It’s Saturday morning. Everyone in my house has somewhere to go…except me! Husband and two oldest daughters are volunteering at a home – fixing up, painting, etc. Youngest daughter has a digital photography class. I take her and her friend, Kylie, to the bus at the middle school at 9 o’clock, which transports them to the Math and Science Center.
Back home after the quiet drive, I take inventory of occupants. Yep, it’s just me and Layla the dog. No gotta-do errands, no appointments, no tennis lessons, etc. Hmmm…what shall I do?
I eat breakfast, digest, run for twenty-five minutes, and then walk Layla. I have a leisurely phone chat with one of my girlfriends before deciding to do something around the house.
The mound of clothes to be sorted and distributed to each child’s room, awaits…but…I think I’ll check email first and see if anyone has commented on my latest blog post.
Bloggy friends are in my in-box. “It’s going to get busy later, so I’ll write a couple replies and read a couple blogs, too…just for twenty minutes.”
Two hours later…
“AHHHH…Oh my God!”
It’s 1:50. "The bus will be back at the school in five minutes!" No time to empty my tea-filled bladder. I snatch the snoozing dog off the comfy chair, grab the leash, my purse, and the key, then race to the car.
During my four minute trip (I’m probably shaving off one of those minutes), I visualize the police coming from out of nowhere to stop me for speeding, and how embarrassed I’m going to be. More importantly, I’m planning my pity inducing story.
I pull onto the bus loop; no sign of the yellow bus. “Whew!”
(I was worried because no other kids get off at this stop, therefore, no other parents would be around; and my daughter’s friend was not with her on the trip home.)
Before I can relax and slow down my heart rate, I see it coming.
Daughter gets in the car. With a smile, I say, “How was your class Sweetie?”
What happened when you forgot your child?
No children? What important someone or something did you forget?
fess up :)
Back home after the quiet drive, I take inventory of occupants. Yep, it’s just me and Layla the dog. No gotta-do errands, no appointments, no tennis lessons, etc. Hmmm…what shall I do?
I eat breakfast, digest, run for twenty-five minutes, and then walk Layla. I have a leisurely phone chat with one of my girlfriends before deciding to do something around the house.
The mound of clothes to be sorted and distributed to each child’s room, awaits…but…I think I’ll check email first and see if anyone has commented on my latest blog post.
Bloggy friends are in my in-box. “It’s going to get busy later, so I’ll write a couple replies and read a couple blogs, too…just for twenty minutes.”
Two hours later…
“AHHHH…Oh my God!”
It’s 1:50. "The bus will be back at the school in five minutes!" No time to empty my tea-filled bladder. I snatch the snoozing dog off the comfy chair, grab the leash, my purse, and the key, then race to the car.
During my four minute trip (I’m probably shaving off one of those minutes), I visualize the police coming from out of nowhere to stop me for speeding, and how embarrassed I’m going to be. More importantly, I’m planning my pity inducing story.
I pull onto the bus loop; no sign of the yellow bus. “Whew!”
(I was worried because no other kids get off at this stop, therefore, no other parents would be around; and my daughter’s friend was not with her on the trip home.)
Before I can relax and slow down my heart rate, I see it coming.
Daughter gets in the car. With a smile, I say, “How was your class Sweetie?”
What happened when you forgot your child?
No children? What important someone or something did you forget?
fess up :)
image from http://www.net-planet.org/
24 comments:
When youngest daughter was a freshman in high school she played volleyball. An away game resulting in a bus ride to/from for her gave me extra time, I thought, after the game to just stop by my house for a minute. Picked up the dog and drove to the high school. No bus in sight. Sitting on the curb in the front of the school was my daughter and two coaches, the only people on site. I could have died from embarrassment. I thought surely driving I'd be faster than the bus....I got lectured from the head coach about never being late again. LOL, the same coach did wind up liking me and my parenting and asked me to be team mom Sophomore year. Whew!!
Great post Anita! Since I've been blogging I confess I have lost track of time a couple of mornings when my daughter is in preschool but have made it on time to pick her up. It is so easy to get lost in the land of blogging I am finding!
I've not forgotten to collect, but have forgotten whilst blogging to prepare a meal a couple of times and had to make excuses that I've been so busy on my novel...
Glad you made it in the nick of time. I haven't forgotten to collect, but do notice how time often slips away unnoticed when I'm immersed in any writing. I look up at the clock and can't believe the hours that have passed!
I probably have not forgotten my child because I only have one. But I have forgotten many other things when I get carried away working in the garden- doctors appointments, lunch dates, my son's end-of-year awards ceremony at school (does that last one count as forgetting your child???)!
So far I haven't forgotten my daughter but I understand the lure of reading blog posts!
Oh Anita - I will never be allowed to forget the day I forgot to pick up a grandaughter, well I did get to the school but much later that I should have done.
Oh, the embarrasment of having to make my way to the office and sign for the youngster, made worse by the fact the principal was the one out at the kiss and ride place who directed me there when I arrived at full pelt.
Now each time I'm asked to pick her up I get reminded during the day, her mother rings to make sure I haven't forgotten or got sidetracked, and the youngster tells me it was an embarrasment for her also lol
Working at an elementary school, it happened all the time! I had so many parents "forget" to meet their kids at the busstop and wouldn't you know it? It was always on a Friday when I wanted to go home. That meant waiting until the parent realized that their little one was still waiting for them at the school.
Don't feel bad. It does happen.
I find it so easy to get wrapped up in the blogging world and the time just whirls by......:-)Hugs
Well....never forgot my kids BUT I've sat in-front of the computer for hours before I realized the time..!!
I have had so many near misses because of blog reading. I so get it!
YES missy is a HUGE cat! and the toy cat is like half her size and she RUNS from it!! lol
I didnt forget my kids..but another child one night at the movie theatre...they were all piling into the back of an SUV and I thought they were all in and pulled away..leaving one poor quiet child in the dust..just to hear them all saying.."you forgot Katie"..oh sh--....I zoomed back there to see her dialing her phone and crying..boy did I feel like crap..she was just a very quiet child and sometimes went unnoticed..which is very bad on my part...
My wife once locked our two year old daughter into the car with the keys. There she was staring helplessly at her mother. After a frenetic ten minutes or so a kind man helped jiggle the lock open.
Hello EVERYONE, I see I'm not alone! All funny stories. I can say that now, because no harm came to anyone.
Thanks for the laughs!
FOLLOWERS AND READERS, I'D LOVE TO HEAR MORE!
LOL Blogging can totally suck your time! Had a very similar experience with Ballet class. Made it there just in time. I don't think anyone noticed the smell of burning rubber:)
How about an important off-site conference at work? We were all supposed to meet at the ferry terminal at some ungodly hour. My phone rang and I groggily picked it up. My colleague asked where I was. I had to ask who was calling and why (!). It turned out I'd totally forgotten that we had to go to Macau that day for a 3-day conference! I did manage to catch a later ferry somehow.
I've had those moments when I sit down in the morning to blog or work or something and the next minute the sun is going down.
Oh gosh. So familiar. My high school kids finish earlier in the year than my elementary ones, and the late spring is always a busy one for me. One day I was having my son help me with something on the computer and I completely forgot to pick up my daughter from grade one. A car pulled into the driveway and it was a friend bringing her home. Yikes. I set my watch alarm to ring daily at 2:20 after that!
It's easy to get wrapped up in bloggyland...I haven't almost forgotten my kids (Only because they drive themselves!) but I have forgotten other things as time a has slipped away from me. Happy Mother's Day to you.
I don't recall ever actually forgetting anyone, but I can understand how that can happen when you're blog engrossed!
I have been forgotten once - by my own HUSBAND! He was supposed to pick me up at the airport. I still get "repayments" for that one - so thanks for reminding me!
I forgot to pick up the entire carpool one time. THAT was embarrassing.
Thanks EVERYONE for adding more funny stories. :)
KAREN - the entire carpool! My oldest daughter would never let me forget that...kind of like ABBY never letting her husband forget that he left her.
MORE COMMENTS? I'D LOVE TO HEAR THEM. :)
ohmygoodness! I have NOT forgotten a kiddie!! Although your story and some of these comments are so funny!
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