Today my son, 1st grade, was ready for school way earlier than his sisters. He wanted to be dropped off in the park near his school and walk "by himself". I've never dropped him there alone before because he always goes with his sisters in my car to school or to a designated bus stop I drive them all to because we're out of bus zone for our school. Or I drop all three of them at that park if we're early enough.
This drop off point in the park is a totally safe option where parents can avoid the traffic jam of main road. There is a path through some trees with full visibility to the school crossing guard, and then the kids are in school parking lot. There are always several kids on path through park. The path is only about 100 feet. When I dropped him off, there were two other little boys walking just ahead of him. I saw the crossing guard waving to them, and they all started running to her. I drove off. I did not worry. I went home and got his sisters and dropped them off in front of the school.
An hour and a half later I got a call from school and thought, "Great, someone's sick and needs to be picked up."
But it was the recording saying, "Your child did not come to school today."
AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Blindness and hyperventillation set in. I was seeing stars. I could barely dial the phone. I dropped it. When I reported to the office my voice was so high and broken up the lady had to ask me to repeat myself. When I gave my son's name and homeroom she said, "Let me see if he's here." For that 30 seconds the room was spinning and I almost fell down and puked. When she got back on the phone and said, "He's here, ma'am the teacher accidentally wrote the wrong student as absent, are you OK?" I almost fainted!!! Off the phone I broke into sobs. My armpits were sweating and smelled acidic like I had nearly missed a car accident. Holy cow I just recovered.
Guess I know now that I'm not the best person not to panic in a crisis! Logically I KNEW he couldn't have been abducted or struck by lightning and incinerated to dust on a 100 foot path in full view of crossing guard but it did not matter. I could not think.
Have any of you guys had big scares like this??!
OMG, A.!!!
I would have been right there, hyperventilating with you! Lol
Flashback: first day of Kindergarten, first and only child...I'm waiting at bus stop at end of school day. 8 other kids get off the bus. Doors start to close..."Wait--where's MY kiddo???" Bus driver shakes head "no" and starts to close doors again...then I see my kid SLOWLY coming up the aisle on the bus to the door. Exhale.
I took my DD to a children's fair. I had her next to me and said, "Let's go to x station now." and started to walk. She didn't. I quickly realized that I had no shadow and doubled back but I had been out of sight with a big crowd between us. She was near where I left her, in tears because she couldn't see me in the crowd. She had found someone working a booth, and they were starting to get the information about her being lost. I praised her for that, but for a few moments, my heart was in my throat, wondering if someone grabbed her behind my back.
I'd overall count it a success and let him walk again another day.
I actually disagree with Doris Day. I think you should let him do this again. He did nothing wrong. The teacher did. She wrote down the wrong name.
I would have freaked out as well and have. We had a van pull in our drive way after my two kids got off the bus. This is right IN FRONT of my house. I had stepped away to go to the bathroom but the front door was open. The guy tried to get my kids over to his van IN MY DRIVEWAY!!! My daughter grabbed her brother's hand and ran to the front door yelling. I'm running to the front pulling up my pants and she is telling me that some guy in a van tried to get her and her brother over to the van. He was gone when she started screaming. So yeah I totally get what your saying. Of course police and state troopers were called and so was the school.
I told my daughter and son what a wonderful job they did and how proud I was of them. She was so pleased with herself. I didn't want to totally freak them out but after they went to bed I was a hot mess!!!
I continued to let them ride the bus home but I did make sure that I went to the restroom before!! I didn't want my kids living in fear. Life is hard enough.
omg, my stomach was in knots until i got to the happy ending!
my poor A..
i hope the rest of your day is good enough to make up for THAT!
:O khairete
S.
This why we gave grey hair way too early.
He was fine. He did a great job. It is almost the end of the school year. Of course continue to allow him to walk that distance.
Updated
This why we gave grey hair way too early.
He was fine. He did a great job. It is almost the end of the school year. Of course continue to allow him to walk that distance.
Yes and it's horrifying. Take a break and have a beer.
My kids have not responded as we have hollered in the house and found one sleeping a coat closet and the other one exploring the backyard, they were both about 2, but still scary!!!
My friend was retelling a story from a couple of years ago to us on Tuesday. Her daughter had just gotten he cell phone and we went to a dance competition about 2 hours away from home. It was almost 10pm at night and her phone rang with her daughter's phone number, she thought her daughter was upstairs asleep, but a man was on the other end of the phone. My friend barely escaped a heart attack. Her daughter (11 at the time) had left her phone at the venue and it was the janitor calling - he had just found it. Talk about scary!!
I'm so glad your son is at school and safe! And in the future I wouldn't let him walk by himself, he's so young still. A butterfly could probably distract him.
Been there - done that!! I never drove faster on a residential street.
My oldest son was in Kindergarten and they sent him home on the wrong bus. The TKD called to ask if he was not coming in - I flipped and said
"Excuse me?? He should be there with you."
"No, he was not on the bus"
School was calling as I was on the phone - switched over and they told me they had made an error and sent him on the wrong bus and he's back at the school.
I drove to the school so fast my head was spinning. I was LIVID with the school. They changed their bus on-boarding for Kindergartners after that...
So glad he's ok! I probably would have had the same reaction...
oh.. you poor thing. I can imagine how hard it would have been for you as I am the most worrywart my self.
We took a trip to NY few years ago and went to (I think it was Disney store or lego.. my poor memory) Times square. My brother who lives in NY told me to hold my son's hand at all times as it is very crowded place. I let go of his hand just for a minute to ask a question in a store, I turned around and he was gone. I was panicked and couldn't get the words out of my mouth even to scream his name. I asked couple of people who were standing in line about my son and started crying just then my husband called my name and said I have our son with us. phew.. I thought l lost him that day. Whenever I think about that event, I can still feel that same emotions.
I'm so sorry that happened on this day, of all days. Honestly, just say no to letting him walk like that again. He's too little, and you're too traumatized. There will be time later on to let him walk.
I had this same thing happen to me. I was taking a class last semester that 3x a week I had to leave the house 15 min before my 10-year old left for school. I'd leave while he was eating breakfast and call him from the car at the time he needed to leave the house (mind you - we live literally across the street from the school; he walks one house length down the road, crosses with the crossing guard, then walks down the u-shaped drive to the school). But there was that one day that I was walking back to my car after class and got a call (at 10:15!) asking why my son wasn't at school. I had to take a deep breath to explain that he most definitely SHOULD be at school and could they please double check. Put me on hold, called down to the classroom, and got confirmation that the sub had missed him at roll call that morning. My mini heart attack probably wasn't as great as yours since my son is older, but dang that was tough!
Omg A., you poor thing. I would have freaked as well. I know there were some times when I almost vomited with fear over some incident with my kids, but I don't recall what they were, fortunately.
Oh wait, I recall one time at an elementary school function where a band was playing right next to the parking lot. All of a sudden my daughter, I think she was in kindergarten at the time, was nowhere to be found. I began screaming her name and then I ran up and grabbed the microphone of the band and began wailing her name in terror. I believe a kid had recently been kidnapped from a parking lot somewhere in the state. Anyway, we found her in the crowd somewhere.
My daughter ran out into the road once, right in front of one of those massive fifth wheel pick-up trucks! I nearly died. Thank God the guy driving actually saw her tiny 3 year old self and stopped in time!
One time she wandered off in Best Buy. Couldn't find her for an hour! She'd managed to find an employee, but she got nervous and instead of telling him she was lost, she followed him around like a ninja.
She's in 2nd grad now and begging to walk to school alone. We live within walking distance and there is a sidewalk leading to the school. I'm very hesitant.
I also had the school call me and tell me my son wasn't there and wanted to know why he was absent. I was at work and might have freaked out if I hadn't seen him actually walk in the building that day. Sure enough, he was there, he was just behind the wall where they put their backpacks when the teacher was taking attendance. The school secretary was so apologetic when she called back to let me know he was there. I think I scared her more than she scared me!
One time my son did get away from me. He was 3 and a half and we were at my sister's high school graduation. This was a perfect storm of problems. The football stadium was extremely crowded, it was hot, the stands were packed full, and my son wanted to run up and down the bleachers instead of being quiet. I managed to keep him wrangled until they called my sister and then I took him and went to leave. I had to get the stroller and of course, my son didn't want to get in it at all. So I'm trying to hold his hand and push the stroller with my other hand without bumping into the people who were standing and walking about. Next thing I know, he's slipped out of my hand and is running off and I lose sight of him in about two seconds. I threw the stroller and my purse to the side and took off after him and couldn't find him for about three minutes. Longest three minutes of my life! Luckily, he stayed in the gated area and didn't get out at the exit, because then he would have had access to the parking lot and streets. Also lucky that my parents live in a safe town since my purse was still there when I went back.
Oh how awful, I understand your complete panic. Take it easy today.
It happened to me as well...they called and told me my child was absent after I put him on the bus.
I have never heard people scrambling like the office was scrambling when I told them I had put him on the bus that morning.
Teacher put the absence on the wrong line in the computer.
It happens, I was determined not to panic until they actually couldn't find him. I just knew it had to be a mistake.
Later I had my panicky moment.
No not like that but I did get a scare where the school called me at work and they said my son's hand had been crushed in an accident at the playground and it was really bad. They said he looked very bad, pure white and like he was in shock. They asked what I wanted to do...to call 911 would take much longer than me just picking him up and taking him to the hospital. I was freaking out inside...I felt nauseated and like I was seeing stars...kind of like things were closing in on me. I could not get there fast enough. I was imagining multiple surgeries and years of physical therapy. At the ER they slowly take the large wrap off his hand and it's a small area that got crushed (at the end of one of those zip lines)...it turns out it needed 5 stitches and there were no broken bones. Boy did the office (and I) overreact!
