your dad and I will discuss possible consequences," commanded mom.

"Donny complied, but with a slight tantrum and an sigh, he replied to mom, "You know Hilly did much the same a few years ago and you guys didn't punish her."

"Donny, this is different. Your sister took some cookies she made from the cookie jar, but they were a mixture of her cookies and those for the house. When I asked her about them, she said she wasn't aware she mixed the cookies up and took them all to her room by mistake. I asked if I could retrieve the household cookies, but she had either eaten them or tossed out the stale ones. Your dad and I considered punishment, but all your siblings have done things like this, carelessly. She was wrong, but she ultimately admitted such. Plus, several of her friends that were staying the night were the ones who threw out the cookies when they discovered they were stale."

About the same time Donny was seated on the couch, his older brother Joey walked in with a friend. They quickly learned about what Donny did. As Joey and his friend went to Joey's bedroom, Joey's friend asked for a pencil and Joey said to check his old backpack, which had been sitting in the corner since he graduated junior high. 

As Joey's friend retrieved the pencil, he found an old cookie and a plate under the backpack. 

"Joey, you're gonna get in trouble like Donny. You have a cookie and plate too. I thought your mom said no food in your room," spoke Joey's pal.

"Oh my, you're right. You can tell I don't clean my room much. I don't even recall when I took that cookie," said Joey as he handled the now brick hard biscuit.

Joey immediately met his dad in the hallway.

"Hey dad, mom's pretty ticked off with Donny. I gotta be honest, I have a cookie and plate from a while back in my room." 

"OK Joey, I'll discuss this with your mom. Do you have any more?" returned dad.

"Gee dad, I don't think so, but we will check."

A few minutes later, Joey and his friend approached mom and dad in the living room. 

"So, I did find another plate and cookie -- also old -- under a pile of old school papers in my closet," said Joey.

Donny chimed in, "You see, even your golden boy sneaks cookies and on good china."

Mom scolded Donny, "It's not good that Joey took cookies and plates into his room, but he came to your dad and I of his own accord, plus it was two cookies and two plates to your half-dozen or more."

"Yeah but mo--"

"But nothing Mr."

"Mom, Joey's only coming forward so he doesn't get in trouble. He doesn't want to be caught," said Donny.

"That may be Donny, but I wasn't aware we had more cookies and plates gone and it had been a long time ago, so I might never have known. Plus, the china he had, while good, was not the best, which you took without asking," posited mom.

"But mom, I am part of the house and I feel I should be able to use whatever china I want, and especially for cookies I made. I may have made them for the house, but I have a right to keep whatever share I want."

"Donny, you don't make the rules," came dad.

"He who makes the cookies should make the rules then," retorted Donny.

"That's not how it works in this household," said mom.       

________________

In this story, all three kids sneaked cookies and some used china that ought not have left the dining room. But each of the kids responded differently and the nature of their misappropriations differed by degree. While all three wrong-doings were similar, they were not all equal and so different parenting approaches were necessary. Donny's case was the most severe, because he obstructed mom almost continually, and he never owned up to his mistake.