I pulled up to the school to pick up my son from DI. I was about four minutes later than usual, due to the unlucky combination of a meeting that lasted most of the afternoon, and critical work that had to be done before I left for the day.
Normally, my son is waiting outside, looking at interesting things on the ground, or talking to one of his friends. Today was different. As I pulled up, I noticed a distinct lack of kids in the area. Specifically, my kid. I waited about five minutes, then pulled the car into a visitor spot, and decided to see if he was inside talking to a friend.
As I walked through the main doors, a boy recognized me and told me that my son was outside.
...
After talking with the boy and a couple of other boys, the last time they had seen him was around 4:30, and it was nearly 5:00.
I quickly walked through the commons to the vending area, wondering if he maybe had waited there instead. No kids in sight.
By this time, I had already called home twice, thinking that maybe he had taken the bus home instead. I kept getting the answering machine.
It was time to visit the admin office.
The principal paged my son, while the vice-principal asked if my son was the type to accept a ride from friends or other acquaintences. By this time, I was shaking. Then I glanced at my phone to check the time, and I noticed that I had one missed call. I stepped outside to check, and "Home" flashed on the screen. My son answered after two rings.
He had walked home with a friend because I was late. Four minutes late, and he walked home.
I thanked the principal and vice-principal, and went home. As the door opened, he burst into tears and I gave him a huge hug, and then grounded him.
Okay, I didn't ground him, but I did explain even more carefully that he HAD to stick to the daily plan, UNLESS we had made arrangements ahead of time. Then we went and bought a pizza.
I am sure I have more gray hair tonight than I did this morning...
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