Mom vs. Teacher

The title sounds bad.  I'm not going to write a teacher bashing blog.  I love teachers!  Well, I don't really love ALL teachers, because a few are not very good.  But as a general rule, I love teachers.I have made a discovery this past month.  My month of purging and de-cluttering enlightened my mind and made one thing VERY clear.  The teachers at the elementary school and I are in a battle.It may be more than a battle, actually.  It could be a war; it certainly feels like one.  This war is not an emotional one, or an academic one.  It is not even a war of words.  It makes me cry out during fits of anger, cursing the teacher and occasionally throwing school supplies about.This is a Storage War.Here is how it starts.  The summer is coming to a close, and school is about to begin.  School supply lists are everywhere, and I am happy to oblige.  I willingly buy the supplies (when I can FIND them, remember?), and I send them to school.  Sometimes teachers run out of supplies mid-year, and I send more.  I'm happy to help!But then...the end of the year comes.  It is an exciting time for us all.  My kids come home with their backpacks FULL of school supplies!  What the?  What is happening here?  War.  The Storage War has begun.I don't need three boxes of semi-used Crayola markers, 13 glue sticks, 5 half-used composition notebooks, and colored folders covered in stickers and sharpie!  What do I do with them?  I don't need the stuff, but I feel guilty throwing it away.  So I STORE the supplies.  That's what I do.  After 14 years of having at least one child in elementary school, my pile of half-used, always-returned school supplies is pretty large.  Those sly elementary teachers clean out their rooms, stuff the extra supplies in my kid's backpack, and make ME store it all!  I am definitely losing this war.The summer passes by, and the start of another school year is quickly approaching.  Time for new school supplies again.  It's my turn!  Maybe this is a battle to win.  Can I re-send the half-used supplies the teachers sent back to me?  Hmmm.  I really, REALLY want to do it.  But I don't think I can.  I'm almost positive the supply lists specifically say the items must be new.  The teachers don't want the partially-used markers. Neither do I.Well, I'm not going to take it anymore.  I'm tired of losing.  The school supplies were a gift.  I gave that gift out of love and respect!  You cannot give my gift back.  It's rude.  Once those scissors and colored pencils cross the threshold of the school, they belong to the teacher.  No give-backs.And just to make sure it doesn't happen...my kids won't be allowed to bring their backpacks the last week of school.  HAHA!Checkmate.