Maybe He's Not Ready...

Every parent has to decide when they're kids are responsible enough to be left home alone. I checked into it and there's no law on the books that states when a child can be left alone.

Shane's 10 and he's pretty responsible. Well, okay. He's usually just glued to the TV when he's left to his own devices so I'm not too worried about him getting into anything. And he knows not to answer the door...even when we're at home.

But, after this morning, I'm thinking that maybe Shane's not ready for the responsibility of being left alone. Even for a few minutes.

Or maybe just just needs to listen to my instructions. Not just listen to them...but follow them!

So....I dropped Owen off at the eye doctor a few minutes before 8 and called Shane to tell him to get his shoes on because I was on my way home to get him on the bus. (The eye doctor is about 5 minutes away from our house.)

He didn't answer. I called 12 times.

I was panicked by the time I got home. And mad that he wouldn't answer the phone.

When I opened the door, he wasn't there. Neither was his backpack. My anger went straight to panic.

I raced over to my neighbor Emily's to see if he was there.

Her hubby Scott answered the door with Emily right behind him. Nope. He wasn't there.

So then I started really freaking out.

I saw my other neighbor in his yard and yelled to him. He said that he wasn't at his house either.

But then he looked down the street and said that he saw him at the bus stop.

Meh.

Seriously.

15 minutes early.

So I proceeded to apologize to Emily and Scott for bringing them into my freak out moment. With a sidebar of...."guess I won't be needing that second cup of coffee afterall."

I then went up the street and got Shane.

He said that he saw me drive by and waved but I didn't see him.

Which was entirely possible because I was intent on getting home to beat his butt for not answering my phone calls. (Well, not really, but he was going to get a good talking to.)

Got him home (and probably scared the pee out of him because I was so scared) and asked him what in the heck was he doing.

First...he didn't listen to me when I told him that I would be right back to put him on the bus so he didn't know what he was doing.

Then he said that he saw the handicap bus drive by and thought he was late for the bus so he went up to the stop.

But...before he did that...he answered the phone to another neighborhood mom (which is a big no-no!)

And then left for the bus (second big no-no).

But...he said that he "left a note" which I obviously never saw.

I finally saw it later this morning.

It was written on my dry eraser board.

"GOON ALREADY,"

I guess he failed the test and won't be staying home alone again until he's 18.

Ugh. And how was your Monday?