He left his jacket on the bus again?

 As the mother of 3 boys,  I know what a chore it can be just to keep track of all those jackets and backpacks along with their video games and baseball gloves.  It always seemed as if  somebody was always would leaving their brand new sweatshirt or something on the school yard or on the bus.  I also know that as a  parent it can  become very frustrating and it can also get quite expensive. So how on earth do kids learn to take care of their own possessions?  Is it just one of those things that kids just do, and  so parents just have to accept it?

"Oh well, Michael  lost his jacket again at school today"  Or is a parent required to be a sort of inventory specialist?  Do you greet your kids at the door with  "Where's your ___?"  Every Mom  (or Dad)  out there knows what I'm talking about and can fill in the blank.  The blank could be anything,  a sweatshirt, jacket, hoodie, video game, lunch sack, backpack.
So naturally he gets a good talking to and/or sent his room.  But when the item doesn't somehow show up within a day or two and depending on it's necessity, if it's a jacket or backpack, there you are at Walmart,  buying the same thing again.  Here's a wonderful solution:


I would love to hear your comments, tips and advice regarding this topic.  How often do find yourself replacing a backpack or even a jacket that your child either lost, left somewhere, or perhaps even had stolen from him or her?  Do you have one child that  always seems to "lose" their things a little more often than your other children?  How do you handle this when it happens at your house?  What are your thoughts on what  you have done to teach your child to respect the things they own?