This morning one of my worst nightmares came to life. I was rushing around the house getting the kids ready for school. I had gone out to the car to get Beth's shoes where she had left them yesterday. I get the twins shoes on and usher them out to the car because we are running so late I have to drive them the two blocks it takes to get to school. I'm about to buckle Cate when I do a head count. 1...2...3...3?
Where's Thomas? I go back in the house to look. Not in the dining room. Not in the living room. Not in the bathroom or office. I run upstairs, calling for him. Not in any bedrooms or the bathroom. Not hiding in any closets. I go downstairs again and look in the backyard. Not there. I run through to the front of the house. Not there either. I start to panic, calling, screaming his name. My street is dead quiet at this moment except for me. I run back into the house frantically searching every room and closet one more time. The entire time I keep running addresses I recently looked up of sex offenders in our area through my head. My son is gone.
I call Tom. He is still on his way to the office and gets almost no cell reception so it goes straight to voicemail. I call his secretary, tell her what happened and to have him call me the second he gets in. As soon as I hang up the school calls. The principal is telling me they have Thomas.
He had gone out to the street and was standing on the corner when one of the school buses drove by. The driver stopped but then realized this was not a regular student (hello! he was barefoot!) but saw no adult with him so the driver took him to the school office. The principal finally got Thomas to tell them his name and with family resemblances between the boys they knew who to call. At this point I am hysterical. I get the kids to the school, Beth and Patrick go to class and I talk in a conference room with the principal.
Later at home Thomas told me that he thought I had already left without him and that's why he went outside. I still feel like the Worst Mom Ever, even though I know there's nothing I could have done different.
Make Bows No More
11 years ago
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6 comments:
You poor thing! Thank goodness the bus driver picked him up. Sounds like you have your hands full, but I am sure they are some happy kids! Oh, I love your blog title by the way!
If it makes you feel any better, I went upstairs to make the beds one morning, and when I came downstairs I couldn't find Joel or Jack. Much searching and a car ride later, I found them about 1/2 mile down the road playing in the neighbor's gravel driveway. They were also barefoot. Isn't it fun to be a mom?
That has got to be so scary. So glad that it turned out OK in the end.
Glad it all ended well! We had something similar happen this past Spring when we were tearing out our old tile. Elsie wandered off. She was gone for at least an hour before we found her. She had shown up at the back door of a neighbor's house.
Happy you have all 4 again- that is kinda scary. at least he ended up at the school where someone knew him and could get ahold of you.
I am a mom of MONOAMNIOTIC twin girls - so fun to see that you have twins too.
your post sounds like some of my days..
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