Okay, so maybe that didn’t happen… yet. Yesterday was the first day back to school for my three daughters. They excitedly awoke early, picked out their clothes, ate breakfast without fighting and donned their backpacks. Their dad went into work late so he could take them to the bus stop because I needed to be at work early. Sorry for the blurred picture, but I snapped this as I dashed for my car and quality control was never checked.
But if you squint your eyes and turn sideways you can make out that there is one 6th grade student, a happy 3rd grader and an excited 1st grader all ready for the day.
Work was predictably frosty. Fellow employees share many of the same sentiments as I and one turned in her notice. Brrr. I focused on the four year olds and avoided most “adult” conversations. When asked to stay late again I said, “No!” My girls were riding the bus home and I needed to be there when they arrived.
Fast forward to being home and waiting for the bus. Somewhere between 11 and 300 children catch the bus at our stop. It’s quite the gaggle of bobbing heads waiting for the bus driver to wave them across the street. But as they crossed and spread out I noticed that only two of the above photographed children were present. A3, the smallest child dressed in pink, was missing. I yelled and motioned to the bus driver like a mad woman to get her attention. I yelled out that A3 wasn’t here. She responded by saying, “Well, I don’t see her here either.” Then she started to close her window. WTF? I ran into the street (traffic was still stopped) and waved until I got her attention again. She reluctantly slid the window open again and I asked her to check the bus. This time rather than just looking in the mirror she picked up the handset to the pa system and asked if A3 was on the bus. Every child on the bus had a theory regarding her whereabouts, which they proceeded to shout out. Unfortunately, none of the theories included her sleeping in a back seat, etc. The bus driver told me, “You’ll need to call the school.” Then she closed the window and drove off.
I sprinted back to my house, no small feat for an out of shape 40 year old, to check my phone for messages. Surely the school would have called me. But the handset read, “No New Calls”. I called the day care center where she went last year to see if she was there. No A3 (I need to apologize to the teacher there for abruptly hanging up without saying goodbye). I found the school number and called. The secretary’s response was, “Oh yeah, she’s sitting here in the lobby. I was going to call you but I see you don’t have a cell phone.” Aaack! She never even considered calling the house.
In the end she made it home unharmed. All three girls loved their new teachers and had a wonderful first day of school. I chose to wait before contacting the bus supervisor or school regarding their non-chalant attitude on purpose. When I’m emotional coherent speech is not possible. I’d prefer to be calm and sound like a sane, somewhat intelligent adult when I decide to call up and chew their asses.
Because my current WIP involves chart reading (still on the MS3) I opted to spin instead of knit. It required little thought and sitting there drooling on the wool allowed my heart rate to return to normal. My hopes for the day? That it is uneventful. And hopefully yours will be as well.
Serendipitous Opportuknitty 
How scary!!! I’m so glad everything was okay though (aside from your panic – which could have been avoided if the “powers that be” knew what the hell they were doing)!! I’m glad they all loved school though – and yes, here’s hoping today is uneventful and peaceful!
What an awful experience to have a child, especially a young one, not arrive home when she should. You kind of get used to it with teenagers, but the littler ones… Well. I’ve had my share of that same panic. I am so glad your little A3 turned up safe and sound. Hope today is kinder to you.
So glad that everything worked out!! I do hope that you give the school an earful in this day of disappearing children.
Really love the photo of the girls, the different personalities and ages reflected in what they wore for the first day of school!
What a relief that you found your baby in a safe place. That had to just wreck your nerves. It would have messed me up bad. As for the job? Sucks, sucks, sucks. I am sorry. But, oh my, how the girls have grown. A1 looks so mature and A2 has gotten so tall. A1, thank goodness, is still your baby and only in first grade. Where has the time gone???? Hugs back atya. Take care.
I had a major Momma Grizzly Bear moment (as we call them at our house) this week too when Knitting Hubby went to say goodbye to Graham at 4 am and Graham was not in bed and the car wasn’t in the street. Graham had decided to go watch the lunar eclipse without telling us. Talk about racing heart! Hey- what happened to the naked part of the story?
Yikes! How terrifying!! We try to tell them what to do under all circumstances, but it’s the one we don’t think of that happens, every time. I’ve still got my 3rd grader dropping her 1st grade brother at his line on the playground, but he wants to go on his own after three days. Guess he’s okay. But I have a friend whose soon-to-be-exhusband left his 2nd grader sitting in the office on the FIRST day of school for no good reason (lazy). Poor little thing!
Hope yours has recovered from the fright, and you, too! Mine would be convinced I would NEVER come (why I don’t know).
I have one suggestion: give your daughters each enough change to make a phone call from a pay phone. If the lazy office staff can’t bother to TRY to call home first, then at least your kids are smart enough to find a pay phone and phone home. Sorry about the job. Sounds like other employees are coming to their senses, though. Maybe there’s power in numbers?
The real estate agent is sending out notices to all the agents in town that we need a back up offer on the house, and that the health of the first buyer may prevent the sale from going through. I guess that means I need to clean the house up again!
Love, K
Yeah, because why would you be at your house, right? Sheesh, you honestly have to wonder sometimes how these people get a job. I’d be so mad too!! Glad she made it home safe and sound.
Thank heavens she is ok. Don’t calm down so much that you don’t go and say something. That was awful, and they really need to know they caused you a lot of unnecessary anxiety.
I hope you are recovered. I think that the the school were the main culprits in this debacle and the woman in the office needs to be told to be wiser in future. It’s too scary these days when kids are not where they should be. I must admit that as a teacher, I once left a child sleeping in sick-bay and no-one noticed even at home until the cows needed milking! I did a lot of driving to get school keys , drive child to farm etc. that night. I offered to milk the cows but they had already been done.
Cheers Gillian
That really must of been a fright. I’m so glad that she is okay. I would of smacked the woman in to office. Seriously I would write a letter to the school board. Obviously she (a probably other staff) need some common sense training. If there is only one phone number listed…. CALL IT!
OMG! That is way too scary! What a horrible thing to happen on her first day. Bet the woman in the office is not a parent. I’m really glad it turned out ok.
OMG. I know that panic. I was in the store (the cellular dead zone) and came out an hour later to a message from the school secretary “I’m assuming DD#2 is home sick but I thought I’d call anyway…” I called, my heart in my throat, “I *watched* her walking towards the school when I dropped her off!” She checks the classroom…sure nuff, the teacher just missed her on the attendance form. argh. I noticed that particular secretary didn’t last too long…
I’m SO happy everyone is safe, sound and happy at home!
OMG. I would have had a few choice words for that woman! Glad she was found safe and sound.
Hummmm, think I’d have a word with the school about their policy of only calling people to notify them their child was still at school only if the parent has a cell phone.
Great – now I need to decide NOT to let Neatnik ever use the bus??
Wow, that’s scary. I’d have ripped the bus service apart, and been categorized as “that mom” forever after. Good for you for waiting until you’re calm, and I’m glad it all ended well!
Oh it pisses me off when bus drivers are nonchalant about their charges – did she think that she wouldn’t be held accountable? How could she not CARE as a fellow human bean that something may have happened to a child?!?! Unforgivable in my book!! I’m glad she was okay and still at school :o)
I had an incident with Dobby when she was in 5th grade when she took the wrong bus after school and ended up at home instead of at the bus stop where I was supposed to pick her up – talk about a heart-stopping 10 minutes! She never made that mistake again and thankfully, the bus driver and the school were very concerned about where she was.
Scary!! I’m glad she was ok. No cell phone, so what! They have your house number for a reason.
My Hubby loves to talk about how the bus driver left him at the wrong house on his first day of kindergarten. He loves to joke his mom about it, but she still doesn’t think it’s funny and he’s 35!