Quite A Scare

  I'm trying very hard to give the boys the freedom they crave. A little independence creates a self-confidence all children need. While John is much better at it than I am, I think I'm doing ok. Most of the time. Then the phone rang.....

  Across the screen comes the name of Riley's school. Which isn't strange because well the child hurts himself at school on a weekly basis. The secretary, who I know by name, says she is calling to check on why Riley isn't at school.

  I freeze. What are you talking about I almost scream into the phone! Riley left here at 8:01 as he always does and walks to the school bus. Which is down the street. Not far but out of site. 

  Of course every bad case scenario you could ever imagine goes through my head with lightening speed. Faster even. Now she is panicking too. She puts me on hold as she makes what I'm sure is a frantic call to his home room teacher. Seconds go by....the longest seconds of my life. With relief in her voice she informs me that yes he is in fact in class. The bus was very late and both Riley and the other child who takes that bus were marked as absent.

  An honest mistake. I understand that completely. The poor secretary kept apologizing with what sounded like tears in her voice. Just like mine. And when I put down the phone, after another round of apologies, my heart was racing. 

  As soon as my heart rate went back to normal and my hands stopped shaking my first thought was he will never walk to the bus alone again.

   But that's wrong. He's 9. More than old enough to walk to the bus stop alone. Several other parents wait there, with their much younger children. He's never there alone. We have rules for his walking over that he follows religiously. 

  It was is easy to over react. So easy. And I know children are taken off the streets too often. But it's a fine line we walk as parents. Riley needs that sense of accomplishment of getting himself to school. I need to foster his independence. As long as we do everything in our power to balance that and his safety, we will be ok.

  I did, however, fight the urge to have a stiff drink. Who knew I had that much self control?

  Ang