A couple of weeks ago, the kids had a half day of school. I was supposed to pick them up at the bus stop, but did the math wrong in my head and as I pulled into the bus stop, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach to see no other parents around. I called the school on the off chance that the bus hadn’t left yet- the bus is a little inconsistent- but was told that the bus had left on time. And my kid and his friend were sitting in the school office; when kids don’t get picked up at the bus stop, they are returned to the school. This was all horrifying and embarrassing for me.
Anyhow, I went to school and got the kids, feeling not so great about myself. I had one job and I messed it up.
I asked the six year old if he had been worried, and he said, “No. I just thought nice things. Like flowers, and cake and my family… things that make me happy.”
What wisdom there is in that… I suppose he knew that there wasn’t a lot he could do, so he decided to spend his time thinking about happy things.
There is something sweet and poetic about his happy things: flowers, cake, and family.
Speaking of which- some haikus from life lately:
Fingers in the pie
Imprints of her impatience
Craters from waiters.
Purple petals poke
Through the warm earth, early
Unexpected blooms
In his plush red vest
Hopping robin on my lawn.
A sentry for spring.
Petals drift like snow-
Fluffy flakes, not biting hail-
All the snow we’ll get.
My kids bus driver this year will let them off if we’re not there, but in previous years the same thing was true – if we missed the bus, the kids would get carted back to the school. I never ended up missing them, but a few times the bus had to wait for me to arrive and that was so embarrassing.
Last year – almost this time exactly – my son got on the WRONG bus. Now that was traumatic for everyone. My daughter hadn’t realized he didn’t get on (she was bringing home a playdate on the bus and was more preoccupied than normal), and the bus my son got on would normally have held one of his friends who could have told him he was on the wrong bus, but that friend happened to be sick that day. When my son realized what was going on he started crying quietly and his friend’s sister heard him and came up and realized what had happened and help sort things out with the bus driver but it was SUCH A nightmare tracking down where he had gone. *shudder*
Love the haikus!!
how stressful that must have been, not knowing where your kid was! My niece got on the completely wrong bus once this year as well. sometimes when I think about the pure logistics of transporting so many kids to so many stops, I wonder that it even works at all!
I’m glad your son had someone to look out for him.
Oh, how wise your kiddo is!
And what an upsetting experience, even though I think that kind of thing happens to us ALL at some point.