We seriously made it all school year without any issues (okay, hardly any) until the second to last day of school. I'm used to getting the calls or emails about "oh my, listen to what your child did today." These calls are always in relation to the middle mini. I'm also used to the emails asking if the youngest mini is feeling okay after numerous stomach issues this year. I'm used to getting the notes and cards home thanking the oldest mini for his help and leadership. What I'm not used to getting calls about missing children....
On this particular day, I had taken the day off of work to attend the oldest's elementary school graduation into middle school. I actually kept it together all afternoon but was looking forward to a half hour of peace before the other two came home from school. The oldest went home with friends "to spend some time with the guys" (hold on while I hold back the laughter because these "guys" still think bunny ears for pictures are hilarious) so it was just me for thirty glorious minutes.
It was great until I realized thirty minutes had become forty minutes, then forty-five minutes. I grew slightly worried and headed out our door to the school. The school is at one end of our street (we're talking mere houses away) so as I grew nearer, I noticed the school parking lot was empty! Where my children should be walking from there was no one.
I could feel the panic rising, but I somehow managed to swallow it down and think about the next logical step. I calmly walked inside my house and grabbed my charging cell phone. I checked for any missed calls or texts, double checked the time (just in case I happened to look at it wrong), and called my husband to make sure I didn't miss out on any info. No answer. I called again. It rang and rang.
I threw my running shoes on and ran out my door. Full panic set it as I ran up our street. Just as I was coming onto the school property I saw my youngest two minis bounce into view. I continued to run to them as they happily shouted "hi mom!"
"WHERE WERE YOU???" I not calmly at all asked them.
"Oh, we forgot Max wasn't walking home with us so we told the school he was missing. They made us come into the office until they said we could go," the middle nonchalantly told me.
The youngest finished his thoughts, "I completely forgot Max was graduating and I thought he was supposed to be with us. So I told Harrison we better do something. So we did." Just as she finished this sentence my phone rang.
"Everything's okay," I said into the phone, although I'm not sure if I was saying that for his benefit or my own.
"Oh I know. I just got off the phone with the school. A long conversation with the school. They needed confirmation that Max left early with us and that the school didn't lose him." I could hear the frustration in his voice because the youngest two minis chose not to listen to me, Dad, or the oldest mini about how the end of the school day would go. In the course of ten minutes, they managed to put an entire school and two parents on high alert for no reason at all.
Talk about so many emotions at once. I was relieved, happy and thankful that nothing was actually wrong. Frustrated that they once again simply chose to not hear a word we told them and refused to understand how the day would be different. How the faculty and staff at their school deserve all the Starbucks gift cards I can afford because it's the SECOND TO LAST DAY OF SCHOOL that this goes down.
Only these two minis could manage to do something like this......and the only think I'm left to think about, besides a migraine that's leftover from the overwhelming panic, is that these two will be walking home together next year. Just the two of them. No big brother to regulate them (which they clearly need when they're together). I fear for what could come next school year.
So seriously, how much should those Bucks gift cards be??