Just try and steal cookies in front of me!!

I was helping the other night at Olympus High School with the Reflections committee as we were setting up for the awards ceremony. As I walked in I noticed 4 or 5 young men standing at the door looking in and laughing. They were saying something like, "they call that art?!" and other rude comments. I was going to say something to them, but I held my tongue and went inside.

As I was helping Emily and her husband, I turned and barely saw one of those boys grab a handful of cookies and run out. Emily's husband told her that those boys had taken some cookies, and she dismissed it quickly by saying "Oh well." I completely understand that Emily was super busy setting up for the program that would start in a few moments, but I could not allow these boys to get away with this.

I told Emily I would be right back and headed down the hall to where the boys had walked back towards the gym. I walked quickly past them and turned around and took their picture on my phone. Then, I walked into the gym where a wrestling match was occurring.

I headed straight for the bench and asked who the coach was. Two men said they were and I the proceeded to explain to them what had happened. The coach was furious! He walked right over to those boys and began questioning them. Surprisingly, the boys raised their hands and quickly said they were part of the group that had taken the cookies. Then, they apologized to me and their couch several times. I loved how embarrassed the coach was, how he was easily on my side, and how quickly he acted to help rectify the situation.

We walked into the hallway and the coach asked if there was anything the boys could do to try and make up for their mistake. Explaining that I wasn't the one in charge, we walked back to the room where the Reflections program was set up. Emily was surprised and pleased that the boys had returned. 

An hour later, after the ceremony, the boys walked in and said they were here to help clean-up and again expressed how sorry they were. It was neat to see these boys step up. I told them they may be a little embarrassed, but that this would be a good lesson for them.  They all seemed genuinely sorry, which is a big deal for teenage boys.

As they were helping, a mom who knew nothing of what had happened an hour ago, thanked the boys for coming in and offered them all cookies. We all busted out laughing! The boys said no thank you and Emily's husband joked with them saying, "I'm not going to fall for that one!"

Everyone makes mistakes, especially young boys. If you are ever in my position, PLEASE call out my boys and correct their behavior immediately. I can't parent them alone, I need your help! When I arrived home, I told my boys what I did. They weren't surprised that I had done that. But I also knew overall these boys were good kids, who had just made a silly mistake, but they had rectified it quickly.